Siliguri Metropolitan Police on Tuesday detained two sisters from the Hakimpara area of the city for verbally abusing young female tenants of the area with racist and casteist slurs.

A video of the incident has prompted prominent hill leaders such as Raju Bista and Anit Thapa to weigh in on the issue.

Sources said that five young women, taking coaching for competitive exams from private institutes, stay on the ground floor flat of a multi-storey building.

Over the past few days, the accused duo — who stay in one of the flats on a different floor of the same building — had been creating problems for the young women, they claimed.

On Monday, the sisters verbally abused the young women with “racist and extremely indecent” remarks.

“We were left with no option but to file a complaint with Siliguri police. How can they pass such indecent remarks at us?” said one of the complainants.

During the abuse, one of the girls shot a video and posted it on social media.

That video went viral, prompting people from many quarters to react, asking for legal action against the sisters.

On Tuesday, a group of people, including some acquaintances of the girls, reached the spot and resorted to protests, demanding unconditional apology from the allegedly abusive sisters.

As the crowd swelled and the protests continued, Mili Sinha, the councillor of ward 17 (where the multi-storey apartment is located), and Shobha Subba, the member, mayor-in-council (education and cultural department), reached the spot.

They tried to talk to the protesters, but as the situation aggravated, the police
were informed.

In due course, the two accused sisters was detained.

“These girls are students from the Dooars and they have come to Siliguri to study for various competitive exams. They alleged that yesterday (Monday), two women misbehaved with them and used abusive language,” Subba said.

Anit Thapa, who heads the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, and Raju Bista, the Darjeeling MP, sent letters to the commissioner of police, seeking immediate steps.

“It is an undesirable incident. How can they (the two sisters) make such remarks that hurt the sentiments of the girls?” said a representative of the Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front, a party led by Ajoy Edwards.

A number of parties in Darjeeling hills and Sikkim voiced their protests.

Senior police officers said they registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and the Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

“An officer of the rank of assistant commissioner of police will probe the case. The accused women have been brought to the police station for questioning,” said a
police officer.