The University Grants Commission on Wednesday sought a report from GD Goenka University in Haryana’s Gurugram district after clashes erupted between Indian and Nigerian students on the campus last week, reported PTI.
The higher education regulator also directed the university, located in Sohna town, to take appropriate action in the matter, said University Grants Commission Secretary Surender Singh. “Also suitable measures should be taken to avoid such incidents in future,” he added.
Clashes had broken out between Indian and Nigerian students on October 14 and October 15 following an argument over substitution of some players during a football match on the university campus, according to The Indian Express.
Six persons had sustained injuries and the university administration suspended 22 students for their involvement in the brawl. Some Nigerian students had left the campus following the incident but returned later, according to newspaper.
Both the sides have filed first information reports alleging they were attacked by the other group.
The FIR from the Indian group was filed by a pharmacy student named Sultan Khan, according to The Indian Express. Khan alleged that four to five Nigerian students abused him and beat him up.
“My friends came to save me but the Nigerian students also thrashed them with rods and sticks...While leaving, they threatened to kill me and my friends,” he alleged.
Nigerian student, Rabiu Md, in his FIR alleged that Indians attacked them inside the hostel and on the campus.
“Some of us ran out of college while some are trapped inside the hostel,” he claimed. “They can’t go out because they are afraid for their lives.”
The incident came a month after a group of Indian students at the university had protested against foreign students offering namaz at the football ground. The Indian students allegedly shouted “Jai Shri Ram” (long live god Ram) slogans and filed a complaint with the registrar to ask the foreign students to offer namaz in their hostel rooms.
The university administration had said the matter was resolved peacefully.
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