NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — The incident occurred in Greater Noida, an eastern suburb of New Delhi, when a protest by some local residents turned violent and several African, mostly Nigerian, students, who were out in the area for shopping, were attacked.
"The parents and 300 local people took out a candle march against the death of a boy, Manish Khari, who was allegedly drugged by Nigerian students. When the candle march reached Ansal Mall, where some of the African students were shopping, the crowd turned violent and attacked the Nigerian nationals. The mob also attacked several vehicles in the area," Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh told the media.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured a thorough investigation into the incident after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj requested him to look into the attack on African students.
I have spoken to Yogi Adityanath ji Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh about attack on African students in Greater Noida. /1
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) 28 марта 2017 г.
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) 28 марта 2017 г.
The Nigerian students had earlier urged Swaraj for help.
Sadiq — Government of India is seized of the matter. We are taking immediate action. https://t.co/SRdS2QGuj1
— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) 28 марта 2017 г.
Police has so far arrested five people in connection with the attack on Nigerian nationals.
"We have named nine persons in the attack and have arrested five. We will soon arrest the rest of the culprits and will take action against them," said Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh.
The Association of African Students in India is writing to the African Union about their plight in India, which, they said, has become routine, with special reference to the Greater Noida incident, a student told Sputnik.
Attacks on Nigerian nationals are a recurring phenomenon in India. Nigerians, living in Delhi and adjoining areas, are alleged to be involved in drug peddling, which often leads to clashes with local residents.
