The tragic death of a 24-year-old student from Tripura exposes a deep and long-ignored problem of racism and discrimination within India. For decades, people from the Northeast have faced slurs, social exclusion and violence in Indian cities. Many are treated as “outsiders” in their own country. Recently, a migrant worker from West Bengal and another from Chhattisgarh were lynched in Odisha and Kerala after being wrongly identified. While we are quick to criticise some western countries for discrimination against Indian students, we often ignore the same behaviour at home.
India speaks proudly of unity in diversity, yet it keeps failing those who represent that diversity most clearly. What makes these deaths more disturbing is the silence around them. Such cases are often brushed aside as personal disputes or simple law-and-order problems, instead of being recognised as hate crimes based on prejudice. This silence allows attackers to believe they will not be punished. National unity cannot survive on slogans. It must be built on respect, safety and equal treatment for all Indians, no matter where they come from or how they look.
