Three women from Arunachal Pradesh were allegedly racially abused and insulted by their neighbours, who called them “dhandhwali” and said they ran “massage parlors”. This reportedly happened after a dispute over some repair work at their rented apartment in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing insults and accusations flying around the room, as the three women from the north-east of the country defended themselves against a man and a woman.
An FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections relating to outraging the modesty of women and promoting enmity on the grounds of religion, race etc, has been registered against two persons identified as Harsh Singh and his wife Ruby Jain, police said, PTI reported.
An altercation broke out over dust and debris falling on the floor of Singh and his wife during some electrical repair work in the women’s apartment on the fourth floor at around 3:30pm on February 20.
“Dandhwal”, “Momo”
The dispute quickly turned into an ugly fight filled with insults and racial slurs, targeting women and the northeastern community.
The accused woman, Ruby, can allegedly be heard calling the women “Momo” and saying “ $500 me kaam karne wali massage parlor dandhwali (You work in massage parlors as sex workers $500).
“Are you sitting here doing business? Have you opened a massage parlor at home?” He heard Ruby ask.
A police officer, who was also present at the scene during the fight, was seen intervening and trying to calm both sides in the alleged video.
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As the women in the north-east responded to Singh and his wife, screaming and screaming for their innocence, Ruby told them:Customs officer ka beta hai foo. Politician Hai Oska Bab. To kia? Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong with you? (He’s the son of a customs officer. His father is a politician. Who are you? Do you even have the status to be here?)
Ruby claims one of the women attacked her husband, saying he worked at a massage parlor. “Men don’t work in massage parlors here,” she says. “He’s an educated man. Watch your tongue.”
“Why don’t you sleep with him?”
As the confrontation continues, one Arunachal woman says: “Everyone heard what I said about my picture. You falsely claimed that I drink alcohol. Go check my room if you find anything there.”
The accused woman, Robbie, makes further offensive comments when she tells the North East women: “Why don’t you sleep with him? Go into my bedroom. You’ll find out how old he is. 35 isn’t old here.”
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While shouting at the women of Arunachal to “shut up”, Singh urges his wife to back off and not engage with them. As the accused couple were walking down the stairs, they were heard calling North-Eastern women “little gutter” and saying that “North-Eastern people are dirty.”
HT was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The case went viral on social media, with the women demanding an official apology from the accused, saying their statements not only hurt them but also harmed the dignity of the northeastern community.
The police said that an FIR was registered at Malviya Nagar police station under Sections 79 of BNS (word intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 351 (2) (criminal intimidation), 3 (5) (common intention), and 196 (promoting hostility on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.). However, no arrests have been made in this regard so far.
Notably, Section 196 of the BNS Act, which is one of the charges against Singh and his wife, is a non-bailable and cognizable offence.
“No physical injuries were reported. However, the complainants alleged that they were subjected to mental harassment and humiliation,” the agency quoted a senior officer as saying.
What their defenders said
The women expressed concerns about their safety and future residence, saying they felt isolated and humiliated in the city where they had come to work and live.
Police said further investigations are underway in this matter.
Lawyer Reena Rai, representing the three women, said the incident shows the persistent racial bias that North-easterners face in the national capital.
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“As neighbours, they should have made these women, living far from home, feel safe. Instead, they harassed them and made dirty remarks,” said Rai, who hails from Sikkim.
“We are Indians like everyone else. Why are we treated like outsiders just because we are from the North-East? We too have the right to live with equality and dignity,” she added.
Meanwhile, advocate Gaurav, who represents the couple, said the two sides sat together to reach a compromise after the incident, adding that the matter is being unnecessarily blown out of proportion on social media.
The lawyer defended his clients, saying that they were having dinner at the time of the incident and that Singh said something in the heat of the moment. Gaurav said his client regrets the words he used. “It was my client who called PCR, and the police were present at the scene.
According to Gaurav, his client did not record anything and the complainants also told him many things. “In fact, our client was the first to file a complaint. Due to media pressure, an FIR was registered against my client. So far, no action has been taken on our complaint,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
