Five people were arrested for attacking a group of Nigerian nationals at Ansal Plaza in Greater Noida. Locals, who were on Monday protesting against the death of 19-year-old Manish, alleged that he had taken an overdose of drugs supplied by Nigerians living in the area.
A video posted by the Association of African Students in India (AASI) has gone viral on social media. It shows a group of men attacking a few people, who appear to be of African descent, in the mall.
"Government of India is seized of the matter. We are taking immediate action," said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "UP CM has assured that there will be fair&impartial probe into this unfortunate incident," she said. She has sought a report on the incident as well.
Reports suggested that the incident appeared to be a hate crime against Nigerians in the country. However, Nagendra P Singh, district magistrate of the Gautam Buddh Nagar, denied that the incident was a hate crime saying that it was "absolutely not a hate crime, neither it's some kind of anger against a race. Few people spread rumours regarding death of a youth which gave rise to anger. The incident happened in continuity of that."
Locals had been peacefully protesting in Greater Noida when the group turned violent as they believed that the Class 12 student, Manish Khari, died of cardiac arrest on Saturday when he inhaled drugs peddled by African nationals.
Nigerian nationals attacked in Greater Noida: Locals allege 19 yr old Manish had died after Nigerians forced him to inhale drugs pic.twitter.com/GixQKOg7Gr
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 28, 2017
A report also had said that a Nigerian girl was abducted but the police have dismissed it as rumour. The girls was reportedly missing for three-and-a-half hours and was found at a hospital at 10.30 pm. Police chief Dharmendra Singh said she was not abducted. "It's a rumour to escalate tension in the area," he said.
At least five people have been arrested for the beating up the African nationals and more arrests are likely to happen soon.
Meanwhile, posters have been put up in Greater Noida calling for freeing the area of Nigerians. A car was reportedly burnt near Pari Chowk.
Africans protest in Greater Noida
On March 26, African students protested in Greater Noida after five African students were accused of abduction and murder of Khari. The AASI alleged that around 50 people forcibly entered houses of Nigerian students on March 24 to search for the boy.
The police also searched for Khari three times but he was not found. The students were detained by the police and kept in the jail for their safety. The next morning the family informed the police that the boy had returned home.
The police, AASI alleged, did not register an FIR when they tried to complain against false allegation on the Nigerian students.
African students were detained again when the boy died.
"We called for justice, we ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN STUDENTS IN INDIA we call for justice and verification of fact by the police before arresting any African Students without prior investigation. Listen to what we have been dailly accussed by our own host in india. Always the law of neigboor or the so called local population upfront the police investigation at any minor issues, we tried building the lost of trust between indian and African but its not our turn now," they said.
