Recently, a video of a few North-East Indian students went viral where they claimed people have been harassing and calling them ‘Coronavirus’. They also reported shocking incidents of racism, class discrimination, and ostracism. The coronavirus pandemic has not just taken a medical and financial toll on the world but has also given rise to crass racism.
An extremely disturbing incident has come to light where a Manipuri woman was spat on and called ‘Corona’ by a man in Delhi after which he fled on a scooter, reports India TV.
The incident took place in Vijay Nagar area of North Delhi on Sunday night. The Manipuri woman, who lives at a rented accommodation, was returning after buying groceries. She was walking through a dark lane. The man, allegedly in his early 50’s, shouted ‘Corona’ and spat gutkha (tobacco) on her t-shirt before driving away, reports The Hindu.
Pictures of the woman have gone viral on the internet.
A Manipuri girl at Vijay Nagar, Delhi was spat on by an middle aged man and shouted at “Corona” before fleeing on his white scooty.#Racism #COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/H2fgR0yzzt
— Akhu Chingangbam (@Akhucha) March 22, 2020
A police case has been filed against the unidentified man under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code for insulting the modesty of the woman.
“We are scanning the CCTV in the area to identify the man on white colour Scooty,” said Vijyanta Arya, DCP (North West Delhi).
Delhi Police has registered a case under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code against a man who allegedly spat on a woman belonging to Manipur and called her "Corona" in Vijay Nagar area of north Delhi last night. pic.twitter.com/lBk88QGr8U
— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2020
People on the internet are utterly disgusted by the incident. Have a look:
Utterly shameful. This nation is beyond repairs!
— UrbanShrink (@UrbanShrink) March 22, 2020
This is utterly reprehensible. The person who has done this deserves to be dragged into jail.
— Naveed Trumboo IRS (@NaveedIRS) March 23, 2020
https://twitter.com/seasworth69/status/1241797801551388672
This is disgusting 😐
— Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) March 22, 2020
What a vicious, despicable thing to do – for shame! I am so deeply saddened and sorry to read this.
— Ranjit Hoskote (@ranjithoskote) March 22, 2020
What an animal! Disgusting
— vir sanghvi (@virsanghvi) March 23, 2020
In addition to this, Indian Idol fame Meiyang Chang recently took to social media to share an account of being subjected to racial slurs amidst coronavirus, reports News18.
“I go for a jog every day near my house in Mumbai. The other day, two guys sped past me on a bike, screaming ‘corona’ and laughing. I wanted to scream back and hurl the choicest of gaalis, but I didn’t see any point in it. How do you punish people for their stupidity or ignorance? Over the years, I have become used to these comments and yes, they are hurtful. I try to move on and be optimistic, but it does affect you.”
He went on to add that even without the coronavirus, many of our citizens are “casually racist” against people from the North-East.
“I have been called Chinese and Nepali in the past. I feel that as a country, we are casually racist, be it on the basis of colour, caste, or ethnicity.”
It is shameful that our fellow citizens are being subjected to such incidents of racial discrimination and harassment. Perpetrators of such behavior should be punished and schooled appropriately!