Racial Prejudice and Gender Discrimination against Northeast Indians amidst COVID-19

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Debbie Lalrinawmi1 & Shuchi2
1Research Scholar, Department of Basic Sciences & Humanities Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Mizoram. Email id: debbierinawmi91@gmail.com
2Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Sciences & Humanities Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Mizoram. Email id: shuchi.hss@nitmz.ac.in

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.32
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Abstract

The outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic has been largely racialized. With its origin rooted in China, Asians across the globe experienced labelling to be responsible for the pandemic. Asians or mongoloid looking individuals suffered discrimination, and contempt worldwide. In India, the pandemic restored and re-established the social problem i.e. racialism against the Northeast Indians which has been tackled over the years. While most of the Indians have non-mongoloid looks, the Northeast Indians are mainly Asiatic race. As such, they have Asian looks though Indian in blood. The fight of the Northeast Indians has been double. They have to fight against the virus as everyone, and against the negative mindset of their fellow Indians against them. The Indian government, as such, promptly established a committee to look into the matter. But there has been no law against it which makes it hard to act accordingly. Besides the racial affliction, there existed gender discrimination which doubled the affliction of the women of northeast Indians.

Keywords: Racism; gender discrimination; Covid-19; Northeast Indian