MHA to probe Manipuri’s IGI racial abuse charge

The Union home ministry swung into action on Monday and constituted an inquiry to investigate the alleged racial harassment of a Manipuri woman by an immigration official at the IGI Airport on Saturday. Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said action will be taken if any officer is found guilty.

The woman, Monika Khangembam, alleged on Saturday an immigration officer at the airport had hurled racist remarks at her when she was on her way to Seoul for a conference.

“We are examining the case. We have asked for a full report. There have been previous cases of harassment. We will take action if there was harassment,” Mr Rijiju said.

The inquiry will be conducted by the Bureau of Immigration, which comes under the ministry of home affairs. After learning about the matter, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj expressed regret over the incident on Sunday and said she would take up the issue with Union home minister Rajnath Singh

“Monika Khangembam — I am sorry to know this. Immigration is not with me. I will speak to my senior colleague Shri @rajnathsingh ji to sensitise immigration officials at the airport,” Ms Swaraj had tweeted.

On her Facebook wall, Ms Khangembam, a rights activist, had written that when she went to the immigration desk at IGI Airport at around 9 pm on Saturday, an official looked at her passport and said, “Indian toh nahi lagti ho (you don’t look Indian).”

He then allegedly smirked at her and asked her how many states were there in India, in an apparent bid to “know her Indianness.”

She alleged that a lady official at the adjacent counter was giggling while the male officer paid no heed to her. When Ms Khangembam told him she hailed from Manipur, the officer allegedly asked her to name the states that Manipur shares its border with.