The Deoliwallahs: The True Story of the 1962 Chinese-Indian Internment
Joy Ma and Dilip D’Souza
Pan Macmillan India: 2020
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In 18 November 1962, three days before the month-long conflict between India and China ended, the Indian army, under orders from the government of then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, began rounding up as many Indian citizens of Chinese ancestry as they could from all over the country. Smarting from the humiliating defeat they had suffered at the hands of the Chinese, the soldiers stormed around with a vengeance, picking up people they suspected of spying. There was no need to produce any proof of wrongdoing; it was enough simply to ‘look Chinese’ to be deemed suspicious. The exact ethnicity of the suspects did not matter, nor did their status in society. From high-profile professionals to restaurateurs to small business owners, few escaped the wrath of the government, which was smarting from its loss in the battle for the Aksai Chin region in the north.

The army came calling at all hours, including the dead of night. Men were asked to leave with only the bare essentials, assured that they would be released soon. In some families, as the men were being led away, the women and children joined them, not wanting to be left by themselves, fearful of what the future held. Those who chose to stay behind faced mounting racial slurs from people they had looked upon as fellow citizens, neighbours and friends.

• Tags: Dilip D'Souza, India, Issue 19, Joy Ma, Somak Ghoshal