New Delhi, February 22: In a disturbing incident highlighting alleged racial discrimination in the national capital, three women from Arunachal Pradesh, including a UPSC aspirant, have accused their neighbours of hurling racial slurs and making derogatory remarks following a minor disagreement in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.

The altercation took place on February 20 at their rented fourth-floor flat when the women called an electrician around 3.30 pm to install an air conditioner. During drilling, dust and debris reportedly fell onto the balcony of the neighbours living below, triggering objections from Harsh Singh and his wife Ruby Jain.

What began as a minor issue soon escalated into a heated confrontation. 'Wheel of Fortune India': Akshay Kumar Calls Out Racism Against North-East Indians, Says 'They Have Given Their Blood for India, They Are Indians'.

Speaking to PTI Videos, one of the women said, “Instead of talking about the main issue, they started targeting Northeast. They kept saying that northeastern people are illiterate. We do ‘dhandhebazi’ (s*x work) for Rs 500. They even threatened to beat me up.”

Explaining the sequence of events, she said, “We live on the fourth floor, and they live on the first floor. We had called an electrician to install an air conditioner. As he had to drill a small hole to fit a box, some dust fell onto the balcony of the neighbours on the ground floor. It was a minor issue, but they began abusing our electrician.”

She added that they immediately apologised. “We apologised and explained it wasn’t intentional, but they kept hurling more insults at us.”

Arunachal Women Allege Racial Abuse in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar

According to the women, the couple allegedly came upstairs and continued the argument, targeting their Northeastern identity. A purported video of the incident circulating on social media allegedly shows Ruby accusing the women of engaging in s*x work and running a massage parlour from their home.

In the video, Ruby can allegedly be heard saying, “Rs 500 mei massage parlour mei kaam karne waali dhandhewali (You work at massage parlours as s*x workers for Rs 500).” She also allegedly said, “Are you sitting here to do business? Have you opened a massage parlour at home?” Indian Tourist Alleges Racial Discrimination at Yona Beach Club in Phuket, Venue Denies Charges as Viral Video Surfaces.

The UPSC aspirant further alleged, “When I asked him why he was saying that, his wife asked me to go and sleep with him.”

In the video, Ruby can reportedly be heard saying, “Try sleeping with my husband and see how much strength he has. You run a massage parlour, you’ll find out.”

Another neighbour from Arunachal Pradesh who tried to intervene also claimed she was verbally abused. “The man’s wife kept boasting that her father is a customs officer and threatened me, saying ‘we’ll make you strip and dance’,” she alleged.

The women also said the couple falsely accused them of caste-based discrimination. “They said we were targeting them because of caste, which is completely untrue. We don’t even think that way,” one of them stated.

Despite describing the dispute as trivial, the women said the couple called the police and filed a case against them. “Since the dispute was minor, we did not expect them to call the police. But they did, and even got a case filed against us. The police came and noted our names, yet the couple continued hurling racial slurs at us in front of the officer,” she said.

Delhi Police confirmed that an FIR has been registered at Malviya Nagar police station under BNS sections 79 (word intended to insult a woman’s modesty), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 3(5) (common intention) and 196 (promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.) against Harsh Singh and Ruby Jain. Section 196 is a non-bailable and cognizable offence. No arrests have been made so far.

Advocate Reena Rai, representing the three women, said the incident reflects the persistent racial prejudice faced by people from the Northeast in Delhi.

“As neighbours, they should have provided these women, who live far away from home, a sense of security. Instead, they harassed them and made filthy remarks,” she said. “We are as much Indian as anyone else. Why are we treated like outsiders just because we are from the Northeast? We, too, have the right to live with equality and dignity.”

The women have demanded a formal apology, stating that the remarks were not only directed at them but were an affront to the entire Northeastern community.

TruLY Score by LatestLY
Rating:3

TruLY Score 3 – Believable; Needs Further Research | On a Trust Scale of 0-5 this article has scored 3 on LatestLY, this article appears believable but may need additional verification. It is based on reporting from news websites or verified journalists (X Account of India Today ), but lacks supporting official confirmation. Readers are advised to treat the information as credible but continue to follow up for updates or confirmations

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 22, 2026 09:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).