People often underestimate the trauma induced by exclusion. It is something that changes the way one looks at the world, and it only (obviously) gets worse when accompanied by derogatory remarks.
I just defined to you the lives of people from the Northeast living in other parts of the country. From their looks to accent, everything becomes a joke, which is not just disturbing, but also scary. These “jokes” lead to heinous crimes, leading to death in the worst cases. Here we look at some such cases of racist abuse.
1. In a disturbing series of events, a woman from Manipur was spat on in the national capital by people who called her “corona” and ran from the scene.
Another racist attack on NE girl reported just now in North Campus calling her Coronavirus and spitting on her. Are the concerned authorities waiting for untoward situation to happen again? Incident like Nido Tania should not happen again to any of our NE boys and girls. pic.twitter.com/rrNdzU3CIf
— Alana (@Alanagolmei) March 22, 2020
2. This racism continued for quite some time, and given the circumstances, we can say that it very likely still happens.
3. In the year 2014, 20-year-old Nido Tania from Arunachal Pradesh was beaten to death in broad daylight by a group of racists. He passed away due to severe head and lung injuries, sparking a series of protests across the nation.
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4. However, not much has improved since then. The people from the region are still unsafe, as one can see in the recent viral video where a group of men ask Northeastern women what their “rate” is.
Came across a shameful video on social media wherein some women from the North East have alleged that a group of men have racially and sexually harassed them and asked, “Tumhara rate kya hai”. This is a very very serious matter, issuing Notice to Delhi Police to register FIR. pic.twitter.com/EpqCAxJDVh
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) July 21, 2021
5. Similarly, in 2017, a group of women was racially abused during an Indian Super League match. An FIR was later registered in the case.
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6. A group of racist men molested a girl from Manipur and then thrashed her after throwing racist slurs as she was coming back to her place with her cousin. The incident happened in 2014, and sent waves of fear in the community.
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7. Mary Kom, an Olympic medalist, also shared how she was called ch*nki, something that should put each one of us to shame. A report from Hindustan Times quoted her as saying:
Most of India is ignorant about the Northeast. It’s the attitude that’s wrong. I was never taken seriously due to my looks. I had to suffer my share of derogatory ‘Chinki’ remarks, especially in big cities. I speak Hindi, so I always understand what they say. But now, I hope for a new beginning. I hope I can be the change.
8. The racism towards people from the Northeast goes back really long. For instance, in 1962, actor Danny Denzongpa was called all kinds of names and faced threats during the Indo-China war. This was his harrowing experience:
To feel alienated in your own land is the saddest thing. That was the worst time for me. I dreaded stepping out of the campus because people would stare, and jibes like Gurkha, Chinese, Nepalese, and ch*nki were openly thrown at me. I lived through hell.
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So please keep your “momo jokes” to yourself. Not only are they not funny, but also dangerous.