NEW DELHI, OCT 22:

Indian Youth Congress (IYC) National General Secretary and North East Youth Congress Coordination Committee chairman Tarh Johny has strongly condemned the alleged racial abuse and humiliation of a young man from Tripura in a viral video involving social media content creator Aamir Shokeen, calling for strict action if the allegations are established.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Johny said the incident could not be dismissed as entertainment or a joke, adding that the use of racial stereotypes and derogatory references against a person from the North-East was an assault on individual dignity and an insult to the identity of millions of people from the region.

He said people from the North-East had faced racial profiling, stereotyping and discrimination in different parts of the country for decades. Such incidents, he added, reinforced the perception that people from the region were treated as outsiders in their own country.

Johny said the explanation that the video was scripted did not diminish the seriousness of the issue and questioned the use of a North-Eastern person’s racial identity as material for entertainment.

Welcoming reports of police intervention and the registration of a first information report (FIR), he called for a fair, independent and thorough investigation, urging authorities to take appropriate legal action without fear or favour if the allegations were substantiated.

He also said an apology should not substitute accountability and urged social media platforms and content creators to recognise that freedom of expression did not extend to humiliating, stereotyping or dehumanising others.

Appealing to citizens across the country to stand united against racism and discrimination, Johny said people from the North-East were equal citizens of India and their dignity, identity and constitutional rights must be respected everywhere.

“Zero tolerance for racism. Zero tolerance for discrimination. Respect the North-East. Respect India,” the statement said.