00:00Minor repair work in a rented flat in Delhi turned into a nightmare for three women,
00:06young women from Arunachal Pradesh, leaving them shaken and humiliated.
00:12That's the video on your screens at this point in time, which has gone viral.
00:16One of the students is preparing for the UPSC civil services exam,
00:19but their dreams were overshadowed and they were racially abused
00:23and intimidated by neighbours in South Delhi's Malvianagar.
00:26On the 20th of February, the women had simply called an electrician
00:30to install an air conditioner in their fourth floor flat.
00:34But during this, some debris fell in the floor.
00:36This led to an altercation and we will be getting into the details of that in a moment from now.
00:41But this was a racist incident that was reported from the national capital.
00:47Now, someone who's been speaking about these attacks that we've seen against people
00:51from the north-eastern part of the country,
00:52very often does the chief minister of Meghalaya himself, Konrad Sangma, is now joining us.
00:58Thank you so much for your time.
01:00It's a pleasure having you.
01:01And you were actually, sir, one of the first few people, leaders, political leaders,
01:05who spoke about this incident.
01:07We've seen yet another attack, a racist attack on three women.
01:11That video has gone viral and it shows us how they were abused for just no reason at all.
01:16In fact, what struck me was that even when she was abusing the three young women from Arunachal Pradesh
01:24and knew that she was being recorded, she didn't stop abusing them.
01:28It just shows how, you know, how belligerent they are and how brazen really they are.
01:38Absolutely correct.
01:40This is truly a very unfortunate incident that has happened.
01:45And to be very frank, you know, it's not that majority people think like that.
01:51You know, this is what I have always seen.
01:53But there are a small group of, you know, individuals who have this mindset, which is very sad.
02:00Or, you know, all these kind of events and situations and incidents like these, you know,
02:07it just sends the very wrong signal to the rest of the nation.
02:11You know, here we are trying to ensure that we present ourselves as a united, you know, nation
02:16and, you know, a country that's moving forward, a country that respects everybody, you know,
02:22and sees, you know, the whole aspect of diversity as a high, you know, a big plus point for us.
02:27And, you know, incidents like these small incidents that happen, minor incidents in the sense that
02:33they're not minor, in the sense that there's just one or two individuals who are doing this.
02:37Yes.
02:37But it just spoils the entire environment.
02:40And that's for, that's something that we really, you know, condemn, I should say.
02:45And, you know, there has to be a lot of sensitization about this.
02:49People must talk about this.
02:51I talk to the people of the Northeast and tell them, look, you need to talk about this.
02:54And also people from the rest of the country also, that the more we talk and we create awareness,
03:00only then we'll be able to overcome these kind of shortcomings that are there.
03:05And this, as I said, when I say minor, doesn't mean that it's a minor incident.
03:08It's a big incident.
03:09Absolutely. Yes, it is.
03:10But what I mean to say, a small incident in the sense of, you know, involving few people, you know,
03:14but then it sends a very wrong signal to the rest of the country.
03:18Of course, of course.
03:19It's really condemnable.
03:19I understood, you know, but there's a pattern we've seen, you know, just a few days ago.
03:24In fact, we saw a young man lose his life, was beaten.
03:28And this is a racist attack against a young man just a few weeks ago, you know.
03:32So what do you make of this pattern that we see?
03:35Like constantly people from the Northeast and part of the country are identified and then told,
03:39you know, you're different looking, you eat different, you wear different kinds of clothes.
03:43You aren't Indian, you know, how does that really work?
03:47The whole country is different.
03:49If you go from one part of the country to the other part, that is what makes India so special
03:54and great.
03:55It's because when you go to southern part, it's a different food habit.
03:59It's a different way you dress attire, different language, different customs.
04:02So it's true for every section or every part of India.
04:06That's what makes India so great and amazing.
04:08And I think the people who have this mindset, as I said, a small section, you know, are people who
04:14really create that kind of differences.
04:16Now, the problem is that when these kind of incidents happen, then you have the whole community and the whole,
04:21you know, region,
04:22and start thinking in a different way about people from northern India, you know, and try to club everybody together
04:28in this.
04:29And this is really what worries me and concerns me because I realize that it's not something that everybody, like
04:36people like you are there.
04:37So many other people have called me and said that, Conrad, please speak out.
04:40Please say something.
04:41This is not correct.
04:42So therefore, it has to change.
04:44There has to be a combined effort of people speaking out, number one.
04:48And even people who are not from the north, you should speak out and support.
04:51And number two, action should be taken as per law against people and individuals who are involved in such kind
04:58of, you know, derogatory remarks and racial action.
05:04That action needs to be taken.
05:05Action needs to be taken.
05:06To tell our viewers that there is an F.R. against this couple.
05:09The lawyer goes and says the couple are distressed about the situation.
05:13Imagine if the couple who abused these young women are distressed, what the young women would be going through.
05:18I mean, at the end of the day, you leave your home, you come to a bigger city, you're trying
05:23to work things out for yourself and then you get abused in this fashion.
05:27A change in mindset, Mr. Sangma.
05:29Do you believe is really the need of the hour?
05:31We as a country are silent on racism, isn't it?
05:36Absolutely.
05:36Absolutely.
05:37And thanks to, you know, channel like yours and others also who bring this issue out.
05:43So even the few minutes and the few seconds that you give, you know, for, you know, people like us
05:49and others who would express their concerns about, you know, situations like this.
05:52I think this is a very strong message to the country.
05:55So thank you also and to your channel for doing this.
05:58And as I said, like you, I hope others also will speak out and take this up because, as I
06:04said, it's a mindset.
06:05It's a very sad mindset.
06:06And it's definitely not a mindset that is going to take our nation forward.
06:11I also want to ask you, you know, at this point, what sort of action would you want the Delhi
06:15police to take against this couple?
06:17Like I said, they haven't been arrested.
06:18Of course, there's a case registered against them.
06:21But we have racism shadowing Indians from the Northeast all the time.
06:25A loud message has to go out to people who do this all the time, Mr. Sangma.
06:30No, I totally agree with you.
06:31And but as a person who believes in law and the justice of law, the action should be taken as
06:38per law.
06:39As I said, the strong message must go that these kind of things should not be tolerated and should not
06:45be done.
06:45But at the end of the day, there has to be some self-realization in people.
06:49As you said, it's a change in the mindset, which, of course, is impacted by the fact that there is
06:54a law to protect.
06:55And also by the fact that the awareness should be created.
06:58So we need to do both of the things in front.
07:01But I do hope and I do expect that police will take a very stern action as per law.
07:06All right. I'm going to thank you, sir, for joining in.
07:09So you heard there from the chief minister of Meghala, actually one of the first few political leaders from the
07:13northeastern part of the country is a CM.
07:15He is the chief minister.
07:16He spoke out and said that this sort of bigotry, this sort of hate has to stop.
07:21And this is just so common.
07:22What's worrying is that it's not a one off.
07:25There is clearly a pattern to all of this.
07:28Let's appreciate your time here.
07:29Mr. Conrad Sangma joining in and speaking with us.
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