Couple arrested in racial abuse case of 3 Arunachal Pradesh students in Delhi, but damage already done

NEW DELHI: The couple accused of racially abusing three students from Arunachal Pradesh in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar were arrested on Wednesday after a video of the Feb 20 incident surfaced online and quickly went viral.However, even as legal action moves forward, the incident has scarred the complainants and altered the trajectories of their lives. One of the three young women has been forced to abandon her UPSC preparation midway and will return to her village, while the other two now struggle to continue their studies amid safety concerns in Delhi. Just before Harsh Singh and his wife, Ruby Jain, residents of the same building as the women, were arrested, Singh told reporters, "We are cooperating with Delhi Police and we have faith in the judiciary. It (the incident) happened in the heat of the moment. I apologise to the northeastern community, and request that we should not be subjected to a media trial. My family should not be dragged into this."The incident took place last Friday, when the three women were getting electrical installation work done at their rented accommodation. According to police, dust generated during the process allegedly fell on the premises of the couple living on the floor below, triggering an argument. The women alleged in their complaint that the couple made derogatory and racially offensive remarks targeting their northeastern identity, used objectionable language, insulted their modesty and issued threats. Though no physical injuries were reported, the complainants said they faced mental harassment and humiliation. A case was registered at Malviya Nagar police station under sections 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 351 (criminal intimidation), 3(5) (common intention) and 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and acts prejudicial to harmony) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Additionally, provisions of Section 3 of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 were invoked against Jain, which are non-bailable in nature. But beyond the legal aspect, the incident has extracted a heavy emotional and academic toll on the three students who had moved into the flat just six months ago. Two of them graduated from a university in Noida and are preparing to appear for the CUET-PG entrance examinations for admission into master's programmes. The youngest is in her first year at Delhi University.One of the advocates representing them told TOI, "The one preparing for UPSC has had to abandon her studies and will return to her village in Arunachal. She was being supported by her relatives, but now, fearing for her safety, her financial support has been cut off and she has no option but to leave Delhi. She had come here especially for the coaching centres the city is known for."The focus of the two other students has shifted from preparing for exams to arranging a fresh security deposit for a new apartment in a location in Delhi where they feel they won't be tracked down, the advocate added. Claiming that the identities of the women have been compromised and their address leaked, the advocate said that since the incident, they have been receiving frequent calls from unknown numbers and have had uninvited visitors.