Youths almost come to blows over 'racial slur'

Alleged racial slurs against some students from the northeast at north Delhi’s Maurice Nagar led to a confrontation between two groups on Saturday night last week.

A violent clash between the two groups armed with hockey sticks was averted after a neighbour called police.

Following the incident, four dozen students from the northeast marched to Maurice Nagar police station and gheraoed it, demanding the arrest of the two accused. Police claimed to have taken the duo into custody.

One of the alleged victims Heman Haokip, a native of Manipur, said he was walking down the corridor of his rented accommodation in Maurice Nagar near Delhi University North Campus at 10.30 pm on Saturday, when the racial profiling took place. 

Haokip, 25, a civil services aspirant, said he was accompanied by a male and a female friend.

“He complained that two civil services aspirants Amit Kumar and Akash Kumar, who are his neighbours, hurled racial abuses against them,” a police officer said.

Following this, a heated exchange took place between the two groups, which soon threatened to turn into a violent showdown. 

Amit and Akash allegedly called out their friends for help, after which some 30 youths armed with hockey sticks assembled there. Haokip was also joined by some of his friends.

However, police were informed by neighbours before violence could erupt. Dozens of students from the northeast also staged a demonstration outside the police station, demanding action against the accused for the alleged racist remarks that led to the standoff.

Accused in custody

“The two accused, both hailing from Bihar, have been taken into custody and cases have been registered against them,” a senior police officer said. They have been booked under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

They were also sent for a medical test, which found them in an inebriated state at the time of the alleged confrontation.