The Association of African Students in India has asked its members in Greater Noida to not leave their homes until sufficient security measures are taken. “You are advised to not attend any lecture until we are granted maximum security,” the association said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. The students shared several videos that they said depicted assaults against them in Greater Noida’s Ansal Plaza.
The advisory comes after four Nigerian students were injured during a protest on Monday evening. The incident took place around 6 pm, when a group of more than a hundred locals gathered at the busy Pari Chowk junction to protest against the death of a Class 12 student.
Here are the videos doing the rounds of social media:
According to the police, the residents had permission to organise a peaceful protest at Pari Chowk on Monday, but the situation went out of control despite officers being present. The crowd turned violent when they spotted a few Nigerians near the site of the protest and attacked them.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a report on the attacks. “Chief Minister Adityanath has assured me that there will be a fair and impartial investigation into this unfortunate incident,” the minister said on Twitter.
The police have registered a case of attempt to murder in connection with Monday’s violence and have arrested five people. “We have identified many accused through video footage recorded by officers present at the venue,” said Superintendent of Police (Greater Noida-Rural) Sujata Singh. “More arrests are likely.”
Tension started brewing after the Class 12 student in Greater Noida’s NSG Black Cats Enclave went missing on Friday evening. Soon, rumours spread that the teenager had last been seen with a group of Nigerians. A crowd raided the home of these African students and, when they failed to find Manish Khari, they accused the Nigerians of having eaten them up.
The teenager’s body was found on Saturday. He died of a suspected drug overdose on Saturday, and five Nigerian students living in the neighbourhood were booked for murder. The students were later released for lack of evidence.
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