New Delhi: A video from Patna has drawn outrage in the Northeast, especially Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, opening a wound that never quite heals. A dance team from Arunachal was abused and questioned about their nationality before using a washroom.
The incident took place on April 2 at a Patna hospital, where an attendant in a beige uniform stopped the group and demanded ID proof before using a public washroom.
When the group of girls refused, she allegedly started laughing loudly and called them Momos, Chinki and Chinese. The whole incident got caught on camera as one of the girls filmed it. In the video girl is seen saying, “Hum log apna North East se ghoomne ke liye aate hain, par aise 1-2 karan se hum darte hain (we come from the Northeast to travel, but because of incidents like this, we are scared).”
🚨Racism incident in Patna! Arunachal dance team faced abuse, asked for ID to use public washroom, called derogatory names. Northeast Indians feel unsafe in own country pic.twitter.com/M0DgY0PeAf
— indiainlast24hr (@indiain24hr) April 3, 2026
Social Media reactions
The incident is not the first of its kind. Over the years, northeast Indians living or travelling in mainland cities have faced discrimination on different fronts. The reactions on the X have been swift. A few tried to frame the attendant’s behaviour as possible hospital policy on ID verification but that defence was vague.
Imagine an ugly Hindu who is racist to the nicest and best-looking people in India. What a clown Sanghi woman. Arunachal Pradesh needs to be liberated from India and become either Bangladeshi or Chinese. Indian ugly kanglus don’t deserve that state. pic.twitter.com/1dI8izM9vT
— Mohammad Deepak (@MohammadDeepak) April 3, 2026
‘Slurs chinki, momos’
“Chinki, Chinese, momo girl.” 😡
“North-East girls faced racism again.” ❌
At Patna Railway Station, Bihar, a woman abused NE girls by using slurs chinki, momo.., TARGETING THEIR APPEARANCE.
The Railway Administration should arrest her without any delay. She is so disgusting! pic.twitter.com/JWFDfPDRtd
— Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) April 4, 2026
‘Foreigners in their own nation’
North easterns are people who serve in the Indian Army at disproportionate rates, produce world class athletes, musicians, and artists, pay their taxes, and quietly get on with life without burning buses or blocking highways.
And they still get treated like foreigners in their… https://t.co/gFEjn1DAuw
— Shamik Sharma (@beingshamik) April 3, 2026
Incidents in recent times
Over the past few months, the incidents have been frequent. In December 2025, a 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura died in Dehradun after being stabbed in a racist attack. In January 2026, a young guy from Arunachal Pradesh was assaulted in Delhi’s Karol Bagh over a verbal altercation at a meat shop.
In February, three women from Arunachal Pradesh were racially abused and criminally intimidated by neighbours in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar over construction dust while in March, a woman from Manipur and her transgender friend from Assam were attacked with a knife by teenage boys in Delhi’s Saket District Court complex during an evening walk.
Looking ahead…
The video went viral rapidly and soon after, the outrage from the communities’ calls started pouring in, directed at the Bihar Police station. In fact, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Peema Khandu, also demanded a swift investigation and accountability. So far, no official response or an FIR has been issued.