The brutal stabbing death of Anjel Chakma, which began with racial slurs, has cast a harsh and unforgiving light on the systemic racism that people from India's northeastern states endure daily. This incident is not an isolated tragedy but part of a grim pattern of violence rooted in prejudice, a reality that has persisted for decades without adequate legal recourse.
A Litany of Lost Lives: Names That Tell a Story
The names Loitam Richard, Reinghamphy Awungshi, Akha Salouni, Nido Taniam, and Anjel Chakma represent young lives tragically cut short by racially motivated violence. The attack on Chakma followed a familiar, horrifying script: it started with verbal abuse and, when he resisted, escalated into fatal physical violence. This pattern reveals a deep-seated societal issue where racial slurs like "chinky," "Chinese," "momo," and "Nepali" are casually normalized in streets, classrooms, and public transport across major Indian cities.
For thousands migrating from the Northeast for education and jobs, facing such racism becomes a painful cost of opportunity. The scale of the problem was starkly visible in 2012, when panic triggered by threats and violence forced a mass exodus of northeastern people from cities like Bengaluru and Pune. The central government had to arrange special trains for their safe return as employers fired them and landlords evicted them overnight, exposing a profound failure of state protection.
The Glaring Legal Vacuum: No Law Against Racism
Despite India being a signatory to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965), the country lacks a specific anti-racial discrimination law. The Indian Penal Code has provisions for hate crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but it offers no safeguard for those from the Northeast, ignoring the region's diverse ethnicities.
This legal gap often leaves police helpless. Authorities frequently admit they have no remedy when such crimes are reported, leading to significant under-reporting. The problem intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic, when people from the Northeast were racially profiled as "Corona" or "Chinese" and denied basic services. Even when victims like the author faced severe online abuse and approached the Delhi Police, they were told the absence of a specific law limited action.
Forgotten Promises: The Bezbaruah Committee Report
In the wake of the horrific murder of Nido Taniam in New Delhi in early 2014, the then UPA government formed the Bezbaruah Committee to recommend ways to curb such crimes. After extensive travel and consultations with northeastern students across cities, the committee submitted a comprehensive report to the Ministry of Home Affairs in July 2014.
The report proposed legal measures, social awareness campaigns, police sensitization, and even reforms in school textbooks. The incoming NDA government assured action on a "priority basis." However, eleven years later, the report remains largely forgotten, gathering dust while the cycle of violence and injustice continues.
Governments change, but the struggle for dignity and safety for northeastern communities remains painfully constant. The temporary awakening after high-profile crimes is always followed by administrative slumber. What is urgently needed is the enactment of a robust anti-racial discrimination law that serves as a strong deterrent and delivers the basic constitutional protection guaranteed to every citizen. The death of Anjel Chakma is a grim reminder that the time for this long-overdue justice is now.
