The Mass Exodus: Rumors, Race and Indian Society

Mass Exodus: Is it just rumors and Pakistan? Courtesy: santabanta.com

 

While Indian media and government are blaming Pakistan and technology-driven rumors for the recent mass exodus of Northeast people of India, the fault within us must also be realized entrenched in the Indian society. The consolidation of ethnic and racial heterogeneity of Indian society has much to do with the mass exodus coupled with fear psyche in elsewhere of the nook and corner of ethnic Mongoloid people.

It is not just that rumor triggered mass exodus of Northeast people from Indian cities especially Bangalore on the 66th day of Independence of the country, what media and intelligence inputs has deciphered about the wrong-doers seems not convincing to an average northeasterner like me, one is for sure that there are revealing reasons that why northeasters rush were seen in railway stations, seemingly overcrowded with fearful foots. I had definite inputs from my childhood friend based in Bangalore on an early morning itself on the eve of Independence day, that they are frantically looking for tickets since days back and sought our help for safe return.

My friend is a higher secondary drop-out who had moved to Bangalore six years back in search of much-heard employment opportunity to the IT city of South India.Before the news of mass exodus went viral on web and televisions on the night of independence day, I had posted at least one hour earlier on misingonline.com based on conversation with the friend, who was already in the railway station. What is more attributive to Indian media was the news of "rumors", that was not at all to many workers, security guards from our place. Member of Parliament from Congress party, Mr Ninong Ering was right when he said that people of Mongoloid features are being targeted in the Indian cities. That is what story behind why people become so panic since the faces of northeasterners can be identified easily. And here the government blames Pakistan again!

Whatever it is rumour or real threats, one fact must be agreed that Mongoloid ethnic minorities who basically belongs to northeastern India are vulnerable to attack and abuse, if they are once out of their homelands.

It is not just good to blame that the fleeing Mongoloid Indians were threatened by one particular religious group but the ethnic minorities too suffers from solidarity and lack of cooperation from other counter-parts in rest of India irrespective of caste or religion. The present exodus of people of northeast tells that reality. As it is evident from the arrests made by police, the culprits are from different religious backgrounds.

From Delhi to Bangalore, from Kolkata to Mumbai, ethnic minorities having Mongoloid features suffers from insecurity just because they look differently. Girls belonging to Mongoloid stock are most vulnerable to gender-based atrocity even in Delhi. India's veil of racism on ethnic Mongoloid minorities should be exposed at the global level so that India is force to do justice to the suffering indigenous peoples. Otherwise, why people from Mizoram or Arunachal Pradesh, even with negligible Muslim population ( if Muslims are to blamed!), had to flee the cities when they have nothing to do with the violence happening in lower Assam? Some matters really needs second thought to dealt with for better unity and integrity of the nation so that every citizen can live like an any Indian, anywhere in the country.