"Just own your wrongdoing and don't try to justify it."
There has been uproar after a scene showing racist remarks being made on a reality TV show in India went viral.
The clip shows Dance Deewane Season 3’s host Raghav Juyal introducing a child contestant from the northeastern state of Assam.
He uses the word “momo” and “Chinese” before speaking gibberish in a Chinese accent during the Colors TV show.
The segment caused outrage.
Social media users were even more infuriated when the likes of Remo D’Souza and Madhuri Dixit laughed along as if it was a joke.
Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was among those who reacted and said:
“It has come to my notice that a popular reality show host has used racist rhetoric against a young participant from Guwahati.
“This is shameful and totally unacceptable.
“Racism has no place in our country and we should all condemn it unequivocally.”
Netizens were equally appalled, with many also calling the monologue racist.
One user said:
“The group are mocking, laughing at 6-year-old Assamese girl with a Chinese accent and calling her Chinese on national TV.
“This is blatant racism towards the people of Northeast India.”
Racism!@TheRaghav_Juyal introducing Gunjan Sinha of Assam in #DanceDeewane3 of @ColorsTV with "Momo", "Chinese" and celebs like @remodsouza, @MadhuriDixit have no objection in it.
People of Assam is not Chinese, yet such shows always do racism comments.
When will it stop? pic.twitter.com/cOTA8s8nvy— Ron Bikash Gaurav (@RonBikashGaurav) November 15, 2021
Another person tweeted: “Assamese people don’t speak Chinese.
“So it doesn’t make any sense why was he trying to speak in Chinese.
“Of course it’s an insult to the Assamese people. He could try to speak in Assamese.”
Following the backlash, Juyal posted a response on Instagram.
In it, he says: “I have my family in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
“I have friends in Nagaland with whom I’ve grown up in boarding school.
“I’m someone who tries to show things politically correct and who takes a stand on injustice and racism.
“Instead, I often get trolled whenever I take a stand for a religion, caste, culture or creed.”
The host also uploaded the scene in question in his following post on the social media platform.
Juyal added a lengthy caption beginning: “I didn’t want to post this but situation got out of context…”
However, many were not fans of these posts either.
One person commented: “Oh please don’t give an excuse for this man. She is just a kid and you are an adult.
“You should have been more careful before presenting anything on national television.”
Another added: “She is speaking a language. You are a mockery. Having public reach brings responsibilities along with it.
“Humanely, socially, politically. Just own your wrongdoing and don’t try to justify it.
“Ego consumes till one is finished completely.”
All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) chief advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharjya stated:
“We have time and again been treated as objects of ridicule for not looking ‘Indian’ enough.
“Discrimination based on racial profiling is tormenting.
“The northeast is not a repository of rich resources or exotic culture alone.
“Colors TV and Raghav Juyal’s racist slurs are condemned and punishable.”
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