Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday strongly condemned the incident involving three women from Northeast who were hurled racial abuses and threatened by a couple in Malviya Nagar recently.
Delhi belongs to everyone, Rekha Gupta said in a video message shared on X.
“Here, the dignity, respect, and safety of every citizen is paramount. I will meet with them personally. The police are taking legal action with full responsibility, and we will ensure that the strictest possible action is taken against the culprits. Harassing, discriminating against, or humiliating any daughter will not be tolerated at any cost,” she said.
“We are all one, and the safety of every daughter is our utmost responsibility,” she added.
The incident hit headlines after its video, showing a couple in Malviya Nagar threatening and hurling racial abuses at the three women during a dispute over dust from electrical work at their rented accommodation went viral.
Police on Wednesday said they arrested the accused, Ruby Jain, 35, and her husband, Harsh Singh.
Police said they added charges under of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act or the SC/ST Act based on the material available on record, HT reported earlier.
“We have invoked the SC/ST Act’s provisions in the case, and as mandated by law, the investigation is now being conducted by an assistant commissioner of police -rank officer,” said deputy police commissioner (South) Ankit Chauhan.
Politicians, including Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu and Union minister for development of the northeastern region, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, condemned the incident.
According to police, the incident took place around 3.30 pm last Friday, when the three women, aged between 19 and 23, were getting electrical installation work done inside their rented premises.
During the process, some dust allegedly fell into the flat below, where the couple resides, police said.
This led to a heated argument, during which the accused used words like “massage parlour” in derogatory way for the women and allegedly also referred to them as “dhande wali” – a term often used euphemistically for a sex worker.
In their police complaint, the women alleged that the couple used derogatory language targeting their ethnicity, insulted their modesty, and issued threats. They said the altercation left them mentally harassed and humiliated, though no physical injuries were reported.
The women told police about verbal abuse and racial slurs directed at them for being from the northeast. Two of them are from Arunachal Pradesh, and the third is from Manipur.
