2 min readNew DelhiFeb 23, 2026 05:00 AM IST
A couple has been booked for allegedly hurling racial slurs and intimidating three women from Arunachal Pradesh in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, police said on Sunday.
According to the Delhi Police, a case has been registered at the 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) against Harsh Singh and his wife Ruby Jai. The women and the couple live in the same building.
Police said the women were allegedly targeted on February 20 around 3.30 pm when they were getting an air conditioner installed at their rented home. During the process, some debris allegedly fell in the houses of the accused, who live on the lower floor.
Following this, the accused allegedly verbally abused the trio. The complainants alleged that derogatory and racial remarks were made even as they apologised.
The women accused Ruby of insulting them by saying that they worked at “massage parlours’, and that they should go and sell momos.
A purported video of the incident was widely shared on social media where the accused woman could be seen saying that her husband is the “son of a ‘politician’.” Referring to the trio, she can be heard saying in the clip that they are “Rs. 500 mein massage parlour mein kaam karne wali dhandewali (sex workers who work at massage parlours for Rs 500).”
Advocate Reena Rai, representing the three women, was quoted as saying by PTI that the incident reflects the persistent racial prejudice faced by people from the Northeast in the national capital.
Story continues below this ad
“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,” said Rai, who hails from Sikkim.
“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,” she added.
Further legal action will be taken as per law, police added.
