Racism towards Northeast Indians must not go Unpunished: Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma

Dispur, April 10, 2020:

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, talking to Inside Northeast earlier today, has demanded "strict action" against those who commit racial discrimination against the people from the Northeast Indian state because of their mongoloid features. Sangma, terming the recent reports of racism against the Northeast as "very unfortunate", has demanded that stringent action be taken against the perpetrators of the racist deeds.

Slamming the "racists", the Chief Minister said that the the level to which they have stooped is "unimaginable", further adding that "this kind of racism that has been done by individuals is unacceptable".

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Upon being asked what he is doing in his personal capacity to put a complete halt to the menace of racism, Sangma informed that he has held consultations with different leaders from different states, and has made many calls in order to discuss this very serious issue.

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Sangma further said that all CMs and all political leaders have been consulted and added that the racists "must not go unpunished", adding that the people who are responsible for these acts "should be taught a lesson". Additionally, he said that he has talked to all Northeast Indian leaders in regards to this issue and has urged the leaders from different states so that "proper action" is taken against such people.

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Sangma is not the only leader from the Northeast Indian states to voice his concerns over the issue. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, taking note of the acts of crass racism against Northeast Indians in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19, has appealed for “compassion, understanding and love” in the trying and testing times.

Mizoram's Chief Minister Zoramthanga too has decried these acts towards NE Indians, mostly students who are studying outside. The chief minister took to Twitter after a video showing youths from the Northeast being allegedly denied entry to a grocery shop in Mysuru. “I am pained, shocked and awed seeing this video. When has humanity stooped so low?” Zoramthanga asked as he attached the video with his tweet.

Racism against the Northeast:

In the recent past, it has come to light that several from the Northeast Indian States have been discriminated against because of their mongoloid features. Additionally, many of them are now subject to being called "corona", which has quickly replaced "chinky" as the most offensive term against those from the eight states.

On 20 March 2020, 24-year-old Cathy Chakhesang and her eight colleagues from Nagaland working at a dental insurance company’s call centre had to spend the night in a government quarantine facility meant for suspected patients of the coronavirus disease allegedly because of their Mongoloid looks. They had no physical symptoms of the disease, no foreign travel history, and no apparent contact with any laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 patient.

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Again, on 16 March 2020, 74 year old Rinzin Dorjee and his daughter Tsering Yangzom from Northeast India were denied entry in Shree Sainath Housing Society at Mulund (East), Mumbai on the suspicion that they hail from China. Mr Dorjee has been a frequent visitor to Mumbai for his cancer treatment and has been staying at the Housing Society for the last three months. However, on 16 March the security guard did not allow him and his daughter to enter the society.

A 25-year-old girl from Manipur was reportedly spat on in Mumbai recently, leading to the lodging of an FIR. This latest incident of alleged discrimination has been reported from the Kalina Main Signal in Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. A man riding a scooty took off his mask to spit betel nut juice at the innocent Manipuri woman.

This, after a 25-year-old in New Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar was also subjected to a similar harrowing experience.

The 25-year-old was reportedly returning to her house at Vijay Nagar, when a man stopped her and apparently misbehaved with her. When she fired back, he spat at her and yelled “CORONA” at her. Naturally, the spitting incident took social media by storm. Even Delhi CM Kejriwal took stock of the incident and called for the arrest of the perpetrator.

Meanwhile, there have been called to put a new anti-racism act in order to discourage such acts in the future. Condemning racist acts against Northeast Indians, the office of the Naga Hoho has recently said that “no one, even if they are not Indians or are from India should face racism in the country”. The Naga Hoho, terming the racism as “unacceptable”, has called for an anti-racial law to tackle the menace.

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