Racial Slur at APL sparks Protest, Students demand Accountability

On Wednesday, 30th April 2025, The North East Collective (NE Col) conducted a sit-in protest to address a recent incident of racial abuse against a Northeastern student during the Ashoka Premier League (APL). During a football match on the evening of 19th April, a student allegedly used a racial slur against an opposition player. The APL condemned the incident as “deeply unfortunate and unacceptable,” stating that they “cannot apologise enough for what happened” through an Instagram post dated 20th April. The accused student has since been banned from all future iterations of the tournament. 

On the same day,  the North-East Collective issued a statement condemning the incident: “This incident was not a momentary outburst of rage or an act of feigned ignorance; it was targeted and reflective of the xenophobia and racism Northeastern students face.” The same sentiment was echoed by several during the sit-in protest.

“Today I stand before you not as a victim but as a person strongly against discrimination,” the student to whom the slur had reportedly been directed at, said, addressing the attendees at the sit-in. 

Post the incident, the victim approached the Anti-Ragging Committee (ARC) to register a complaint, but was told by representatives of the ARC that “they were not the right space to bring this issue” and “file a complaint elsewhere.” According to the student registering the complaint, the matter is still pending, and the victim is yet to receive any update. 

At the sit-in, the victim spoke of their dissatisfaction with the ARC “downplaying” the incident. The student also mentioned how students from the Northeast are constantly mistreated, from being asked if they “eat dogs” to being asked for their IDs at Residence Halls in a college they had been inhabiting for several years. “They don't want to speak up because we have an incompetent committee like ARC,” they added.

On 21st April, the Sports Ministry issued a statement saying that “any student found engaging in discriminatory behaviour will be barred from participating in any sporting event, either within Ashoka or while representing Ashoka externally.”

The Edict has reached out to the Anti-Ragging Committee for comment on the process of filing complaints and specific proceedings related to this issue, but has not yet received a response at the time of publishing this article.

(Edited by Fatema Tambawalla and Somansh Sarangi)