Us vs. Them: The Persistent Shadows of Faith and Race

We are in a new year. 2025 ended in a bizarre note. Two varieties of news had made me wonder whether this country, India will ever get saner. 

Christianity is one of the minor religions of India. But being born in a Christian dominated state of India, I have only good memories of Christmas. There is nothing wrong in believing a God or identifying oneself with a particular religion or celebrating the birthday of the God, gods and goddesses you believe in. However, some people seem to have a problem with all the religions, some with a particular religion and some with all the religions other than their own. Looks like hate is the most followed religion in and across the world and beyond.

There is persecution of the Christians in many parts of the world, and India is not an exception. Each year, during Christmas we hear stories about decorations being vandalised, church services being interrupted and gatherings being disrupted, and with each passing year, it is increasing. Organizations like the United Christian Forum (UCF) have documented hundreds of incidents of targeted violence and disruption of services annually, with numbers trending upward since 2021. I am glad that there were good numbers of people on social media condemning such incidents. Indians find pride in proclaiming the country to be the mother of democracy but secularism is an integral part of democracy. This country has failed or got low ranks in so many indexes, including religious freedom. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has repeatedly recommended India be designated as a "Country of Particular Concern," citing a sharp rise in attacks on minorities. The data cannot be wrong when attacks on religious minority are apparent. The law enforcing agencies should be vigilant, no doubt, at the same time, the hatemonger should learn to tolerate, accept, embrace the existence of other religions but the problem is how it can be done when religion is a strong vote bank.

Racism faced by the people of Northeast region in India is not a new thing. I have written numerous blog articles on this issue, seems like we are still in 2010s. Racial slurs, racially motivated attacks or racial discrimination are forms of racism but only when there is physical violence involved it is considered a crime, at least in India. We are told not to react, get provoked, ignore whenever we are mocked or lurked remarks are made about out facial features, it makes sense but for how long?

A study by the Bezbaruah Committee previously found that over 80% of people from the Northeast living in metros have faced some form of racial discrimination or verbal abuse The death of Angel Chakma a final-year MBA student from Tripura in Uttarakhand highlights the prevalence of racism even after COVID 19 pandemic has long gone. We often read and hear about various steps and measures to combat racism but that are all in theory, the ground reality is different. Race is an identity, as long as there is 'us vs. them' mentality and the urge to exhibit power and control, we cannot do away with racism. Least we can do is, not to practice racial prejudices ourselves. Moreover, the Uttarakhand Police said, they found no evidence to suggest that the killing of 24-year-old Angel Chakma was racially motivated. Let the investigation take its course and pray that justice will be served. Lastly, I am being realistic when I say; this won’t be the last incident of racism in India.

 

 

Why Compete the Ways...

Ankit Sajwan's revival and healing crusade in Dimapur, Nagaland, was a mega success. But when  some of the clips and pictures of the event were shared on social media, some people seem to have a melt down, excitedly bringing up the topic of rice-bag convert and what not. Hence, these few lines popped up on my mind.

 "Which religion is the best, is for the deads to decide.

 While we live in this world, let's learn to live.

Wisdom is god's eternal gift, age's first kiss.

Kindness the supreme of all, pride the doom's stair."

A Silent Crisis: Call for Improved Infrastructure

The brutal murder of a 22 year old state level basketball player in Nagaland sent shock waves across every corner of our state. I have been following this news, and I was of the opinion that it might be an insider's dirty work (this heinous crime must have been committed by someone known to the victim). I am sure; I am not the only one who thought on the same line. Whatever the motive was, I hope and pray that justice will be served. 

Catching the right culprit takes time, sometimes, days or weeks or even years, and in the worst case scenario, it's never solved and the case becomes a cold case. However, I am grateful to the Kohima police in general and the crime branch in particular for their relentless effort to catch the perpetrator. 

But it won't be a lie to say that our state lacks in public safety and criminal justice infrastructure. Nagaland has only one forensic science laboratory, that too in Dimapur, making the test results delay. Delivering justice is always urgency. It is an established fact, a growing population can lead to an increase in the absolute number of crimes, and there is a correlation between these two. Isn't it high time that the government should invest in above stated infrastructural facilities?

Just an opinion: I wonder why there are no true crime podcasters from Nagaland. Despite of having so many Youtubers and blooming podcasts, there seems to be not a single channel from our state that solely focuses on true crime. If there is or are dedicated true crime podcast in our state then it not only acts as a medium of information but if it's free from conspiracy and propaganda, then it is like a pressure building tool to make government agencies to act swiftly and to look into the lacunae that hinders the delivery of justice.