Raniya Zulaikha
“They threw the balloons only at us, even though they were male students, aiming at our private parts. They saw that I had Mongoloid features after I took off my pollution mask. After that, they screamed, ‘Aye, coronavirus! I was shocked,” said one of the Northeast students from Hansraj College, Delhi University.
Two female students were attacked from the university area amid the holi celebration in the north campus area on March 3.
To make matters worst police officials arrived at the spot, they tried to normalize the issue by telling them that such incidents are normal during Holi.
The students filed a police complaint. An FIR has been registered at Roop Nagar police station near Kamla Nagar.
The North East students said that they are being subjected to discrimination due to distinctions in socio-cultural traits and physical features amid coronavirus outbreak that has killed hundreds of people in China and infected thousands 2020,
Another student of Kirori Mal College was also abused by calling ‘Corona Virus’ earlier in the first week of February.
The North East Students Cell of the college has filed an official complaint to the Principal with the attached testimonies. They have already filed an official complaint to the Principal of the college, Dr. Vibha Singh Chauhan, demanding an inquiry into the matter.
“Look, the corona is here!” and “Corona Virus!,” this was what three male students commented to us from our college canteen. I replied by asking them to say what they said to my face. While the other one said, “people like her are like this only,” a northeast student studying at KMC shared in her testimony.
She said that she has decided to share her testimony to make people aware of racial prejudice like the one she has encountered from such a prestigious institution.
The North East Students’ Cell conducted a meeting with the Proctorial Committee after which another sub-committee was formed to look into this matter.
The President of the Cell, Calvin Zou, said that the CCTV footage have been retrieved from the administration to identify the culprits. The Principal and administration have promised to students that appropriate action would be taken.
Raniya Zulaikha studies BA Political Science at University of Delhi and she had been at the forefront of students protests against Citizenship Amendment Act since it began.
