Coronavirus: Northeast people become victims of racial discrimination in Karnataka's Mysuru
A video of two young men from the northeast pleading with the supermarket staff to let them in and buy groceries has gone viral on social media. This comes amid growing panic over the spread of the coronavirus. Similar stories have been reported from other parts of the country as well.
FollowMysuru: The Mysuru Police in Karnataka on Sunday filed a case against the staff of a popular supermarket chain in the city, after it denied entry to two people from northeastern India. They had gone to pick up groceries.
The incident of racial discrimination took place in the More Supermarket outlet located near Chamundipuram on JLB Road branch in Mysuru city around 6.30 pm on Saturday.
“A video showing discrimination against Naga migrants in a "More" outlet was noticed in Mysuru and immediately FIR has been lodged in Krishnaraja police station and the manager and staff of the outlet have been taken to custody," said Chandragupta, commissioner of police of Mysuru, about 125 km from Bengaluru.
“We urge people and shop owners/staff to desist from doing such acts and behave responsibly in this time of crisis," he added.
The video seems to have been posted first by one of the men in the video on Instagram on Saturday. And since then the video has gone viral on many social media and personal messaging platforms.
In the video, a young man is seen pleading with the staff to allow him inside the store. “I am also an Indian," he is heard telling the staff.
The video shows one of the men telling an attendant, “You guys don’t accept us? You don’t know northeast is in India. We too are Indians, we also need groceries like you. We too are humans and we need groceries just like you guys.”
Another man is heard saying, “Why are you discriminating (against) us? We have an Aadhaar card.”
Bengaluru Police commissioner Bhaskar Rao too had tweeted in this regard and wrote, "Brothers and Sisters from NorthEast, you are secure here, approach nearest Policestation or Me directly Live Fearless."
The video comes amid growing panic over the spread of the coronavirus. Similar stories have been reported from other parts of the country as well.
