Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma on Friday said the killing of a Congolese man in New Delhi was unfortunate, but "even Africa is not safe". Maintaining the government's line that incidents like this are no good for India's image, Sharma added, "India is a large country and such incidents will give a bad name to India."

While the murder in Vasant Kunj has spurred a widespread discussion on racism and violence against black people in the country, Sharma cited his personal experience of a visit to South Africa to bolster his claim that "Africa" was no different. Sharma said that the hotel staff stopped him from going on his morning and post-dinner walks while he was on an official visit to South Africa, citing security reasons.

On Tuesday, African envoys from 42 nations threatened to boycott annual Africa Day celebrations in Delhi, saying they were mourning the death of Olivier Masonga Kitanda, who taught foreign languages at a private institute in Delhi.