- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN businesses and vehicles in Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on Thursday (12) were attacked by a local mob as part of the fallout from a Congolese student’s death in police custody in the Indian city of Bangalore last week. Three persons were arrested while 40 bales of stolen clothing were recovered.
According to the police in the south-central African nation, the mob looted Indian shops and warehouses, put a vehicle on fire and stoned three other cars in Kinshasa’s Limete neighborhood in response to a false rumour that a second Congolese national had died in India.
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“Uncivilized people, mainly young people, have been looting stores and warehouses held by Indian nationals,” Kinshasa police commissioner Sylvano Kasongo was quoted as saying by Reuters. He also informed about the arrests and the recovery of the clothing but no mention was made about injuries.
Several Indian businesses were looted in the DRC capital last week following the death of Joel Malu, a 27-year-old who was detained in the early hours of August 1 on charges of possessing drugs. The man, who was in India on a student visa, had later complained of chest pain and died in a private hospital after he was taken there for treatment.
Malu’s death saw clashes breaking out between protesters and police personnel in Bangalore, India’s information technology capital, the following day.
African diplomats have in the past complained about racism against their citizens living in India, especially after a Congolese man was beaten to death in Delhi in 2016.
