Racial attack on Arunachal women: Cong demands strict action, calls for strong legislation

The Congress on Monday demanded strict action in the incident in south Delhi, where three women from the Northeast were allegedly subjected to racial slurs and humiliation by their neighbours.

The Congress on Monday demanded strict action in the incident in south Delhi, where three women from the Northeast were allegedly subjected to racial slurs and humiliation by their neighbours. Three women from Arunachal Pradesh were allegedly subjected to racial slurs, humiliation and intimidation by their neighbours, who called them ''dhandhewali'' (sex worker), following a dispute over some repair work at their rented flat in Malviya Nagar. Addressing a press conference here, Congress MP from Inner Manipur constituency, A Bimol Akoijam, said, ''We demand that strict action be taken. Although this is not an isolated incident, exemplary action must be taken to ensure that such behaviour is not encouraged or repeated in the future.'' Over the years, Akoijam said, it has been seen that young people from the Northeast who come here for education or work are frequently subjected to discrimination and violence. ''These are often dismissed as individual prejudices, but they are, in fact, deeply structural in nature and a result of the systematic exclusion of the region. The Northeast has been erased from school textbooks, producing generations with no understanding or respect for the region. This invisibilisation has led to marginalisation and the process of 'othering', allowing stereotypes to take root,'' he said. Anyone who has studied racism knows that the bodies of women are often targeted to humiliate entire communities, the Congress MP said. ''This must be unequivocally condemned, and we must actively fight discriminatory practices against women from the region,'' he said. Akoijam said racist attitudes persist across many sections of society and added that is why the founding fathers included race as a category under Article 15. ''We must accept that serious racial discrimination exists, particularly against people from India's Northeast. Appropriate measures, including strong legislation, must be taken to combat this racist onslaught,'' he said. On February 20, the women had called an electrician at their fourth-floor flat around 3.30 pm to get an air conditioner installed. A senior police officer said during the process, dust and debris from the drilling work fell to the floor below, prompting objections from their neighbours, Harsh Singh and his wife, Ruby Jain. What began as a disagreement over falling debris soon turned ugly, with the women alleging that the couple hurled abuses and made derogatory and racial remarks targeting them and the northeastern community. A purported video of the incident has also been making rounds on social media. The police said an FIR under BNS sections pertaining to outraging a woman's modesty and promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, etc. has been registered against Singh and his wife.

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