New Delhi, Feb 22 (PTI) They called us “dhandewali”, claimed we engage in sex work for Rs 500 by running a massage parlour, only because we are from Northeast, recalled a UPSC aspirant from Arunachal Pradesh who along with her two roommates were allegedly subjected to racial slurs by their neighbours following a minor disagreement.
On February 20, the women called an electrician at their fourth-floor rented flat in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar around 3.30 pm for getting an air conditioner installed. During the process, dust and debris from the drilling work fell to the floor below, prompting objections from their neighbours, Harsh Singh and his wife Ruby Jain.
What began as a minor disagreement soon turned ugly, with the three Arunachali women alleging that the couple hurled abuses and made derogatory and racial remarks targeting them and the northeastern community.
Speaking to PTI Videos, one of the women who is preparing for the UPSC, said, “Instead of talking about the main issue, they started targeting Northeast. They kept saying that northeastern people are illiterate. We do ‘dhandhebazi’ (sex work) for Rs 500. They even threatened to beat me up.” Harsh and Ruby, who are also tenants in the same building, allegedly came upstairs and began arguing with them over the debris.
“We live on the fourth floor, and they live on the first floor. We had called an electrician to install an air conditioner. As he had to drill a small hole to fit a box, some dust fell onto the balcony of the neighbours on the ground floor. It was a minor issue, but they began abusing our electrician,” she said.
The woman said they immediately apologised, saying that it was unintentional.
“We apologised and explained it wasn’t intentional, but they kept hurling more insults at us,” she said, adding that the argument soon turned personal and the couple started targeting their northeastern identity.
The women said they were shocked when the couple involved the police over what they described as a trivial issue.
“Since the dispute was minor, we did not expect them to call the police. But they did, and even got a case filed against us. The police came and noted our names, yet the couple continued hurling racial slurs at us in front of the officer,” she said.
A purported video of the confrontation, which is circulating on social media, shows Ruby allegedly accusing the women of engaging in sex work, while Harsh claims they run a massage parlour.
In the video, the accused woman can allegedly be heard calling the northeastern women “momo” and saying, “Rs 500 mei massage parlour mei kaam karne waali dhandhewali (You work at massage parlours as sex workers for Rs 500).” “Are you sitting here to do business? Have you opened a massage parlour at home?” the accused woman said.
A police officer was present at the spot when the altercation was happening. In the video, the policeman is also seen intervening and trying to pacify the situation.
The Arunachali woman further alleged that when she confronted Harsh over his comment about running a massage parlour, his wife made an even more objectionable remark.
“When I asked him why he was saying that, his wife asked me to go and sleep with him,” she said.
In the video, Ruby can be heard saying, “Try sleeping with my husband and see how much strength he has. You run a massage parlour, you’ll find out.” Another neighbour from Arunachal Pradesh, who stepped in to defuse the situation, said she too was verbally abused.
“The man’s wife kept boasting that her father is a customs officer and threatened me, saying ‘we’ll make you strip and dance’,” she alleged. The women also claimed that the couple falsely accused them of discriminating against them on the basis of caste.
“They said we were targeting them because of caste, which is completely untrue. We don’t even think that way,” one of the women said.
An FIR was registered at 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.) against Harsh Singh and his wife Ruby Jain, the police said.
However, no arrests have been made in the matter so far.
Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita is a non-bailable and cognizable offense.
Advocate Reena Rai, representing the three women, said the incident reflects the persistent racial prejudice faced by people from the Northeast in the national capital.
“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.
The women have demanded a formal apology from the accused, saying the remarks were not just directed at them but were an affront to the entire Northeastern community. PTI MSJ BM NB
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