New Delhi: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday expressed concern over the alleged assault, molestation and racial abuse against two women from Assam and Bihar in Delhi's Nehru Place area, urging Union Home Minister Amit Shah to strengthen institutional mechanisms for the safety and dignity of women and citizens from the North East in the national capital.
In a letter to the Union Home Minister, Gogoi referred to the May 10 incident in which the two women were allegedly subjected to racist remarks, physical assault and molestation by a group of men near a hotel in Nehru Place. Delhi Police have detained four individuals in connection with the case.
"This incident is deeply disturbing not only because of its brutality, but because it reflects a recurring and deeply entrenched pattern faced by women and citizens from the North Eastern states in the national capital," Gogoi said in the letter.
He further stated that such incidents were not isolated and pointed to previous cases, including the alleged racial assault on a lawyer from Manipur and her transwoman friend in South Delhi earlier this year, and another case involving women from Arunachal Pradesh.
The Congress MP also recalled the 2014 killing of Nido Tania and the 2025 death of Tripura student Anjel Chakma following alleged assaults, saying the incidents reflected continuing insecurity faced by citizens from the North East.
"These repeated incidents are not isolated episodes, but part of a longer and deeply troubling pattern of prejudice, profiling, intimidation, and violence faced by people from the North Eastern states in the national capital," he said.
Gogoi questioned the effectiveness of existing safety mechanisms such as SPUNER, the 24x7 helpline 1093, the North East Assistance Team (NEAT), nodal officers and sensitisation initiatives.
"The persistence of such cases indicates that these measures have not adequately translated into safety, deterrence, or institutional confidence for those they were intended to protect," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police said four individuals have been detained and are being questioned in connection with the alleged assault and racial abuse case. The accused were identified as Md Fahad, Md Savej, Md Arif and Aman alias Mohd Faheem alias Kala.
According to police, a PCR call was received at Kalkaji Police Station around 7 am on May 10 regarding a disturbance near a tea stall close to Eros Hotel in Nehru Place. Police said preliminary enquiry revealed that the women were subjected to derogatory remarks, which escalated into a physical altercation. Both victims were later taken to AIIMS for medical examination.
An FIR has been registered, and CCTV footage from nearby areas has been examined as part of the investigation. Police said several witnesses have also been questioned, and raids are underway at possible hideouts linked to the accused.
