Three women from Arunachal Pradesh, currently living in Delhi, have alleged that they were subjected to racist abuse and insults from their neighbours.
According to the police, the three women from the northeastern state were involved in a dispute with their neighbours, which started over minor repair work at their rented apartment in Malviya Nagar, south Delhi.
The accused, Harsh Singh and his wife, hurled abuse and made degrading and racist remarks targeting women, news agency PTI reported on Sunday.
Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media, one of which shows the accused asking one of the Arunachal women if she is a sex worker.
“Have you been sitting here doing business? Have you opened a ‘massage parlor’ at home?” Singh’s wife allegedly told the women in the videos, PTI said in its report.
In response, the woman can be heard saying: “Everyone heard what I said about my photo. You falsely claimed that I drink alcohol.” She also asked the couple to go and check her room for “any bottles.”
The women demanded an official apology from the accused, saying the remarks were not directed only at them but at the entire northeastern community.
How did the situation escalate?
The incident occurred at around 3.30 pm on February 20, when excavation and electrical installation work was being carried out in the women’s apartment on the fourth floor, according to PTI.
During this process, dust and small debris resulting from the excavation work fell on the ground below, following which residents Harsh Singh and his wife raised objections over the incident, a senior police officer said.
The Arunachali women alleged that instead of resolving the matter amicably, the couple used racist abuse and offensive stereotypes, while insulting their modesty during the argument.
An FIR has been registered against Singh and his wife at Malviya Nagar police station under Sections 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 351 (2) (criminal intimidation), 3 (5) (common intention), and 196 (promoting hostility between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc. and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of the district. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) reported.
In their complaint, the women alleged that they were subjected to psychological harassment and humiliation, while the police explained that no physical injuries were reported in the incident.
