In midst of the
coronavirus pandemic, there are several incidents of
racism faced by people from the
North East in the city.
Numerous reports and accounts surface of them increasingly facing such instances after the coronavirus outbreak. A netizen took to social media today to allege that when two people from
Manipur visited a
supermarket in
Vanasthalipuram to stock up on essentials, initially they were denied entry into the store.
In a video that surfaced online, the security guard can be seen outrageously stating that they cannot enter the store. The people even allegedly showed their Aadhaar cards to prove they're from India but were repeatedly denied entry. The bystanders too allegedly helped in preventing their entry.
A friend of the two who faced the racist incident took to social media to share the video and ask, "My questions to my fellow Indians: 1. Is this the new India? 2. Why are we required/forced to prove our citizenship to gain access to basic necessities? 3. Is an Aadhar card not enough to prove an Indian citizenship?” (sic)
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju responded to the post, asking for more details of the incident. The police took swift action after the incident came to their notice. Aravind Kumar IAS took to social media and wrote, "It’s unfortunate & our apologies! Collector RR dist has informed that FIR is registered against the manager of this outlet & that the accused are in custody. Also request people to come out in support of our brothers & sisters from NE at this point esp.” (sic) urging people to show empathy.
The netizens appreciated the quick action taken against the incident and appealed to people, to say no to racism.