While the world is fighting the coronavirus outbreak, the people belonging to Northeast India currently living in various parts of country are facing the wrath of racism. The Covid-19 virus originated from Wuhan in China and spread to the rest of the world. Most of the people belonging to the NE region have Mongoloid features and therefore people are mistaking them for Chinese. This has led to the worst forms of racist attacks on them. It is reported that people of Asian origin are facing similar kind of racist attacks in the West, especially in the USA. This is really unfortunate and uncalled for.
No one, including the Chinese, can be blamed for the present scenario. The coronavirus has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and it is the duty of every citizen of the planet to together fight against this virus. In the Indian context, the racist behaviour against the people of the NE region is not a new thing. It’s been going on for the last many years. Despite framing of laws to protect the NE people, still the trend has not been stopped. There is need for more awareness. People should be sensitized and made aware about the NE region. At this moment, when the entire country is battling the outbreak of Covid-19, it is unfortunate that people are still indulging in racist behaviour. This is condemnable and strong action should be initiated against such people.