As the number of cases of racism against people from the Northeast are on the rise amidst the COVID-19 scare, a fresh case has been reported in Mysuru, Karnataka.
Two students Yokai Johny Konyak and Ali Meren from Nagaland went to a grocery store to purchase some basic amenities and were denied entry by the staff and security who said ‘they weren’t Indians’.
Yokai Johnny Konyak told The New Indian Express that they were offended by the behaviour of the staff but chose not to react. They instead showed their Aadhaar card to prove their nationality, but were still denied entry. They had no leave without any groceries. The video of the same surfaced on Twitter.
Yokai also posted the video on his Instagram and wrote, “The world is fighting the pandemic together, nobody should sleep without food. Whether it be Indian, foreigner or northeastern or whatever, remember we are humans first and underneath every skin colour or face runs the same blood that is red. (sic)”
Dr Chandragupta, the Commissioner of Police for Mysuru told The Quint, “A video showing discrimination against Naga migrants at a ‘More’ outlet was noticed in Mysuru and immediately FIR was lodged in Krishnaraja police station . The manager and staff of the outlet have been taken into custody. We urge people and shop-owners/staff to desist from doing such acts and behave responsibly in this time of crisis.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed his first ‘Mann Ki Baat’ amid the lockdown and apologised for “taking harsh steps that caused inconvenience to common man”, calling the fight against COVID-19 a battle of life and death. Earlier on Saturday, he announced the constitution of PM’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations fund for people who wanted to contribute to India’s fight against COVID-19.
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