The shame capital of India : Incomplete idea of a Nation
- Sangai Express Editorial :: February 04, 2014 -

Rally at Shillong against Killing of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, in Delhi on 02 February 2014 :: Pix - Shillong Manipuri Students' Union (SMSU)

Time for all Indians to hang their heads in shame. Hold on.

On second thought, this observation or statement could be based on a false premise, for the two incidents that have unfolded in quick succession at Delhi in which one youth was lynched to death and two other girls were physically assaulted, could be a reflection of the reality that the idea of India as a Nation is yet to catch on.

Nido Taniam, a young lad from Arunachal Pradesh is dead. Two young girls from Manipur were physically assaulted.

The question is would Nido Taniam have been beaten to death if he had hailed from some place other than the North East ?

Would the goons, for want of better words, we will settle for goons, have had the temerity to tie the leash of their pet dog to the boots of one of the young girls, if she had not been from Manipur and physically assault them ?

A question of Us and Them ?

These questions and observations have not come from any fertile imagination, for we are not script writers, but are based on bare facts and the reality.

A reality substantiated by the decision of Delhi police to impart self defence training to people from the North East in Delhi from March this year.

A crying shame for a country which is the largest democracy in the world resting on the foundation of secularism.

Nido Taniam was not the first victim nor were the two girls from Manipur.

There have been cases galore and the list would run long.

For all the internal differences that the people of the North East may have, it is time for all to join hands and take the battle to the capital of the country.

When push comes to shove then it is time to stand up and take a collective stand.

The goons have already claimed the life of a young man and humiliated and physically assaulted two young girls and others who came to their rescue, but this is not the end of the story.

At the other end of the spectrum stands the Delhi police, which first dropped Nido Taniam back at the place where the scuffle first broke out and then refused to lodge an FIR in the assault case of the two young girls, making them wait at the police station from 10 pm till 6 am.

Perfectly complements each other, that is the acts of the goons and the indifference and arrogance of Delhi police.

Not the first time that such instances have happened in the capital of the country and one needs to go beyond the protest rallies and dharnas or sit-in-protests.

In the acts of the goons and the indifference of the police lie the mental block, a mentality that is not far removed from racially profiling the people of North East.

Officially, India or for that matter the Government of Delhi has been denying that there is racism in the country, but the fact of the matter is the very act of denying racism is itself a manifestation of racism.

The chicken neck syndrome is palpable here.

A manifestation of not only the deep geographical divide but also a mental divide, where people from the North East are compelled to raise questions over their Nationalities once they step out from the region.

Baggages of history, made worse by a divisive political approach ? Whatever the case maybe, things cannot go on like this.

Last heard, the main accused in the assault of the two women has been hauled up while three suspects have been detained in connection with the death of Nido Taniam.

Viewed against the earlier reluctance and indifference of Delhi police, this is a progress, but this is not the time to call it a day.

Justice should be delivered and it should also seem to have been delivered, is the stand of The Sangai Express.

We understand that to ensure better policing and ensure the security of the residents of Delhi, a State Security Commission was set up back in 2012.

The members of the Commission include the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, the Chief Minister, leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Joint Secretary in charge of UT Division, MHA, Commissioner of Delhi Police as Secretary/Convenor and five independent members selected by a search committee, consisting of Prof Shyam B Menon, VC of Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar University, Retd Justice CK Mahajan, Praveen Swami, Deputy Editor of The Hindu.

The interesting point is two years down the line and the Commission is reported to have met only five times.

A damning statement on the priority placed on the security of the people, especially people from the North East.

A poser is in line here too. Till the time of writing this commentary, nothing official has come from the State Government.

Do we need to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister that two girls from Manipur have been physically assaulted in the most humiliating way in Delhi ?