At least five international students of Gujarat University were injured after a mob attacked them on Saturday night allegedly for offering namaz, NDTV reported.
The injured students, who are from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka, have been admitted to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Hospital, according to Maktoob Media.
The students have said that since there is no mosque on the campus, they had gathered inside the hostel to offer taraweeh, which are special prayers offered during the holy month of Ramzan.
Soon after, a mob reached the hostel and started shouting “Jai Shri Ram” slogans. The mob asked who allowed the prayers to be said inside the hostel. They then allegedly assaulted the students with knives, stones and sticks.
They also vandalised motorbikes, laptops, phones and other properties belonging to the students.
Ahmad Waris Sakha, the representative of the foreign students at Gujarat University, said that he tried calling one of the officials in the university administration.
“She said, this is not our responsibility,” said Sakha.
He told Maktoob Media: “In a quick matter of time, there were at least 200 of them. We then called the police and it took them more than an hour to reach our hostel. Upon hearing the siren of police vehicles and learning that the police had arrived, most of them ran while some of them were present on the premises.”
Sakha alleged that the police did not take any action and let the mob escape.
Videos of the assault are being widely circulated on social media. In one of the videos, some men can be seen running as the police vehicle approaches the hostel building.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi has condemned the assault and asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will intervene.
“What a shame,” Owaisi said in a social media post. “When your devotion and religious slogans only come out when Muslims peacefully practice their religion. When you become unexplainably angry at the mere sight of Muslims. What is this, if not mass radicalisation?”
The External Affairs Ministry on Sunday said that it was in touch with the Gujarat government, which was “taking strict action against the perpetrators”.
“Two foreign students were injured in the clash,” Randhir Jaiswal, the ministry’s spokesperson, said. “One of them has been discharged from hospital after receiving medical attention.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!