At the least 4 overseas college students have been injured after a Hindu far-right mob allegedly stormed a college hostel in India’s western Gujarat state and attacked the group of scholars for providing prayers throughout the holy month of Ramadan, native media has reported.
India’s Ministry of Exterior Affairs on Sunday pledged to take “strict actions towards the perpetrators”, because the native police within the residence state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated an investigation was underneath approach in reference to the assault on the Gujarat College.
The scholars advised native media {that a} small group had gathered on Saturday night time contained in the boys’ hostel premises for the Ramadan tarawih prayer as there isn’t any mosque on the college campus based mostly in Ahmedabad. Quickly after, a mob armed with sticks and knives stormed the hostel, attacked them and vandalised their rooms, they stated.
“A gaggle of 15 college students have been providing prayers when three folks got here and began shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ [Hail lord Ram]. They objected to us praying right here,” native media quoted a scholar as saying.
“After a while, about 250 folks got here and shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. They pelted stones and vandalised hostel properties.”
A scholar from Afghanistan advised native NDTV community: “They attacked us contained in the rooms too. They broke laptops, telephones and broken bikes,” including that the AC and sound system have been destroyed as properly.
Movies posted on X confirmed ransacked scholar dorms and a mob destroying the scholars’ motorbikes with lengthy instruments.
“We can not survive like this,” one African scholar stated in his video filmed from the hostel. Within the background, loud shouting and sounds of things being demolished, damaged and smashed by the mob are heard.
“We got here to India to check and now we’re being attacked simply because it’s time for Ramadan and Muslims have been praying. Now they’re breaking down the bikes, every little thing is being demolished down[stairs],” he stated.
Worldwide college students (Africa, Uzbekistan, Afganistan and so forth) learning in Gujarat College @gujuni1949 declare they have been crushed up, Stones thrown at them and at their hostel (A-Block), Autos destroyed whereas they have been providing Ramazan Taraweeh at a spot contained in the hostel A-Block… pic.twitter.com/ogJ3h7FUin
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 16, 2024
The Indian Specific information web site reported two of the scholars have been severely injured and are recovering at a hospital after college students from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and a number of other African nations have been attacked.
‘Strict motion towards the perpetrators’
“Yesterday, at round 10:30pm a bunch of scholars have been praying. Round 20-25 folks got here and requested them why they have been praying right here and will as a substitute go the mosque,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik advised reporters at a briefing on Sunday.
“An argument broke out between them, stones have been pelted and their rooms have been vandalised by the individuals who got here from outdoors.”
He added {that a} grievance has been obtained towards 20-25 folks and one of many accused has been recognized. 9 groups have been shaped to research the incident, he stated.
India’s Exterior Affairs Ministry stated on X that the state authorities is “taking strict motion towards the perpetrators”.
“Two overseas college students have been injured within the conflict. Certainly one of them has been discharged from hospital after receiving medical consideration,” spokesman Randhit Jaiswal stated.
Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of parliament from the southern metropolis of Hyderabad, referred to as on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dwelling Minister Amit Shah to “intervene to ship a powerful message?”
“What a disgrace. When your devotion and non secular slogans solely come out when Muslims peacefully observe their faith,” he posted on X.
“Home anti-Muslim hatred is destroying India’s goodwill,” he wrote tagging S Jaishankar, India’s exterior affairs minister.
Gujarat College Vice-Chancellor Dr Neerja A Gupta advised native media that the worldwide college students must be educated in “cultural sensitivity”.
“These are overseas college students and once you go overseas, you have to study cultural sensitivity. These college students want an orientation. We are going to sit with them, present cultural orientation and talk about find out how to strengthen their safety,” NDTV quoted Gupta as saying.
