At least four foreign students were injured after a far-right Hindu mob allegedly stormed a university hostel in the western Indian state of Gujarat and attacked the group of students for offering prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. , local media reported.
Ministry of External Affairs of India on Sunday fiance take “strict action against the perpetrators,” as local police in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state said, an investigation in connection with the attack at Gujarat University.
Students told local media that a small group had gathered on Saturday night inside the boys' hostel premises for the Ramadan tarawih prayer, as there is no mosque on the Ahmedabad-based university campus. Shortly after, a mob armed with sticks and knives broke into the hostel, attacked them and vandalized their rooms, they said.
“A group of 15 students were offering prayers when three people came and started shouting 'Jai Shri Ram'. [Hail lord Ram]. “They opposed us praying here,” local media. aforementioned as one student says.
“After some time, around 250 people came and shouted 'Jai Shri Ram'. “They threw stones and destroyed shelter properties.”
A student from Afghanistan told local broadcaster NDTV: “We were also attacked inside the rooms. They broke laptops, phones and damaged bicycles,” and he added that the air conditioning and sound system were also destroyed.
Videos posted on X showed student dormitories being ransacked and a mob destroying students' motorcycles with long tools.
“We can't survive like this,” said an African student in his video filmed from the hostel. In the background, loud screams and noises of objects being knocked down, broken and destroyed by the mob can be heard.
“We came to India to study and now they attack us just because it is time for Ramadan and Muslims are praying. Now the bikes are being torn down, everything is being torn down.[stairs],” he said.
International students (Africa, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, etc.) studying at Gujarat University @gujuni1949 They claim that they were beaten, that stones were thrown at them and their shelter (A-Block), that vehicles were destroyed while offering Ramazan Taraweeh at a place inside the A-Block shelter… pic.twitter.com/ogJ3h7FUin
—Mohamed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 16, 2024
The Indian Express news website reported that two of the students were seriously injured and are recovering in a hospital after students from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and several African countries were attacked.
“Strict action against perpetrators”
“Yesterday, around 10:30 p.m., a group of students was praying. Around 20 to 25 people came and asked them why they were praying here and should go to the mosque,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told reporters at a briefing on Sunday.
“An argument broke out between them, people who came from outside threw stones at them and their rooms were destroyed.”
He added that a complaint has been received against between 20 and 25 people and one of the accused has been identified. Nine teams were formed to investigate the incident, he said.
India's Ministry of External Affairs said in X that the state government is “taking strict action against the perpetrators.”
“Two foreign students were injured in the clash. One of them was discharged from the hospital after receiving medical attention,” said spokesperson Randhit Jaiswal.
Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of parliament from the southern city of Hyderabad, asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to “intervene to send a strong message.”
“What a shame. When their devotion and religious mottos only come to light when Muslims peacefully practice their religion,” he posted on X.
“Domestic anti-Muslim hatred is destroying India's goodwill,” he wrote, tagging S. Jaishankar, India's foreign minister.
Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor Dr Neerja A Gupta told local media that international students must be trained in “cultural sensitivity”.
“These are foreign students and when you go abroad, you must learn cultural sensitivity. These students need guidance. We will sit with them, provide cultural orientation and discuss how to strengthen their security,” NDTV quoted Gupta as saying.
