New Delhi — Police in south Delhi took action Sunday after three women from Arunachal Pradesh accused their downstairs neighbors of hurling racial abuse and threats during a spat over home repairs.

The clash erupted around 3:30 p.m. on February 20 in a fourth-floor rented flat in Malviya Nagar. Drilling and electrical work sent dust and debris onto the balcony of Harsh Singh and his wife below. Instead of a calm discussion, the couple allegedly unleashed a barrage of insults, police said.

A senior officer at Malviya Nagar station detailed the sequence. The women claimed Singh and his wife targeted their northeastern origins with derogatory stereotypes. One video circulating online captured a neighbor asking an Arunachal woman if she ran a massage parlor or worked as a sex worker. ‘Were you sitting here to do business?’ the woman demands in the clip.

The victim fired back in the footage. ‘Everyone heard what you said about my image,’ she says. ‘You made false allegations that I drink alcohol. Go and check my room. If you find any bottles there.’

Officers noted no physical injuries. The women, however, described deep mental distress and public humiliation. They summoned Singh into the argument, only for his wife to respond with further barbs, according to the complaint.

Investigators filed the FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 79, 351(2), 3(5) and 196. Those cover words or acts insulting a woman’s modesty, criminal intimidation, common intention and acts stirring enmity based on race, residence or language that harm community harmony.

Social media amplified the videos quickly. Users called for justice, highlighting bias against northeasterners in the capital. The women demanded more than legal steps. They want a public apology from Singh and his wife, insisting the slurs insulted their entire community.

Tensions lingered after the fight. Sources said a building broker told the women to vacate within two months for upcoming repairs. Police have launched a probe. Singh and his wife could not be reached for comment Sunday evening.

Malviya Nagar police urged witnesses to come forward. The case draws attention to recurring complaints of discrimination faced by people from India’s northeast in Delhi, often labeled with slurs evoking stereotypes of appearance or lifestyle.

One victim recounted the immediate aftermath to officers. Neighbors gathered as shouts echoed through the building. The women locked their door but felt unsafe, they said. No arrests have occurred yet, pending investigation.