Three women from Arunachal Pradesh were allegedly subjected to racial abuse and humiliation by their neighbours, who called them “dhandhewali” and said they were running “massage parlours”. This reportedly happened following a dispute over some repair work at their rented flat in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.
The video of the incident has gone viral on social media, showing slurs and accusations flying across the room, with the three northeastern women defending themselves against a man and a woman.
Police said an FIR under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to outraging a woman’s modesty and promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, etc., has been registered against two people identified as Harsh Singh and his wife Ruby Jain, PTI news agency reported.
An argument erupted over the falling of dust and debris onto the floor of Singh and his wife during some electrical repair work in the women’s fourth-floor flat at around 3:30 pm on February 20.
‘Dhandhewal’, ‘Momo’
The disagreement soon turned into an ugly fight full of derogatory remarks and racial slurs, targeting the women and the northeastern community.
The accused woman, Ruby, can be allegedly heard calling the women “momo” and saying “ ₹500 mei massage parlour mei kaam karne wali dhandhewali (You work at massage parlours as sex workers for ₹500).”
“Are you sitting here to do business? Have you opened a massage parlour at home?” Ruby is heard asking.
A police officer, who was also present at the scene during the argument, is seen intervening and trying to pacify the two sides in the purported video.
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As the northeastern women responded back to Singh and his wife, yelling and screaming for their innocence, Ruby tells them, “Custom officer ka beta hai vo. Politician hai uska baap. Tu kya? Aukaat hai teri aane ki vaha pe? (He’s the son of a customs officer. His father is a politician. What are you? Do you even have the status to be here?)
Ruby alleges that one of the women hit out at her husband, saying that he works at a massage parlour. She says, “Men don’t work at massage parlours here. He’s an educated man, mind your tongue.”
‘Why don’t you sleep with him?’
As the confrontation goes on, another one of the Arunachal women says, “Everyone heard what you said about my image. You made false allegations that I drink alcohol. Go check my room if you find anything there.”
The accused woman, Ruby, makes further offensive comments when she tells the northeastern women, “Why don’t you sleep with him? Go to my bedroom. You will find out how old he is. 35 is not old here.”
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While yelling at the Arunachal women to “shut up”, Singh urges his wife to step back and not engage with them. As the accused couple climb down the stairs, they are heard calling the northeastern women “gutter-chaap” and saying that “northeastern people are shit”.
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
The issue has gone viral across social media, with the women demanding a formal apology from the accused, saying that their remarks did not just hurt them but also the dignity of the northeastern community.
Police said the FIR was registered at the Malviya Nagar police station under BNS sections 79 (word intended to insult a woman’s modesty), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 3(5) (common intention) and 196 (promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.). However, no arrests in the matter have been made so far.
Notably, Section 196 of the BNS, one of the charges against Singh and his wife, is a non-bailable and cognisable offense.
“No physical injuries were reported. However, the complainants have alleged mental harassment and humiliation,” a senior officer was quoted as saying by PTI.
What their advocates said
The women have expressed concerns over their safety and future accommodation, stating that they felt isolated and insulted in a city where they came to work and live.
Police said that further investigation into the matter is underway.
Advocate Reena Rai, representing the three women, said the incident shows the persistent racial prejudice faced by northeastern people in the national capital.
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“As neighbours, they should have provided these women, who live far away from home, a sense of security. Instead, they harassed them and made filthy remarks,” said Rai, who hails from Sikkim.
“We are as much Indian as anyone else. Why are we treated like outsiders just because we are from the Northeast? We, too, have the right to live with equality and dignity,” she added.
Meanwhile, advocate Gaurav, representing the couple, said the two sides sat together to reach a compromise after the incident, adding that the matter is being unnecessarily exaggerated on social media.
The advocate defended his clients, saying that they were having dinner at the time of the incident and that Singh uttered something in the heat of the moment. Gaurav said that his client regrets the words he used. “It was my client who had called the PCR, and the police were present at the spot.
According to Gaurav, his client did not record anything, and the complainants also said many things to him. “In fact, it was our client who had first filed 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)