Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma and former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh on Monday spoke out against repeated “racial bullying and harassment” of people from the Northeast in the national capital, a day after a Manipuri girl was assaulted in a Delhi park.
The leaders urged the police to take strict action. Delhi police on Monday arrested those accused of assaulting the girl, who was out for an evening walk in a South Delhi park with a friend, also from the Northeast. All four accused are juveniles.
Sangma, who leads the NPP, the only national party based in the Northeast and a BJP ally, tagged Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on X and said: “Angered by the repeated attacks on Northeast people in mainland India. The physical attack on two of our people from Manipur and Assam near Saket Court, Delhi, is sickening. Racial bullying should not be accepted as the new normal and we must act against it. Urge the authorities to take stringent action.”
The police report to the lieutenant governor in Delhi and come under the Union home ministry.
Biren Singh, the BJP veteran who had to step down after failing to quell the prolonged ethnic violence in Manipur, posted on X: “Deeply disturbed by the incident of racial harassment and assault involving two individuals from Manipur and Assam near Saket Court in Delhi. Such acts of racism and violence are completely unacceptable and have no place in our society.”
Biren added: “People from the Northeast must feel safe, respected, and treated with dignity in every part of our country. I strongly condemn this incident and urge the authorities to ensure a swift investigation and strict action against those responsible.”
The police had said on Sunday: “A girl from Manipur, along with her friend, was taking a walk in a park in Saket when a group of men allegedly passed some remarks at them. When one of the girls allegedly objected to the comments, the situation escalated and she was reportedly assaulted by the accused.
“The injured girl has been taken to Safdarjung Hospital for medicalexamination and treatment. As per preliminary reports, she is well and has suffered minor injuries.”
The police on Mondaysaid all four juvenile suspects had been arrested. They replied to Sangma and Biren Singh on social media: “Delhi police does not tolerate such incidents. Strict legal action will be ensured against the culprits.”
Delhi-based NGO Meitei Heritage Society was one of the first to raise the matter on Sunday, and shared photos of the injuries on the ear and neck of the girl. The group said the Manipuri girl and her friend from Assam were “punched and hit with belts by a group of boys” after an argument over the boys allegedly using racial slurs against them and calling them “sex workers”.
“Apparently, this isn’t the first time the victims were hurled derogatory remarks at the same locality. But today, they confronted, leading to the altercation and attack,” the society said on X.
Last month, three women from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar — not far from where Sunday’s incident took place — recorded their neighbours threatening and abusing them for allegedly spilling dust onto their balcony.
The video, where a group was seen hurling racial invectives at the women and referring to them as sexworkers, went viral on social media and led to widespread outrage. Although the accused were arrested, the women were compelled to find another place to stay.
