By Tinky Ningombam
Reports on racist hate crimes against North Easterns are increasing in number by the day. It is alarming to think of how much of unreported incidents must also occur in many of the regions in India where many of us are unfortunately exiled to survive for livelihood. A clear failure on the part of the jingoistic nationalists who have been trying to force down their many chants of One India. In the land where caste systems govern who you speak to, where jobs and promotions are given based on their gender, where kids are admitted to schools based on their parents`™ income, we cannot hope for equality.
Incidents like these only show the animalistic decadence of a country where everyone hates everyone. And to survive that you have to pick a side. Unfortunately your side is already picked for you. Will India be ever free from racial stereotyping? And where is the holy list of ingenious solutions. A self-defence program? A separate hostel? What next? A mask to cover ourselves? It is hilarious that people think of more segregation and alienation to address crimes. Similar to telling all girls to stop wearing skirts to prevent rape. The solution therefore must be a mass cosmetic surgery so that we all look the same. A minor lifestyle change so that we eat the same food and pray to the same God. Maybe then, we can live in peace.
Besides, honestly, do you think CCTVs will stop a mob from murdering someone? What is the issue then? If police reinforcements were the solution, all crimes would have been over. Will a policeman investigate a crime that they don`™t care about? The question is will an FIR against a mob hold ground if the policemen didn`™t take it seriously? Is our legal system just? Does it believe in fair trial to minorities, women, immigrants or sex workers? I have seen many a times, even from personal experience that the police accepted a complaint from a Delhi-ite and rejected a similar complaint from a student who came from another state. What you need now are honest law-enforcers, honest politicians, honest bureaucrats and law-abiding citizens to even book someone for a crime as such. And do we see that happening soon?
The underlying issue seems to revolve around the epidemic called racial-narcissism. A state where we are programmed to be protective of our kind and think of ourselves as the superior race and all other communities as backward, parasitic and quite frankly unwanted. Either the minorities should be subservient and survive on crumbs or go back where they belong but not take the opportunities that could have been theirs. Now where have I heard this before? Oh yes, the hate crimes that are happening in our own home-state. Before people pull up their armor in defence, I state that I am not justifying a crime for another. We are only questioning the futility of serving justice to our own when we ourselves are not just to others?
Next comes the outcome. This happened. What next? What is our plan for the next decade? Do we run from place to place? Do we build a separate walled island? How are we going to bring equality and recognition of who we are? How do we claim our rights in a country where we attach stereotypes to others? What is our self-identity? Are we Indians or are we just North Easterns? These are uneasy questions. These are questions left for another day. It doesn`™t matter to us`¦ until the next racist remark, a harassment or a hate crime. Maybe one abusive status update on Facebook is going to change everything. Now let`™s move on, shall we?
In all this thought, I am surprised at the stony silence of our leaders? Where are those who have been democratically voted to protect and serve? When such incidents of national magnitude and alarm spreads over the country, where are our people in power? At least the Home Minister has quickly typed out a Media Release. I am eagerly waiting for the own press release on this issue from the state government. I hope it announces more job auctions for us to bid so that the richer lot amongst us do not prolong our unwanted stay in other parts of the country. Who cares about justice to the rest? To each its own, right?