A Delhi couple accused of racially abusing three women from Arunachal Pradesh in Malviya Nagar has issued a public apology, saying they are "ashamed" and that they never meant to target people from the northeast.
Harsh Singh and his wife, Ruby Jain, have been booked in a case of alleged racial abuse against three women from Arunachal Pradesh who live in their building.
Delhi police have registered a case under sections relating to outraging the modesty of a woman, criminal intimidation and promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between different religious, racial, language, or regional groups.
A dispute over some repair work took a racist turn as dust from the AC installation process landed on the accused couple's floor. Harsh and Ruby were seen on video calling the three women "momo" and accusing them of being sex workers at a massage. The woman is also heard saying that her husband is the son of a customs officer and a politician.
In the viral video, the women from Arunachal are seen protesting the racist insults that the couple hurled in the presence of police personnel. The video sparked massive outrage, with political leaders from the northeast joining in the chorus to demand strict action against the couple.
Harsh told ANI that his family was cooperating with investigators and expressed confidence in the legal process. He also said 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.
He also urged against what he described as “media trials" and claimed that his family members were facing online harassment.
"We will accept whatever punishment we get, but don't paint us as Delhi's darinde (brutal) couple. We don't deserve this. I am being sent obscene, doctored images of my mother on social media. Our family and profession should not be dragged into this. I am ashamed, and I personally apologise to all the northeastern people," Harsh told ANI.
He further said 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.
The women, however, have sought a formal apology, maintaining that the remarks amounted not only to a personal affront but also to an attack on the dignity of the northeastern community.
Amid growing outrage, 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.
"We stand firmly with our three sisters, and their safety, dignity, and justice remain our highest priority," Khandu said.