'Will accept any punishment': Man on racially abusing Arunachal women in Delhi

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday condemned the racial abuse of the three women from the state, terming the incident "shameful".

The Delhi resident accused of allegedly racially abusing and threatening three women from Arunachal Pradesh in Malviya Nagar has expressed shame over his and his wife's remarks, apologising to the northeastern people.

The accused further called the women 'sex workers' and used derogatory remarks against them. (X/Screengrab)

Harsh Singh, a resident of Malviya Nagar, and his wife, Ruby Jain, have been booked in case of racial abuse against three northeastern women residing in their building. A dispute over some repair work turned ugly as dust from the AC installation process landed on the accused couple's floor.

Police registered a first information report (FIR) under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (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.) against Singh and his wife.

‘Definitely ashamed’

Speaking to news agency ANI, Singh said that while he and his wife are "definitely ashamed" of the incident, he would also want to clarify that the remarks were made in the heat of the moment.

"We are showing complete cooperation with Delhi Police, and we have complete faith that the police and Indian judiciary stand with us and will clear everything through unbiased investigation... We are definitely ashamed. I am not such a person, but it was in the heat of the moment. We did not intend to do so... I want to ask the social media users to listen to both sides of the story," he said.

Singh further alleged that his property was being attacked, and one of his men was also about to be attacked. "The situation escalated after the woman came... Please do not do media trials, I have complete faith upon the Indian judiciary," he added.

He said that he and his wife would accept whatever punishment they were given. "I am being sent obscene doctor images of my mother on social media, our family and profession should not be dragged into this...I personally apologise to all the Northeastern people," Singh told ANI.

What happened?

The incident took place on February 20, when the three women had called an electrician to their flat at 3:30pm to install an air conditioner.

During the process, dust and debris from the drilling fell onto the floor below, prompting Singh and his wife to raise objections.

The couple allegedly got angry due to this and abused the electrician. One of the northeastern women said the three of them defended the electrician, saying he was merely carrying out the drilling work at their place.

However, the couple started fighting with the women. Later, the couple also called the police, which further escalated the dispute.

Videos of the argument went viral on social media, showing the accused woman, Singh's wife, allegedly calling the Arunachali women "momo", used as a slur, referring to a popular northeastern dish.

The accused further called the women 'sex workers' and used derogatory remarks against them.

Arunachal CM assures arrest

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday condemned the racial abuse of the three women from the state, terming the incident "shameful".

"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," Khandu said in a post on X.

He further stated that he spoke with the Commissioner of Delhi Police immediately upon learning of the incident, adding that the two are personally in touch with each other. "The accused are currently absconding, and I have been assured that they will be apprehended at the earliest and dealt with as per law," Khandu added.

"We stand firmly with our three sisters, and their safety, dignity, and justice remain our highest priority," Khandu said.