Northeast woman shares experience of racial taunts in Delhi, Kiren Rijiju responds

A young woman from Meghalaya shared an emotional account of the discrimination she faced in Delhi, after being mocked twice in a single day for her appearance.

In her video, she described how the incident unfolded while she was walking in Kamla Nagar for some work. “There were a bunch of grown-up men sitting on their scooty. As I passed by, one of them said, ‘Ching Chong.’ I turned back, looked at him, and they all started laughing,” she said. Shocked and unable to process what just happened, she quietly walked away to a nearby Tibetan shop, trying to calm herself.

“I didn’t even feel like eating anything. I just booked a cab and left. Inside the metro, I was still thinking about those people and regretting not saying anything,” she continued.

But the harassment didn’t end there. While she was waiting inside the metro, another man passed by and said, “Ching Chong China,” followed by laughter from his companion. “This was the second time in one day. I’ve been to other countries, but they never made me feel like I don’t belong there. Today, in my own country, fellow Indians made me feel like I don’t belong here,” she said, holding back tears.

Expressing her pain, she added, “My only mistake is that I am born in India and I look like this. People make fun of me just because I don’t look like the rest of the Indians. I am from Northeast India, from Meghalaya. Please stop this discrimination. We are kind people — we won’t laugh at you the way you laugh at us.”

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju responded to the video, writing:

“Dear sister, sadly such loony people do exist. Next time, capture their photos and report to Delhi Police NE Cell. Govt has created a Special Police Unit to take action against any atrocity or unlawful act against North East people. No one should disrespect people from other States in India. Treat all human beings as equals!”

The incident sparked conversations on social media about the racism faced by people from India’s Northeast in Indian cities.