A Mumbai commuter alleged facing racist harassment on a local train after a minor disagreement escalated into targeted comments about people from Uttar Pradesh. The incident, shared in a Reddit post, has sparked discussions on discrimination faced by North Indians in the city.
The 24-year-old commuter, who was born and raised in Mumbai, described how the situation unfolded. While travelling on a crowded train, a brief exchange with another passenger took an unexpected turn. “I politely asked if he wanted to move forward, saying he could if he wanted. To my surprise, he responded quite arrogantly,” the commuter wrote. The argument intensified, and soon, the other passenger allegedly began making derogatory remarks about people from UP.
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The situation worsened when other bystanders reportedly joined in. “To make it worse, some of the others nearby joined on his side. One of them even became abusive,” the commuter claimed. Despite trying to disengage, the harassment did not stop. “Even after I went silent, they continued making racist comments among themselves.”
What particularly frustrated the commuter was that language was not a barrier, yet the group refused to acknowledge his perspective. “I know Marathi too, so language wasn’t a barrier—I feel like they simply didn’t want to hear my perspective at all,” he wrote. Having lived in Mumbai all his life, the commuter expressed shock and disappointment at experiencing such discrimination for the first time.
Take a look at the post:
Many took to the comments section to voice their opinions. A user wrote, “These days it’s better to be a hardcore Introvert in public places. Keeping shut your mouth is the most Wisest thing to do rather than come into some confronting situations with such Ars**oles.”
Another added, “Just don’t bat an eye and get going with your own work. We may speak to the abuser but he doesn’t seem to listen so…. just get goin”