India only interested in geo-political, economic and strategic importance of NE: NESF
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 22 (MExN): The Northeast Students’ Forum (NESF), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi has stated that the ongoing racist attacks on the North-easterners was part of a deeper racial hatred towards the people of Northeast (NE). “Racial discrimination is a daily experience in the Indian mainland. The Racist Politics of the Indian State against the people of NE has been a long drawn process”, stated a press note issued by the NESF.
The NESF organized a huge Protest March in JNU Campus on August 21 at 9:30 pm. The protest was held against the ongoing racist attacks on the Northeasterners in cities of India. Interestingly the JNU based students forum stated that India’s concern with the NE is only with its geo-political, economic and strategic importance but not with the people and it has never been a part of the Indian consciousness.
In this instance, one is reminded of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s letter to Jawaharlal Nehru on November 7, 1950, “Our northern and north-eastern approaches consist of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Darjeeling and the tribal areas in Assam. From the point of view of communication, there are weak spots…. The people inhabiting these portions have no established loyalty or devotion to India. Even Darjeeling and Kalimpong areas are not free from pro-Mongoloid prejudices.”
The NESF stated that it was no surprise that the people of NE are suspiciously looked upon since the inception of the Indian State.
The press note pointed out that the mass exodus of thousands and thousands of North-easterners from Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, etc, after being threatened and attacked, underscored deeper historical and political problems which have remained unresolved. “It highlights their sense of alienation and insecurity in mainland India. There are victims of attacks, but the state and media have been consistently dismissing them as rumours”.
The forum went on to claim that this was “a deliberate ploy to cover up such racist incidents”. “If it were mere rumours, then why were special trains arranged for people to flee? These are not rumours but threats, plain and simple. Hence, it was instrumental in making thousands of people flee within a very short span of time”.
It went on to state that the racist crimes against northeast community at the heart of India are constant reminders of how vulnerable these people are.
The attempted rape and murder of Ramchanphy Hongary, the brutal murder of Richard Loitam, suicide of Dana Sangma to mention a few among others, wherein justice is denied, inform the northeast community of their existential threats in India, it was stated.
The killing of four passengers and seriously injuring seven others by throwing them off from a moving Bangalore-Guwahati Train at Jalpaiguri in North Bengal on 19th August, 2012 nullifies the state’s repeated assurances of providing security, it stated. Also it stated that pointing fingers towards Pakistan, accusing it for circulating and uploading the so-called doctored video footages in social network sites is one of the tactics of the Government of India to divert the issue and give it a purely communal tinge and overtone.
National dailies have reported that attacks upon the northeast community have gone beyond communal or religious boundaries taking new dimensions, it stated pointing out that the “controversial Kokrajhar incident has been manipulated to unleash an anti - mongoloid campaign in mainland India”. The attacks on the Tibetans and Nepalese youth in Indian cities are testimonies to this, it stated while adding that the issue, now transcends regional boundaries. “It has partaken the character of pure racial discrimination and deep rooted hatred towards the Mongoloids”.
It stated that these racial attacks have once again seriously questioned India’s self proclaimed ethos of “democracy” and “multiculturalism”.
It was informed that around 700 students participated in the Protest March showing solidarity by various students’ organizations in the JNU campus. The protest march culminated in a mass gathering and delivering of solidarity speeches from different students’ leaders. The messages vehemently condemned the racial discrimination on the Northeast people as a reflection of the historical and political design of the Indian State. The Forum strongly condemned what it termed was the nefarious attitude of the Indian state in propagating and giving a communal tinge to the current controversial issue.
