‘Punched me, then drove away laughing’: Northeastern man faces racist assault in Bengaluru's HSR Layout

A Reddit user recounted a shocking racist assault in Bengaluru, igniting outrage and discussions about discrimination faced by Northeastern Indians.

A Reddit post detailing an alleged racist assault in Bengaluru’s HSR Layout has ignited widespread outrage on social media about discrimination faced by people from India’s North East in metropolitan cities.

A Reddit post about a racist attack in Bengaluru's HSR Layout has sparked widespread outrage over discrimination against Northeastern individuals.

The user, who recently moved to Bengaluru in August, claimed that he was attacked by two men in public simply because of his ethnic background. Titled “Got Assaulted for being Northeastern/an outsider in HSR”, the post quickly gained traction online, drawing hundreds of comments and sparking debate on racial prejudice in Bengaluru.

According to the post, the incident occurred in HSR Layout Sector 1, near a cafe named Shelby & Co. The man said he was walking home from campus when two men on a white scooter, without helmets, began circling him and staring repeatedly. “They stopped right next to me. The one driving the scooty asked me, "Where are you from?", to which I replied by asking why he wanted to know. Then he asked, "Are you from the North?",” the user wrote.

"When I told him I was from the North East, he said, "Oh that china area." And then he punched me in broad daylight in public, and then quickly drove away laughing," he added.

He said the blow itself was minor but what hurt more was the message behind it, that he did not belong. “This punch felt more backed by thoughts of, "You are not welcomed here", "You are different" and "You are inferior". Left a horrible taste in my mouth,” he wrote, describing the experience as deeply unsettling.

The user added that while he did reach out to the police, the response he received felt dismissive, as officers appeared to treat the incident as trivial.

Fellow Redditors flooded the thread with messages of support, urging the victim to file a formal complaint and tag senior officials on social media to ensure accountability. “This is horrible! Please file a police case and also tweet tagging Police commissioner and tag your state political leadership…Such incident are illegal should not be tolerated!” a user posted.

“HSR is never safe for girls.... I used to stay there 8 yrs ago... And I left that for the very same reason, harrassment on the public roads,” another comment stated.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.