Manipuri woman alleges racism at Delhi's IGI airport, Sushma Swaraj assures action

New Delhi: A woman from Manipuri alleged that an immigration official at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi, hurled racist remarks at her when she was on her way to Seoul for a conference. On her Facebook wall, Monika Khangembam posted that when she went to the immigration desk at IGI around 9pm on Saturday, an official looked at her passport and said, she does not look Indian. He then allegedly smiled at her and asked her how many states India comprised of, in an apparent bid to “know her Indianness” and all this while, she alleged, that a female official at the adjacent counter was giggling. When Khangembam said she hailed from Manipur, the officer allegedly asked her to name the states Manipur shared its border with. “I said I was really getting late and he goes like, “aircraft aapko chodke kahi nahi jaa rahi. Aaram se jawab do” (the aircraft isn’t leaving without you. You can answer at ease.), reported Hindustan Times. On Sunday, Khangembam, who is presently in Seoul, wrote another Facebook post saying she had received support from many people but some others said the official was not being racist. However, Minister of External affairs Sushma Swaraj promised to help her. She tweeted:

Monika Khangembam - I am sorry to know this. Immigration is not with me./1

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2016

 

I will speak to my senior colleague Shri @rajnathsingh ji to sensitise Immigration officials at the airport./2 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 10, 2016