Manipuri women assaulted in Delhi, faced racist comments

Two Manipuri women were allegedly assaulted by some men who hurled racist abuses at them in South Delhi's Kotla Mubarakpur area. The victims have accused the police of being reluctant to register a first information report.

The incident, which occurred on January 25 evening, came to light following uproar over the death of a student from northeast, Nido Tania, who was allegedly assaulted by shopkeepers on January 29.

The police said a case has been registered in connection with the alleged assault on the two women from the northeast but no arrest has been made so far. According to the police, the women, identified as Tharmila Jajo and Chonmila, were beaten up by a group of men, who were in their late 20s.

The women in their complaint said that one of the assaulters had tied the leash of his dog to Chonmila's boots. She panicked and in a bid to get rid of the dog she started kicking the animal.

Seeing this, the men started beating her up. When her friend Jajo tried to intervene, she too was allegedly thrashed by the men who made racists comments against them, the police said.

The victims alleged that none of the locals came to help them and when they reached the police station to lodge an FIR, policemen were initially reluctant to register a case.

The case was registered only the next day after leaders of some Northeast outfits intervened. The police said that they have recorded the victims' statement and are investigating the case.

The capital has witnessed protests over the death of 19-year-old Tania, son of Arunchal Pradesh Congress Member of Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary Secretary in Health and Family Welfare Department Nido Pavitra.

He died after he was allegedly beaten up by some shopkeepers in Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi following an altercation sparked by their taunts on his hairstyle.