"We are Indians, yet Indians are being harassed in this way."
Tripura's 19-year-old Lasonjit Reang, whose video of being harassed for his ethnicity in Ahmedabad has triggered outrage in the Northeast, has demanded justice.
Speaking to NDTV for the first time since the video gained attention on social media, Reang said he did not know he was being filmed until a friend sent him the clip.
"I had no idea that they were recording a video. I did not know anything about it," Reang said, saying he did not take the incident seriously at first.
Originally from Ananda Bazar in Tripura's North Tripura district, the teenager had come to Ahmedabad to look for work. The video, filmed a month ago in the Gujarat city, shows a group of people asking him where he comes from, and things like whether he was the "Chinese president".
"They were joking around and asking me where I was from, where my place was and where I lived. They also asked whether I was the president of China, among other things," he said.
Recounting the encounter, Reang told NDTV he had visited a restaurant at night for an interview and was returning the next morning when a group of people called him over and began asking questions.
Reang estimated that around 9-10 people were present while he was being filmed. He knew one of them, who had shared the restaurant's location with him, but said he was unfamiliar with the others.
"I had asked him whether he had any jobs available. He told me that there was work in service and housekeeping. I went there just to see what the work would be like," he said.
He eventually decided against taking up the job because he was not comfortable with certain aspects of the workplace.
Reang said he did not argue with the group. Instead, he told them he had to leave and walked away. He said he did not initially tell his family or friends about the encounter because he had not taken it seriously.
That changed when the video began circulating.
Asked whether he had been frightened during the encounter, he said he was not scared, although he was uncomfortable dealing with strangers. He also recalled people around him laughing as the remarks were made.
He said this was not the first time he had encountered people making fun of him because of his background. On earlier occasions, he had faced similar behaviour while visiting shops, although he said those incidents generally did not go further.
"Sometimes, when I go to shops to buy things, people make fun of us a little. But it does not usually go much further than that," he said.
For Reang, the concern goes beyond what happened in Ahmedabad. He said people from the Northeast should be able to travel to other parts of the country for education and employment without being singled out because of where they come from.
"We are Indians, yet Indians are being harassed in this way. I just want to say that we want justice," he said.
He warned that repeated incidents could leave young people from the region feeling unsafe when they move away from home to earn a living.
"Not every Indian knows where the Northeast is or where Tripura is. Some people know, but not everyone does. However, even if someone does not know about the region, that does not mean they should directly make fun of us," he said.
He called for people from the region to be treated with the same dignity and respect as everyone else.
Reang said he had received numerous calls after the video spread online.
The incident has drawn a strong reaction from Tripura royal scion and TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, who has demanded action against the person accused of harassing Reang. Tripura Police has registered a case, while the Delhi Police on Thursday arrested the content creator based on a complaint filed in the national capital.
Reang said he wanted the authorities to ensure that such incidents did not happen again.