Manipuri woman alleges man spat on her and called her 'Corona'; FIR lodged

New Delhi: A woman from Manipur has alleged that an unidentified man spat on her and called her "Corona" in northwest Delhi's Vijay Nagar area, police said on Monday.

A case has been filed and police are trying to identify the man, they said.

The incident took place on Sunday around 10 pm, the police said.

The woman, who is in her early 20s, alleged that she was on her way to buy groceries when the man came on a two-wheeler and spat on her. He called her "Corona" before fleeing the spot, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Vijayanta Arya said a case has been registered under section 509 (word, gesture or act intending to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code and the matter is being probed.

Police are scanning CCTV footage to identify the man and establish the sequence of events, he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi CM tweeted, "Am shocked to read this. Delhi Police must find the culprit and take strict action. We need to be united as a nation, especially in our fight against Covid-19." On the other hand DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal tweeted, "This is really shameful. @DelhiPolice should immediately act against the culprit. People from the North East are our brothers and sisters and this cannot be tolerated under any circumstances! Let's support each other in our fight against Covid 19!"

Meanwhile, Manipur Students Association Delhi, in their statement, said "Yet another racial attack opportuned amidst the pandemic COVID-19 at the capital city of Delhi. At around 9.30 p.m. just after the "Janta curfew" ended, two Delhi University students went out of their PG to get some groceries when a man in his 40s on a white colored two wheeler drove by and spat paan from mouth on to the girls aiming for their faces. This uncivilized incident took place near the University campus at Vijay Nagar, Single storey — North-West Delhi. The street was deserted because of the curfew and the man in question took this as an opportunity to carry forth his devious action.

"Due to the affect of the pandemic spread of the disease, most hostelers and PG residents from the North-East has left for their respective hometown. This has made a rapid decline of the number of people from the region staying at the capital, making them more vulnerable to the discrimination," reads the statement.