The death of the Congolese student in Delhi was not a racial attack and should not be seen in that context, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday. In a meeting with a delegation of African students, Swaraj said she tried to explain to them that the incident was painful and significant, but it was not a case of racial discrimination, ANI reported. CCTV footage clearly shows that Indian citizens present at the spot tried their best to save him, she added.
Masunda Ketada Olivier, 23, was killed in the capital’s Vasant Kunj locality on May 20. He was beaten to death following an altercation over hiring an autorickshaw. “Being a mother, I can understand the pain of the Congolese student’s parents who lost their son on foreign soil,” Swaraj said, adding that she had sought a report from Delhi Lieutenant Governor on the day of the incident.
Moreover, the minister gave her assurance that to prevent the recurrence of such barbarism, the government will initiate awareness and sensitisation programmes in neighbourhoods with a high count of African nationals. “We’ve chalked out a plan as per which, our minister of state [for external affairs VK Singh] along with the secretary [of external affairs Amar Singh] will visit every metro city and hold discussions with African students,” she said.
A group of African students called off a demonstration they planned to hold on Tuesday at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, to mark their protest against the series of attacks against African nationals in the country. They decided to hold off on their agitation after the Centre assured them of better security, PTI reported.
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