Jamsheed Rizwani

In a report to the central government, the Nagaland government has ruled out rape.The person who was lynched by a mob which pulled him out of the Dimapur jail was therefore innocent of rape….. What caused the violent lynching seems to be the effect of simmering animosity by the local people against immigrants from other states and particularly against illegal Bengali migrants from Bangladesh, Bengalis from West Bengal, Nepalis, and other immigrants from Assam or elsewhere who in their eyes are taking over their own homeland.

The lynching was therefore caused by a deep-rooted feeling of being outnumbered by non-indigenous immigrants. Yet, Nagaland is still one of the states of the Indian Union. The different Naga tribes are generally very hospitable and have acquired a cosmopolitain vision of the world. I must therefore say that much needs to done to cement the unity of the states and of the people.

Racism and prejudices against outsiders still irrigate the frustrated minds of those who seek a place under the sun. “Outsiders are buying out our land”; “they are taking away our jobs” are frequent remarks we hear. Xenophobia still runs deep in our country – the occasional attacks targeting people from the North-East in Delhi and other metro cities are a reminder to the Central and state governments that they need to take a closer look at what is important to maintain the cohesion of the Union.

An Indian citizen should be free to live, worship, and work in any nook and corner of the Union. It is also for us lambda citizens to fight against prejudices, the government can’t do everything. Saluting the Indian tricolor and standing up when the national anthem is placed only have meaning when each of us have the same sense of belonging to the same nation….. Nationhood is something which needs to be worked on constantly at every single moment and on every occasion….. Only when we have done away with our prejudices against other Indians, can we justly say we have something to be proud of….. WE ARE INDIANS! JAI HIND!