Apprehension of demographic imbalance especially in a case where locals begin to feel insecure often lays ground for turmoil.
In the words of Sanjib Baruah the lynching of Syed Sharif Khan was the result of an episode of ‘moral panic’ about the ‘so-called IBI — illegal Bangladeshi Immigrant — in Dimapur’. Sanjib Baruah who is professor of political studies at Bard College, New York, describes such situation as ‘heightened public anxiety, triggered by media frenzy, about an individual, a minority group or a subculture seen as an imminent threat to social order.’
History tells us that ‘moral panic’ has been the spirit behind the major rebellions pertaining to identity. Locals would become uncomfortable when the population of the people they consider as outsiders balloons. Instinctively, the locals would always strive to keep the population of the ‘outsiders’ only at the level of ‘ankle deep’ in the words of Chinua Achebe.In his book Things Fall Apart Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe beautifully relates us the African narratives of dealing the outsiders perceived by the locals as threats. In the final stage of the book the author depicts the African way of tackling situation when the people are in the state of moral panic. “We must bale this water now that it is only ankle deep…” These are the words of famous Umuofia clan warrior by the name of Okonkwo alerting his tribesmen when things became very imminent of the white people taking over West Africa.
Such is human nature. Such is human instinct. However, there is a thing called modernity which limits us to exhibit our wild nature. The administration is the authority to check this front.
In tackling such sensitive and delicate issue the tag ‘handle with care’ should be the bottom line but in the same breath the authority concerned must face the issue head-on.
