Manipuri woman spat on, called 'Corona'

The Delhi Police on Monday filed FIR under section 509 of the IPC against a man who allegedly spat on a woman hailing from northeast India's Manipur while calling her 'corona', in an implicit reference to her Mongoloid features and the apparent origin of coronavirus disease being in China.

Delhi: The Delhi Police on Monday registered a case against an unidentified man who allegedly racially abused a woman hailing from northeast India's Manipur by spitting on her and calling her 'corona', in an implicit reference to her Mongoloid features and the apparent origin of coronavirus disease being in China.

The FIR has been filed under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The incident allegedly took place in Vijay Nagar area of North Delhi on Sunday night when a man, on a two-wheeler, drove by the woman's side and spat on her.

A photo of the woman, with her face hidden, showing tobacco spit on her t-shirt has gone viral across social media platforms, leaving many enraged over the "racist" act.

Several such reports of people from Northeast being referred to as 'coronavirus' has emerged ever since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The racist comments are not just limited to the general public in India, world leaders such as US President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have also been criticised for terming coronavirus as a "Chinese virus".

The COVID-19 outbreak has infected 390 people and claimed eight lives till the time of filing this story.