The state police on Thursday brought YouTuber Paras Singh to Itanagar for making racial slurs against Arunachal and Pasighat MLA Ninong Ering. The controversial YouTuber was arrested on Tuesday by the Punjab Police. This is not the first time and perhaps will not be the last time that people of the Northeast region have to face racial abuse like this. The students and other citizens belonging to the NE region who are living in mainland India often have to face racial discrimination. Many have lost lives too. In 2014, Arunachalee student Nido Tania lost his life after being attacked in a race-related incident.
There was huge outrage across India after his killing. The then union government constituted the Bezbaruah Committee, headed by MP Bezbaruah, who was a member of the North Eastern Council at that time. The committee’s mandate was to listen to the issues raised by the people from the NE region living in other areas of the country, especially the metro cities. The committee was also asked to suggest measures which could be implemented by the government of India. The committee filed its report to the MHA on 11 July, 2014. However, not much has been reported about the implementation of the measures suggested by the committee. The state governments of the Northeast region should know the door of the Centre and seek implementation of all the measures suggested by the Bezbaruah Committee. Further, the measures suggested should be reviewed, considering the present situation. The union government needs to set up a new committee to ensure proper implementation of the measures suggested by the Bezbaruah Committee. For now, the state police should ensure that YouTuber Paras Singh is properly investigated, and he should be held accountable for his misdeed.