Arunachal girl subjected to racial ‘Corona’ slur in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: An Arunachal Pradesh native residing in Hyderabad was allegedly subjected to racism by over 15 persons who purportedly called her ‘Coronavirus’ when she went to buy essentials amid the lockdown in the city.

The victim, a journalist who came to the city around eight years ago, took to Twitter to share her horrible experience. She tweeted, “On my way to Medical shop today, at least 15 people called me corona virus. #CoronaVillains #21daysoflockdown.”

Her tweet garnered a lot of attention on social media, with many airing their support for her. “In the wake of Coronavirus what fears me the most is not the pandemic but these kind of racist people. The Northeastners are not just fighting the virus but the deadly virus in this type of people’s mind. #ChineseVirus #CoronaVillains,” she said in another tweet.

She also claimed that her friend, who works as a nurse in a city hospital, was also subjected to a similar racial insult.  

While many netizens voiced their support, several others also trolled her. Meanwhile, State IT and MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao took to Twitter to condemn the incident. He said, “This is indeed repugnant, absolutely unacceptable. Request @TelanganaDGP to issue clear instructions to register cases on those who indulge in slander/abuse of fellow citizens.”