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‘Dhandhe wali', 'momo': 3 Arunachal women face racial abuse, sexist remarks by neighbours in Delhi
The three women were embroiled in a dispute with their neighbours, which began over a minor repair work at their rented flat in Malviya Nagar.
Three women from Arunachal Pradesh, currently living in Delhi, have alleged racial abuse and humiliation from their neighbours.
According to police, the three women from the northeastern state were embroiled in a dispute with their neighbours, which began over a minor repair work at their rented flat in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar.
The accused, Harsh Singh and his wife, allegedly hurled abuses and made derogatory and racial remarks targeting the women, news agency PTI reported on Sunday.
Videos of the incident went viral on social media, with one of them showing the accused allegedly asking one of the Arunachal women if she is a sex worker.
“Were you sitting here to do ‘business’? Have you opened a ‘massage parlour’ at home?” Singh's wife allegedly told the women in the videos, as cited by PTI in its report.
Responding to this, the woman can be heard saying, “Everyone heard what you said about my image. You made false allegations that I drink alcohol.” She further asked the couple to go and check her room for “any bottles".
One of the victims told reporters they were called “dhandhewali” (prostitutes) and “momo” (a reference to food but used as a slur for Northeastern people in India). They were also told “go, work at massage parlour for ₹500!”
The women have demanded a formal apology from the accused, saying the remarks were not only directed at them but at the entire northeastern community.
How did the situation escalate?
The incident took place at around 3.30 pm on February 20, when drilling and electrical installation work was being carried out at the women's flat on the fourth floor, according to PTI.
During the process, dust and small debris from the drilling work fell to the floor below, a senior police officer said, following which residents Harsh Singh and his wife raised objections to the incident.
The Arunachali women alleged that instead of resolving the matter amicably, the couple used racial abuse and offensive stereotypes, with their modesty being insulted during the argument.
An FIR was registered against Singh and his wife at the Malviya Nagar Police Station under sections 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 3(5) (common intentions) and 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), PTI reported.
The women alleged mental harassment and humiliation in their complaint, while the police clarified that no physical injuries had been reported in the incident.
