The Exodus Explained

The plight of Northeasterners proves that most Indians are racist

In the last few days, the country witnessed one of the largest exoduses of Indian citizens in independent India. Thousands of individuals from the country’s Northeast region fled from various Indian cities. Many reasons are being cited. These include Pakistan for trying to create a communal divide, and social networking and the media for fuelling the panic.

However valid these arguments might be, the crucial point is not being addressed—that mainland India continues to be racist and discriminates against individuals from the Northeast. So even if there were anonymous mobile messages, their veracity wasn’t in doubt.

Whenever Indians are told that they are racist, they ignore or reject the notion. Many Indians feel racism exists only in the West. This was seen earlier this year, when the term ‘chinki’ was classified as racist. Everyone seemed aghast that a person voicing such a term could be jailed for five years. According to most, the term was at best a stereotype. ‘Chinki’, however, is a deeply racist slur that identifies those with small and slant-eyes—chink-eyed is a commonly used phrase. It is believed to have originated in India as a reference to people from China.

Racial profiling in India is deeply institutionalised. Earlier this year in New Delhi, during the run-up to the BRICS summit, when the police sought to put under preventive detention protesting Tibetans, a large number of those rounded up were from the Northeast. The Delhi High Court, in fact, had to intervene and direct the police not to harass them. In 2007, Delhi Police had come out with a booklet titled Security Tips for North East Students, where North-eastern women were asked, among other things, not to wear ‘revealing dresses’ and to live without ‘creating ruckus in the neighbourhood’.

Racial profiling occurs in educational institutions too. Last year, University of Hyderabad launched an ‘initiative’ to curb drinking and drug use on campus by working only with students from the Northeast.

India also remains ignorant of its Northeast. When Mary Kom won a medal at the Olympics, Amitabh Bachchan tweeted that she was from Assam, while she is from Manipur. He later apologised for his error.

India needs to investigate all aspects of the shameful exodus. But India also needs to introspect and acknowledge its own flawed ways.

About The Author

Lhendup G Bhutia

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