A minor dispute over the installation of an air conditioner ended with racial slurs and obscene comments being thrown around against three Arunachal women in Malviya Nagar, Delhi. Police have now registered a case against the couple responsible for the verbal hate.
The video of the incident filmed on the stairway of a building sparked widespread outrage against Harsh Singh and Ruby Jain, the Delhi couple.
The footage, which was shot on February 20, was shared on Instagram by Tenzin Sangey Karmo.
According to the FIR, the complainants, the three victims, alleged that the couple made derogatory remarks against them and said that they were threatened.
The incident began when debris from an air conditioner being installed in the three women’s flat fell onto the floor below. The women, who are students, are all in their late teens and twenties.
Speaking to the media, one of the victims said, “My air conditioner was being repaired when dust fell onto the first floor. They [the couple] began verbally abusing our electrician. When we defended him, they made derogatory remarks about the Northeast and called us ‘Gawar’ and threatened to beat us. After the confrontation, we returned to our room, but they kept shouting and continued making racist remarks about north-east and its people”
The video of the incident, now widely circulated, showed that the accused made offensive comments and referred to her husband as the “son of a customs officer” and “politician”.
The accused woman also implied that the three students were involved in prostitution. At one point, she asks, "Have you opened a massage parlour at home?"
A police officer is also seen in the video trying to mediate.
The women have now called for a punishment that sets a precedent. They said that the remarks were a direct attack on the dignity of the northeastern community.
"This is a crime. This shouldn't be justified. It can cause severe mental trauma," the women told reporters.
"I feel that because we look different and we can't speak Hindi that well, they think we are not a part of this country. They think we are from China or some other country. So they think that they can say anything to us, and the police will shield them," the student said. "I am from Arunachal. I am an Indian citizen, but people don't see us like that. Because they are uncivilised."
"We want an action that sets an example so that people from the north-east don't have to face this again," they said.
