'We aren't police': Gujarat HC over attack on foreign students
Gujarat High Court on Monday chose not to initiate suo motu cognizance in Sunday's attack on students hailing from foreign countries at a university hostel in Ahmedabad. A division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha P Mayee said their role was that of constitutional courts, not investigative bodies. The justices also underscored that none of the matters were subject to Public Interest Litigation after lawyer KR Koshti requested that the incident be considered for the same.
Foreign students attacked at Gujarat University hostel
This came after at least two dozen people reportedly invaded the state-run Gujarat University hostel in Ahmedabad and attacked foreign students performing namaz near their living quarters. Two students, one from Sri Lanka and another from Tajikistan, were admitted to hospital following the incident. An FIR was later filed against 20-25 unidentified attackers and nine teams have been assembled to investigate the matter. The Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, has called on police to enforce strict judicial action.
'We are not police inspectors', says Gujarat HC chief justice
Chief Justice Agrawal said, "Our effort is for justice to be made, but don't make us an investigating agency. We are not doing that. We will definitely take into cognizance if such a matter comes in, but this is not one of those." She asked people to refrain from substituting the high court with police inspectors. HC asked Advocate Koshti to seek legal remedy after he said that the police had not incorporated all relevant sections in the FIR.
Gujarat University enhances security measures after attack
After the attack, the Gujarat University unveiled plans to move foreign students to a new hostel and strengthen security protocols. The university will employ former military personnel for improved security. Moreover, changes have been made in key positions such as the coordinator of its study abroad program and Non-Resident Indian (NRI) hostel warden. A committee dedicated to advising foreign students has also been formed as part of these safety measures.
5 arrested for attack in Gujarat University
Meanwhile, a total of five people have been arrested by police in connection with an attack. Police, which have formed nine teams to probe and identify all the assailants, arrested three more people—Kshitij Pandey, Jitendra Patel, and Sahil Dudhatiya—on Monday, adding to the initial arrests of Hitesh Mevada and Bharat Patel. Efforts are underway to nab the remaining culprits, police said.
