In South Delhi, racial abuse didn't come from strangers. It came from my neighbours
I always believed that residential areas were safe spaces, and a colony in South Delhi especially so.
South Delhi resident faced racial abuse from her neighbors, not strangers, on the evening of September 7. The incident occurred in a large residential colony off Outer Ring Road, a part of the city known for being upscale and relatively safe. The abuse started when an elderly couple shouted at the reporter, who was simply trying to park her car.
They accused her of breaking their flower pots, hitting a meter box, and hitting the meter box. Despite the reporter's attempts to reason with them, their abuse escalated. The woman threatened to thrash the reporter with a slipper in front of everyone, while the man threatened to have her thrown out of her flat. The couple also spread malicious rumors about the reporter, alleging that she drinks all day, goes to parties all night, and has relations with men inside her flat.
The reporter, a teetotaler, was shocked and outraged by the baseless accusations. When she called her flatmate to inform him of the situation, she broke down in tears. The couple in the couple cheered and laughed at her tears, fueling the abuse. The reporter had faced similar abuse before, often due to her appearance and the neighborhood's skepticism about her character. This incident was not an isolated one, and the reporter found herself in a fight she could not win.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
