A minor dispute over dust from an air conditioner installation escalated into serious allegations of racial abuse in Delhi, after a UPSC aspirant from Arunachal Pradesh and her two roommates accused their neighbours of passing derogatory remarks and targeting them for being from the Northeast.
The incident occurred on February 20 at a rented flat in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar. An FIR has been registered against the accused couple, though no arrests have been made yet.
Argument over AC installation turns heated
According to the women, the argument began around 3.30 pm when they called an electrician to install an air conditioner in their fourth-floor apartment. While drilling a small hole for the fitting, some dust and debris reportedly fell onto the balcony of the flat below.
This led to objections from their neighbours, identified as Harsh Singh and his wife Ruby Jain.
“We live on the fourth floor and they stay below. When the electrician drilled a small hole, some dust fell into their balcony. It was unintentional. We apologised immediately, but instead of accepting it, they began abusing the electrician and then us,” one of the women said.
What started as a complaint over debris soon turned personal, with the women alleging that the couple began making offensive remarks about their northeastern identity.
‘They made racist and defamatory comments’
The UPSC aspirant alleged that the couple called them “illiterate” and accused them of engaging in sex work.
“They said northeastern people are illiterate and accused us of doing ‘dhandhebazi’ for Rs 500. They even threatened to beat me up,” she claimed.
A video of the confrontation, which is now circulating on social media, purportedly shows Ruby Jain accusing the women of running a massage parlour and making derogatory comments. In the clip, she can allegedly be heard making objectionable remarks and questioning whether they had opened a “business” from their home.
The woman further alleged that when she confronted Harsh Singh over his remarks, his wife made more inappropriate comments.
Another neighbour from Arunachal Pradesh, who intervened, claimed she too was verbally abused and threatened. She alleged that the accused woman boasted about her father being a customs officer and issued threats.
Police called over ‘minor issue’
The women said they were surprised when the couple called the police over what they described as a trivial matter.
“We never expected things to escalate to this level. The police came and noted our details, but even in front of them, the couple continued to use racist remarks,” one of the women said.
A police officer can be seen in the viral video attempting to calm both sides during the heated exchange.
The women also alleged that the couple falsely accused them of caste-based discrimination. “They claimed we were targeting them because of caste, which is completely untrue,” they said.
FIR registered under BNS
Delhi Police confirmed that an FIR has been lodged at Malviya Nagar police station under Sections 79 (insulting a woman’s modesty), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 3(5) (common intention) and 196 (promoting enmity on grounds such as religion, race, place of birth, residence or language) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Harsh Singh and Ruby Jain. Section 196 is a cognizable and non-bailable offence.
So far, no arrests have been made.
Advocate Reena Rai, who is representing the three women and is herself from Sikkim, said the episode highlights the racial prejudice people from the Northeast often face in the national capital.
“They came here to study and build their careers. Instead of support, they faced humiliation,” she said, adding that people from the Northeast are as Indian as anyone else and deserve to live with dignity.
The women have demanded a public apology, saying the remarks were not just an attack on them but on the entire northeastern community.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma also reacted to the incident, posting on X that discrimination against people from the Northeast must stop.