Foreign students attacked at Gujarat University over namaz; 5 injured
An unidentified mob assaulted foreign students at Gujarat University (GU) on Saturday for offering namaz in a hostel, according to NDTV. At least five students were injured in the incident and taken to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, for treatment. Videos of the attack, showing a mob hurling stones at the hostel while shouting slogans, have gone viral on social media. The incident has triggered widespread outrage and invited political reactions as well.
About incident, police's response
The students alleged that the mob chanted Islamophobic and Hindu religious slogans and attacked them with knives, cricket bats, stones, and other weapons, according to Maktoob. They also accused the Gujarat Police of arriving at the campus late and failing to nab the attackers. Security guards posted at the university gates were also unsuccessful in stopping the mob. Police said they have initiated an investigation and temporarily closed all entrances to the university.
Who are the injured students
The wounded students were Haroon Jabbar from Afghanistan, Azad from Turkmenistan, and Mario, a Christian student from Sri Lanka. They have been admitted to the SVP Hospital. Two other injured students are from African countries. Ahmad Waris Sakha, a cybersecurity student at the university, told Maktoob that there are no mosques on campus or in the university hostel, so they worship on the hostel grounds. "This was the temporary solution we found to offer our prayers on time," he said.
Students demand better accommodation and safety measures
Around 200 foreign students from Asian, African, and European countries study at Gujarat University under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarship program. Following the incident, the students demanded that they be allocated rooms in a new hostel built six months ago, where only two European students currently live. They also called on the Indian government to ensure the safety of international students. "After this attack, I don't think we are safe," said Sakha.
Video of the attack
AIMIM chief condemns attack; questions PM Modi, Amit Shah
Meanwhile, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the attack on foreign students and questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah would intervene, given that the incident occurred in their home state of Gujarat. "What a shame. When your devotion & religious slogans only come out when Muslims peacefully practice their religion," he posted on X. "When you become unexplainably angry at the mere sight of Muslims. What is this, if not mass radicalization?"
African footballer attacked, racially abused in Kerala
Just days ago, a footballer from Ivory Coast, West Africa, alleged he was racially abused and attacked by a mob in Kerala. In his complaint, Dairrassouba Hassane Junior said that a group of spectators racially abused him and pelted stones at him during a sevens football match on March 10 in Areekode. "The spectators called me an 'African monkey' and 'black cat' and pelted stones...I was attacked because of my skin color and my race," Hassane alleged.
