New Delhi: After a spate of racial incidences witnessed across the US, an Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal on Thursday complained of receiving abusive and hate messages over the phone asking her to go back to India. Chennai-born Jayapal tweeted a collection of five such audio messages received by her from a male caller.
The 55-year-old is the first Indian-American Congresswoman representing Seattle in the US House of Representatives, reported news agency PTI.
The audio messages posted in portions that have been redacted because of obscene and abusive content is heard threatening her with dire consequences and in one instance she is being asked to go back to her country of origin, India.
“Typically, political figures don't show their vulnerability. I chose to do so here because we cannot accept violence as our new norm. We also cannot accept the racism and sexism that underlies and propels so much of this violence,” Jayapal, from the Democratic Party wrote.
Earlier this year, a man with a pistol had shown up outside the Congresswoman's house in Seattle, reported news agency PTI. The police later arrested the man identified as Brett Forsell aged 49. This is the third incident of hate crime reported against the Indian-American community in last one month.
An Indian-American man was racially abused by a compatriot who hurled a slew of racist slurs and anti-Hindu remarks in the US state of California. Krishnan Jayaraman was verbally attacked by 37-year-old Tejinder Singh in the Taco Bell in Fremont, California on August 21.
The incident was reported a day after Indian-American women were racially abused by a Mexico-American woman in Dallas, Texas.
The Mexican-American woman identified as Esmeralda Upton of Plano has been charged with assault, bodily injury and terroristic threat, and is being held on a total bond amount of $10,000
The incident took place in a parking lot in Dallas, Texas.