Doubt about MHA Direction

Margaret Gangte *

Demonstration at Delhi against Racial Discrmination on 29 April 2012 :: Pix by Bobo Meitei

Ministry of Home Affairs recently passed a direction to make an anti northeast attitude a punishable offence. The policy sounds concerned and benevolent. It raises hope of protection against discrimination of northeasterners.

Many officials and staff in central ministries could be booked under the recent administrative directives. The possibility of the actual implementation of this direction, however, appeared to be very remote.

In my experience of central government, a mere recalcitrant fourth grade employee cannot be punished. It is hard to be convinced about the punitive action to be taken against the offence by the majority Indian on a minority northeasterner.

The MHA direction seemed to be only eyewash and a ploy to wean the region from influence across the border under the garb of an Indian benevolent protectorate.

If Ministry of Home Affairs is serious enough to translate the direction into action, it would create a special cell in the MHA to deal with such cases and would have directed ministries to submit report of harassment towards northeasterners from each central ministry for further investigation by a credible team. Unless this is an agreed action point, the stated MHA direction is only a sham to fool the northeast people.

The worst part is the lackadaisical attitude of north eastern political leaders who in their habitual casual attitude allow the ill treatment to continue. In my individual experience, I could not find one single leader from the northeast region to voice my case to the Prime Minister. I was compelled to accept the depressed condition with many ill effects on my life condition personally and professionally, deliberately smashed under the Indian petty game of jealousy and discrimination.

To the Indians, northeast region exists as a condemned region and its people considered an unfit category. Unfortunately, the overall devaluation of the region and the people is not understood clearly and perhaps is deliberately ignored by many northeastern politicians and civil servants from meekness and submissive attitude.

For India, the region is nothing more than a practicing ground for warfare and a shield for India’s eastern frontier protection with negative return on the people. When the local react, they get terrorized by the Armed forces. What a happy country we belong to!