Enough is enough: NESO and AASU tell Centre on racial abuse

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: “Enough is enough!” Anguished at the racial abuses of the students and other youth from the northeast in New Delhi and other metropolitan cities in the country, the North East Students’ Organization (NESO) and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) demanded the Center take swift and unequivocal action against the perpetrators.

Speaking on the menace, NESO and AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya said, “Racism against Northeasterners is deeply entrenched systemic violence. Enough is enough. How long will the people of the Northeast have to prove their belongingness?”

Recently, three girls from Arunachal Pradesh faced a racial attack from their neighbours in Noida. This is not the first racial abuse of Northeasterners. The students from this region often face such attacks in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, etc. The people of these metropolitan cities presume that the people from the Northeast are not Indians. The presumption has stemmed from the facial features of people from the Northeast. They also look at the girls studying and working in these cities with an evil leer due to their free-and-frank way of life.

According to Samujjal Bhattacharjya, the northeastern region of India has experienced decades of marginalization within its own nation. People from the Northeast have consistently misunderstood, stereotyped, exoticized, and marginalized us. What happened to the women from Arunachal Pradesh in Delhi isn’t an isolated incident. It’s a part of a pattern of racial discrimination that people from the region endured far too often. The government must act swiftly and unequivocally. Those responsible for such incidents must be booked, charged and prosecuted under the relevant provisions of law immediately.”

DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and the chief ministers of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland condemned the recent incident in New Delhi.

In response to a petition about the racial abuse of Northeasterners in big cities, the Supreme Court of India told the Ministry of Home Affairs Monitoring Committee on February 17, 2026, to meet every three months, pay attention to news reports about racial incidents, and provide updates on what has been done to help the Northeast communities.

The Delhi Police today said that the alleged accused and her husband have been arrested in connection with the case. The Delhi Police further informed that during the course of the investigation, relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been invoked based on the material available on record.

ANI Adds: Meanwhile, the couple accused of racial abuse and criminal intimidation towards the three Arunachali women in New Delhi’s Malviya Nagar have been sent into a 14-day judicial custody, their advocate said on Wednesday.

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