Arunachal Assembly condemns racism against Northeast people, seeks strict anti-racism law

Members of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on March 10 unanimously condemned incidents of racial discrimination against people from the Northeast in other parts of the country and urged the Centre to enact a stringent anti-racism law.

The issue was raised by Thangwang Wangham of the Nationalist People's Party (NPP) through a short duration discussion in the House. He expressed serious concern over recurring incidents of racial abuse faced by people from the region.

Referring to a recent case, Wangham cited a February 20 incident in the Malviya Nagar area of New Delhi, where three women from Arunachal Pradesh were allegedly subjected to racial slurs and verbal abuse by a couple following a dispute related to air conditioner repair work in their rented apartment.

According to the MLA, the argument escalated and the women were targeted with derogatory remarks about people from the Northeast. A video of the confrontation later went viral on social media, sparking public outrage and prompting police action.
Wangham also referred to the 2014 case involving Arunachalee youth Nido Tania, who was beaten to death in the Lajpat Nagar area of New Delhi.

Tania was allegedly assaulted by shopkeepers after an argument during which his appearance and ethnic identity were mocked. The 20-year-old later died of severe injuries, triggering nationwide outrage and protests over racial discrimination against people from the Northeast.

“This is quite humiliating, intolerable and unacceptable,” Wangham said, adding that people in other parts of the country often have limited knowledge about the Northeast and its contributions to the nation.

He said many unsung heroes from the region have sacrificed their lives for the country and that people of Arunachal Pradesh continue to guard the nation’s frontiers.

The MLA urged the government to take strong measures and called on the Centre to enact a comprehensive anti-racism law to protect people from the Northeast. He also appealed to MPs from the region to raise the issue strongly at the national level.
Several other lawmakers who participated in the discussion also condemned the incident and demanded strict action against those responsible.

They suggested incorporating the history and culture of the Northeast in school curricula, including textbooks prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and state education boards, to promote greater awareness about the region.

Responding on behalf of the government, Education and Tourism Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona said the Malviya Nagar incident was not an isolated case and that many such incidents had occurred in the past but often went unreported.

“The crux of the problem lies in the mindset of people from other parts of the country, which must change,” he said, adding that such incidents largely stem from ignorance about the Northeast.

Sona supported the demand for a strong anti-racism law and suggested that the assembly send a resolution to the Centre seeking legislation to curb racial discrimination.

Later, Speaker Tesam Pongte assured the House that a strong message condemning such incidents would be conveyed to the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs.