Social Profiling of the North East people

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. - Martin Niemöller.



First sexual abuse, social discrimination and economic exploitation happened to the people from Nagaland, I did not speak out because I was not a Naga. Then it happened to the people from Manipur, I did not speak out because I was not a Manipuri. Then it happened to the people from Mizoram, I did not speak out because I was not a Mizo. Then it happened to the people from Arunachal Pradesh, I did not speak out because I was not an Arunachalese. Then it happened to me, there was not one left to speak out for me. -- anonymous response

Unprecedented Racial Discrimination

Delhi police, Delhi and Union Governments, civil societies and intellectuals refused to accept the racial discrimination faced by the people from North East India, who are working, studying and living in Delhi and National Capital Regions (NCR). Refusal and denial to accept the struggles faced by the people from North East India by the concerned government and police forces continued for last five years until the killing of 19-years-old Tangkhul girl from Manipur in last October at Murnika by IIT Ph. D. student.



Whole nation cried when Shilpa Shetty in Celebrity of Big Brother faced racial abuse at London in 2007 and Indians at Australia recently but kept silence spectator when it happened to its own people from North East India. Non-acceptance and denial of the racial discrimination faced by the people from North East India by the law enforcement agencies and government authorities is the additional form of racial discrimination.



Enough incidents had happened in last six years at Delhi and NCR, probably begun with heinous crime of gang rape of a girl from Mizoram in a moving car at Dhuala Kuan in 2005, whose verdict came after four years with 14 years of imprisonment.



North East Support Centre & Helpline established in 2008, conducted two pilot studies – one in 2008, based on media reporting on sexual abuse in national capital, where almost 50% cases were happened to the girls from North East India. Second pilot study conducted in 2009, reveals 86% of North East people living have said that they are facing racial discrimination in various forms like, sexual abuse, physical attacks, vulgar remarks, social profiling and economic exploitation. These are documented and reported in national news papers and national televisions, from which, law enforcement agencies and government machineries should have understood the plights faced by the people of North East India in Delhi and NCR.



Double blow of racial discrimination came when the law enforcement agency, particularly of Delhi police and NCR, refused, denied and delayed to entertain the cases filed by victims from North East India. If the police forces, would have avoided the social profiling in performing their duties, the issue of sexual abuse, racial discrimination and economic exploitation faced by the people from North East India would have, long time, prevented. Due to the discrimination by the law enforcement agencies, the plight of racial discrimination remained unprecedented till these days. 2009 went up with highest record of violence against the people from North East India in Delhi and NCR. Nothing to celebrate this year with just six cases so far because, the number crime in 2009 went up only after September. Anything could happen at any time because there still exist unprecedented violence against the people from North East India.

The author is not from the North-East India.