To,
The Editors.
We
are shocked and appalled by the un-ending incidents of targeted violence
towards Northeasterners in numerous cities in mainland India. Despite all the
tall assurances by political leaders, including the Prime Minister, the act of
hatred towards Northeasterners has not decrease, but continues to spread to
various parts of the country. What has
started as isolated incidents of atrocities against Northeasterners in certain
localities in Mumbai and Pune, especially Bangurulu has emerged as assault
towards Northeasterners in the national scale. It shows how callous the Indian
state’s approach to people who are minorities among the minorities. Not only has the attacked threatened and destroyed
the livelihood of many young men and women, but also has led to loss of trust
on the state governments and the centre in taking necessary measures for the
protection of Northeasterners every part of the country. Northeasterners has
been made to feel like an unwelcome guest where-ever they went out to live and
work in India.
We
want to ask our responsible leaders why the issue has been downplayed as mere
‘rumour’, when the physical assault on Northeasterners are happening unabated
in various cities across India. Instead of focusing on attackers, the
politicians have chosen to target ‘rumour mongers’. However, the actual social
reality has shown that the hatred towards Northeasterners is much more than a
‘rumour’, it is too real to be ignored and brush aside as ‘rumour’. We demand
the Government of India and various state governments to be more serious in
dealing with the current wave of attacks on Northeasterners.
The
root of present assaults on Northeasterners has been traced to ethnic violence
in Assam, where indigenous Bodos have been reduced to minorities in their own
land. What has been a cyclical violence between two ethnic groups has been
painted by the media and other sources have ‘communal violence’. The origin of
this violence lies in the failure of Indian state in making its border free
from immigrations from other countries, which they have done it deliberately to
serve their interest of vote-bank politics. The end results of all this
sinister politics is loss of innocent life, and insecurities for indigenous
people in their own home and villages.
Now,
what we are witnessing is ‘return’ of Northeasterners to their own home in a
massive scale, which can only be compared to Partition period in Indian
history. Numerous young men and women’s career and livelihood has been
shattered by ‘hate crimes’, which the Indian state has remain as helpless
watchmen. We demand the Central and
State Governments to take immediate and affective measures to stop the current
incidents of violent attacks towards Northeasterners in various parts of the
countries. Mere tokenism and lip-service will not work this time as the danger
to our livelihood is real and increasing. We asked the state governments to
compensate all those who have been force to flee from their work and educational
institutions. And all those responsible for attacks and hate crimes must be
booked and punish according to the law of the land.
Luikang Lamak
President,
NEYF, Delhi.
+91-8587895536,
+91-8974415409.