# Kiren Rijiju video calls Arunachal girl who said ‘Humko Indian bolo’ 2026-08-26T19:17:02+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Union minister Kiren Rijiju spoke to Tinkle, the Arunachal Pradesh girl whose video objecting to being called Chinese went viral, during a video call on August 26. The exchange came during Rijiju's interview with India Today, where he asked the child about her parents and reassured her that the whole of India now loves her. Tinkle had earlier posted a video saying she gets angry and sad when people call her Chinese, stating 'Humko Indian bolo' and asserting she lives in Itanagar. The clip was widely shared on Instagram and X, drawing attention to the stereotyping faced by people from the Northeast. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The incident highlights a persistent issue of racial stereotyping against people from the Northeast, who often face questions about their nationality based on appearance despite constitutional guarantees of equal citizenship. Government data shows hate crimes against Northeasterners remain underreported. Tinkle's simple demand resonates because the question 'Are you Chinese?' is a common microaggression many from the region encounter daily. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has previously flagged such stereotyping as a barrier to integration, though no specific legislation targets this form of bias. The conversation now shifts to whether this viral moment prompts broader policy or public awareness action. The exchange, however, remains a personal gesture. Whether it translates into systemic measures against racial stereotyping or remains a symbolic moment depends on government and civil society follow-up. The next signal to watch is if any official campaign or school curriculum change emerges from the attention. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in Straight news agency style reporting, no slant detected. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Arunachal Pradesh, Kiren Rijiju, Northeast India Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kiren-rijiju-video-calls-arunachal-girl-who-said-humko-indian-bolo/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kiren-rijiju-video-calls-arunachal-girl-who-said-humko-indian-bolo/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/