23-Year-Old Man Arrested for Spitting on Manipuri Girl in Mumbai

Mumbai, April 18, 2020:

A 23-year-old man from Kurla has been arrested for spitting on a Manipur girl at Mumbai's Kalina area on April 6. The accused, identified as Mohammed Amir Mohammed Elias, was arrested on Friday.

The incident which happened against the backdrop of several acts of racial discrimination against those from the NE Indian stated, caused a hue-and cry. It is pertinent to mention here that the National commission of Women took cognisance of the situation and formed three teams to investigate the matter. "Yet another case of racial discrimination amid COVID-19 outbreak, a miscreant spat on a north-eastern girl at Kalina Market area in Mumbai. NCW is looking into this matter for appropriate action," the commission tweeted.

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Talking to Inside Northeast, the victim described her ordeal in detail. “In the afternoon around 2:30 pm, I was about to go and collect essentials distributed by Naga student leaders in Mumbai. While I was waiting to cross the road, I saw a guy riding a blue scooter coming towards me. He was wearing a mask, and when he saw me, he pulled off his mask and and fled after spitting on me.”

The victim says that the perpetrator — whom she describes as a thin man in his mid 20’s — did it on purpose. “Yes, I think he did it because he wanted to. Immediately, I thought that I could get a corona infection, that is the first thought that came to mind. You do not expect such things from a complete stranger which is why this incident has left me completely rattled.”

“I was in shock, and I was embarrassed. I have been staying in Mumbai my adopted city for 6 years now and this is the first time that something like this has happened to me”, the Manipur woman further told us, still in apparent shock.

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The victim says that she filed an FIR at the Vakola Police Station after the the spitting incident. “They (the police) said you can rest, don’t worry. They said I can rest easy, but I don’t know what will happen next”, she told us.

Talking to Inside Northeast, the General Secretary of the Manipur Students’ Association Delhi, said, “We highly condemn the incident that happened earlier today. There are also various other incidents which are similar to this and we strongly decry such acts which are apparently racially motivated.”

It is generally believed that prejudice against those hailing from the Northeast Indian states has seen a sharp spike in the aftermath of the outbreak of the coronavirus or COVID-19. Across the nation, several such incidents of racial profiling have been reported and the term “corona” has found acceptance as a pejorative against those with mongoloid features. This, it is widely believed to draw linkage to China, where the novel coronavirus is first said to have spread to humans.

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