Covid-19: People of Northeast States Victims of Discrimination and Harassment

During the Covid-19 epidemic, people of northeastern states in India have suffered severe discrimination and persecution.

The English newspaper The Hindu has published the news, reference to a study by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).

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The ICASR has submitted a report on the difficulties faced by the people of the Northeast during the Great Depression, stating that "People from other parts of India treat the people of Northeast India as Chinese citizens."

In this study, out of the total number of people from northeastern states who were interviewed, a total of 78 percent of the people said that people are prejudiced towards them because of their physical designs.

The study said that since the spread of the Corona epidemic in India last year, the number of "incidents of racial hatred and prejudice" has increased with the people of the Northeast.

The study also said that many such incidents have come to light in the last one year when the people of the Northeast were persecuted in different parts of the country and called the 'corona virus'.

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The risk of being victimised in racial hatred remains subtle yet deeply entrenched. The highest number of incidents were reported from Mumbai (44.7%). Interestingly, 78% of the northeast people believed that physical appearance was the most important reason for prejudice against them. It appears as if the northeast India seamlessly fits Indian’s imagination of a Chinese person,” the report said.

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Offensive and abusive language were reported to be most common across all the six cities. Mumbai recorded the highest offensive and abusive language related crime (74%), followed by Chennai (72%), Pune (67.3%), Delhi (64%), Hyderabad (48.7%) and Bengaluru (43.3%). More than 60% of the persons who were interviewed said their studies and work were seriously hampered by such experiences.

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