Arunachal CM, Northeast leaders condemn racial abuse of 3 women in Delhi; seek swift action

New Delhi/Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday strongly condemned the alleged racial abuse and humiliation of three women from the state in South Delhi and urged the Commissioner of Police, Delhi, to take swift and strict action in the matter.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Congress Lok Sabha member from Inner Manipur Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, LS member from Sikkim Indra Hang Subba, along with several other political leaders, personalities and organisations, also separately condemned the incident and demanded stringent action against the accused.

Taking to social media platform X, CM Khandu wrote: “Strongly condemn the shameful incident of racial abuse faced by our three young sisters from Arunachal Pradesh residing in Malviya Nagar, South Delhi. Such behaviour is absolutely unacceptable and has no place in our society.”

“Immediately after learning about the matter yesterday, I spoke with the Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, and sought swift and strict action. The CP is personally in touch with me. The accused are currently absconding, and I have been assured that they will be apprehended at the earliest and dealt with as per law. We stand firmly with our three sisters, and their safety, dignity, and justice remain our highest priority,” the Chief Minister said.

Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) supremo Sangma also said in a post on X: “Racial discrimination and sexual harassment of women from the North East should not just be a headline, sensationalised, forgotten and revived every time a fresh incident appears.”

“The racial and sexual abuse of a resident doctor of AIIMS Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, from Nagaland is deeply shameful. Outraging a woman’s modesty is not what a civilised nation should tolerate. They are your sisters and daughters too. I urge the authorities to take stringent action against the perpetrators,” Sangma added.

Reports suggest that three women from Arunachal Pradesh were allegedly subjected to racial slurs, humiliation and intimidation by their neighbours at Malviya Nagar. On February 20, following a dispute over repair work at their rented flat, the neighbours reportedly called the women “dhandhewali (sex worker)”. The women had engaged an electrician at their fourth-floor flat to install an air conditioner.

According to the police, dust and debris from the drilling work fell on the floor below, triggering objections from neighbours, after which the situation quickly escalated.

The women alleged that a neighbour couple hurled abuses and made derogatory and racial remarks targeting them and the Northeastern community. A purported video of the incident later went viral on social media.

The Delhi Police said an FIR has been registered against the couple under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including provisions related to outraging a woman’s modesty and promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race and related factors.

Meanwhile, recalling another alleged racially motivated incident, on December 9, Angel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA final-year student from Tripura, was brutally assaulted in Dehradun and later succumbed to his injuries on December 26 after battling for life for 18 days. Six attackers allegedly first assaulted Angel’s younger brother, Michael Chakma, and when Angel intervened to protect him, he was violently attacked.

The family of the victim has demanded a CBI probe into the case. Uttarakhand Police had arrested five of the six accused in connection with the incident, while the sixth and prime accused remains at large. The police have announced a reward of Rs one lakh and issued a lookout notice and a Blue Corner Notice against the absconding accused, who reportedly fled to Nepal. High-level coordination is underway to ensure his arrest.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has, on several occasions, spoken with his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami, urging strict action against all those involved in the crime.

IANS