From ‘Massage Parlour’ Taunts To ‘Politician’s Son’ Claims: Dust Dispute Turns Into Racial Abuse Row In South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar

New Delhi: What began as a minor repair job at a rented flat in South Delhi reportedly spiralled into a nightmare for three women from Arunachal Pradesh after a dispute with neighbours escalated into alleged racial abuse and criminal intimidation.

The incident took place on February 20 in the Malviya Nagar area when the women called an electrician to their fourth-floor apartment to install an air conditioner. According to police and the complaint filed, dust and debris from the installation work fell onto the first floor, prompting objections from neighbours.

‘Subjected To Verbal Abuse Despite Apology’

Initially the neighbours allegedly abused the electrician verbally, following which the women stepped in and reportedly apologised and explained that it was not intentional. However, the argument did not stop but soon intensified. The women have alleged that despite apologising for the inconvenience, they were subjected to verbal abuse and racially derogatory remarks targeting their North-Eastern identity.

A video of the confrontation, which has since surfaced on social media, shows a heated exchange between the two sides. In the footage, neighbours identified in the complaint as Harsh Singh and Ruby Jain can be heard making objectionable comments. Visuals show the accused woman allegedly accusing the women of engaging in sex work, while the man accusing them of running a massage parlour.

In the video, Ruby can also be heard referring to the women as “Rs 500 mei massage parlour mei kaam karne waali dhandhewali", and asking, “Are you sitting here to do business? Have you opened a massage parlour at home?”

The accused woman was also heard saying that Harsh is the son of a "big politician".

The women from Arunachal further alleged that when she confronted Harsh about his remark, his wife passed an obscener comment. “When I asked him why he was saying that, his wife asked me to go and sleep with him,” she said. In the video, Ruby could also be heard alleging that people from North-East show signs of aging earlier than expected as they “indulge in drug abuse”.

A police officer is seen in the video attempting to defuse the situation.

Non-Bailable Section Invoked

Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at the Malviya Nagar Police Station under 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 or language) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Section 196 is a cognizable and non-bailable offence. No arrests had been made till the time of filing this report.

Police said no physical injuries were reported, but the women have alleged mental harassment, humiliation and intimidation.

Political Reaction

The incident later drew political attention, with Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, in a post on X, stating that discrimination against people from the Northeast “must stop”.

One of the women said the dispute quickly shifted from the installation work to comments about their identity. “Because we look a certain way and our Hindi is not very strong, people here perceive that we are not from India. We are very much Indians,” she said, calling for accountability.

Police said further investigation is underway.

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