Bhaichung Bhutia Files Police Complaint against Siliguri Landlord for Evicting Sikkim Girl amid Lockdown

Siliguri, April 17, 2020:

Football legend Bhaichung Bhutia has filed a complaint against the landlord of a Sikkim girl who was thrown out of her rented room in Siliguri for showing signs of a fever.

Athina Limbu from Dikchu, Sikkim was asked to leave her rented room in Pradhan Nagar, Siliguri when she developed a fever and was forced outside her house for 3-4 hours. After Bhutia and some of his friends came to her rescue and got her checked into a hospital, the doctor informed that it was just the flu. In fact, the doctor gave a letter in writing.

Despite the written statement from the doctor, she was asked by her landlord to come back only after the lockdown. Bhaichung Bhutia and his friends gave her medical assistance and kept her in a hotel room until she recovered. After a full recovery, she went back to her rented room and was refused entry.

"It is a very unfortunate incident that has occurred at a time when people should be supporting each other. Sadly, this girl with a humble background from Sikkim had to go through this nightmare of an experience. I have contacted the police and I hope she gets justice", said Bhaichung Bhutia.

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This incident has come to the fore at a time when the entire Northeast region is reeling under the effects of racial profiling and discrimination.

A 25-year-old girl from Manipur was reportedly spat on in Mumbai recently, leading to the lodging of an FIR. This latest incident of alleged discrimination has been reported from the Kalina Main Signal in Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. A man riding a scooty took off his mask to spit betel nut juice at the innocent Manipuri woman.

This, after a 25-year-old in New Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar was also subjected to a similar harrowing experience.

The 25-year-old was reportedly returning to her house at Vijay Nagar, when a man stopped her and apparently misbehaved with her. When she fired back, he spat at her and yelled “CORONA” at her. Naturally, the spitting incident took social media by storm. Even Delhi CM Kejriwal took stock of the incident and called for the arrest of the perpetrator.

Assam Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi took to his Facebook to condemn the spitting incident and wrote, “On the wings of Corona onslaught, there is a sudden outburst of racial attacks in last couple of days on the boys and girls of the Northeast presently residing in Delhi and in some other places. Hope the saner elements of our civil society rise to quell this menace."

It is generally believed that prejudice against those hailing from the Northeast Indian states has seen a sharp spike in the aftermath of the outbreak of the coronavirus or COVID-19. Across the nation, several such incidents of racial profiling have been reported and the term “corona” has found acceptance as a pejorative against those with mongoloid features.

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