Amid complaints about the alleged rising racial discrimination against the people of the Northeast in mainland India in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah to intervene and take necessary action.

The chief minister on Sunday took to Twitter after a video showing youths from the Northeast being allegedly denied entry to a grocery shop which went viral on social media.

“I am pained, shocked and awed seeing this video. When has humanity stooped so low?” Zoramthanga asked as he attached the video with his tweet.

Blaming the incident, he asked Modi and Shah to look into the matter and take immediate action.

In the video, a youth is heard saying, “You guys don’t accept us as Indian. You guys don’t know anything about Northeast India. Why are you discriminating against us? Why can’t you accept us? We are human beings, we also need groceries.”

In the video, a shopkeeper is also seen trying to stop filming the scene saying “no video”.

Zoramthanga also tagged his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart Pema Khandu.

Conrad said on his Facebook post that the incident took place somewhere in Mysore recently. He said he had spoken to Mysore Lok Sabha member S.H. Pratap Sinha, who informed him that an FIR has been lodged and two persons arrested in connection with the incident.

Sources said instances of racial discrimination against the people of the Northeast were reported in several parts of the country because of their oriental look in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

On several occasions, they were taunted and called coronavirus.

On March 22, a woman from Manipur was spat on by a 40-year-old man in Delhi’s Vijaynagar area in North Campus and called “coronavirus”.

Union minister for youth affairs and sports Kiren Rijiju condemned the alleged racial discrimination being faced by the people of Northeast.

“I’m sad to see such racial discrimination in many parts of India. Anyone whoever discriminates people of other community, region, religion or race are the real enemy virus. All State Govt must take strict action as per the direction of the Govt of India,” Rijiju tweeted.