Tucked inside Vijay Nagar colony in Model Town is a nondescript store, simply called “North East Shop”. A neon-coloured hoarding bearing a soft drink commercial hangs outside, in sharp contrast to its two black metal doors, which are firmly shut.It is this small shop, flanked by residential houses and other small eateries, which became a flashpoint on Wednesday when a group of men stormed the premises and thrashed shopkeeper Chaman Kumar, who is from Nepal, accusing him of selling cow meat. The Delhi Police have sealed the shop and said meat samples have been sent for forensic testing.At his home in Burari, Chaman, 44, denies the allegations and says he only sells buffalo meat. “I don’t keep the meat with me. I only bring it a day after someone orders it. So, I got him the meat on Wednesday. The next moment, a few people barged in and started slapping me. They dragged me out of my shop. The neighbours saved me,” he tells The Indian Express.The “him” Chaman referred to is a 15-year-old boy who claims that he had gone to the shop on Tuesday to buy a cold drink when he overheard two persons discussing beef. According to the boy, he asked the shopkeeper if he could also buy beef and he was told to come the next day.The teenager says he contacted an NGO “Pahal Ek Jeevan Ki”. “The next day, as soon as I went to the shop, the NGO people went inside and checked the fridge…” he alleges.Chaman dismisses the allegations.Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), North west, Bhisham Singh says a sample of the meat from the shop has been sent for forensic examination. With no FIR lodged against those who allegedly attacked Chaman, the Delhi Police says it would take a call once the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) results are in.No FIR or complaint has been filed in the case so far.Story continues below this adBack in Vijay Nagar, the incident has caused unease through the large community of students from the Northeast who live and study in the area, a congested maze of alleys tucked behind Delhi University’s North Campus, and patronise shops likes Chaman’s that serve fresh meat in one section with the other functioning as an eatery offering delicacies of their home states.“I’ve been living here for three years,” says Rachel, a 21-year-old third-year student at DU’s Law Centre who is from Nagaland. “The shop also had Manipuri food,” says Rachel.Chaman’s wife is a Manipuri woman called Mary.They moved to Delhi in 2013. “We wanted to start a family,” says Chaman, who initially opened a shop in Gandhi Vihar area, as it “used to have a lot of people from the Northeast. “I only wanted to open a shop with Northeastern people around, as I love cooking their cuisine besides Korean food. Later, I moved to Vijay Nagar,” he adds.Vijay Nagar is a densely populated area with closely packed buildings, most of them offering PG accommodations. The walls are splashed with graffiti of student unions like AISA and SFI.Story continues below this adOn Thursday, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) attempted to protest outside the Model Town Police Station but were denied permission. In a statement,SFI said: “SFI Delhi held a protest today… against the mob who thrashed and beat the shopkeeper of the Northeastern store mercilessly… We condemn the inaction of the police who categorically refused to register the FI,R saying they will do a fact-finding inquiry first… Students stand united against the communal and xenophobic elements that are dividing and terrorising the Northeastern community in Vijay Nagar.”AISA, too, organised a demonstration later on Thursday evening, demanding arrests and protection for students from the Northeast.Aparna Huindro, 20, from Manipur, who resides right opposite the shop, says she would visit it to buy Singju, a traditional Manipuri snack made with vegetables. “We just called him (Chaman) John. I didn’t know his real name, but I knew his wife,” she says.Story continues below this adThe incident has exposed faultlines in the region where most owners are locals, and the tenants from Northeast. “We are always judged – for eating buff, or dry fish. Every time I cook something traditional, the neighbours complain,” says Huindro. “We look different. We have different food. But that doesn’t mean we should be looked at or treated differenty”.