- Monday, April 29, 2024
The Indian external affairs ministry reacted to the incident besides top officials of the western state following the incident that took place on March 16 night.
By: Shubham Ghosh
AUTHORITIES in the western Indian state of Gujarat swung into action soon after five students of international origins were injured after a mob stormed a hostel of a university in the state on Saturday (16) night. It was alleged that the students were attacked for offering namaz (Muslim prayer) on the campus.
The home minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghavi, reportedly spoke to the state’s top police officers and asked them to catch hold of the accused at the earliest and begin a fair investigation. The Indian ministry of external affairs (MEA) said it was in touch with the government of Gujarat, which is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party of prime minister Narendra Modi, over the incident and vowed that strict action will be taken against those who were behind the attack.
The students said they had gathered inside the hostel of Gujarat University to offer ‘taraweeh’ — a namaz offered at night during Ramadan, the holy month observed by the Muslims, since there is no mosque in the campus of the institute in Ahmedabad. It was then when a mob, carrying sticks and knives, allegedly attacked the students and vandalised their rooms. They said the hostel’s security guard tried to stop the mob but failed.
One of the students, who is from Afghanistan, said the mob raised slogans and asked them who had permitted them to offer namaz in the hostel. They were accused of damaging the students’ laptops, phones and motorcycles. The mob also threw stones at the hospital that were seen in visuals that went viral on social media.
Alarming reports from Gujarat University: International students from Africa, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, etc., studying at Gujarat University @gujuni1949 allege brutal attack during Ramazan Taraweeh prayers inside their hostel (A-Block). Stones thrown, vehicles destroyed, with… pic.twitter.com/qH8Qa9V0n5
— Mohd Shadab Khan (@Shadab_VAHIndia) March 16, 2024
An incidence of violence took place at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad yesterday. State government is taking strict action against the perpetrators.
Two foreign students were injured in the clash. One of them has been discharged from hospital after receiving medical attention.…
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 17, 2024
The mob reportedly fled from the spot before the police arrived. The injured students, who are reportedly from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and some African nations, were taken to hospital and have informed their respective embassies. In the visuals, the international students were heard saying that they were “scared” and called the incident “unacceptable”.
Asaduddin Owaisi, a prominent Muslim leader from India and an MP from Hyderabad in the southern state of Telangana, slammed the incident and asked whether Modi and home minister Amit Shah, who also hail from Gujarat, would intervene.
“What a shame. 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? This is the home state of @AmitShah & @narendramodi, will they intervene to send a strong message? I am not holding my breath. @DrSJaishankar domestic anti-Muslim hatred is destroying India’s goodwill,” he said in a post on X.
What a shame. When your devotion & 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? This is the home state of @AmitShah & @narendramodi,… https://t.co/OshZUIoWjl
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) March 16, 2024
Ahmedabad city police commissioner GS Malik said they have started an investigation while Dr Neerja A Gupta, vice chancellor of the university, told the media that tension prevailed between the mob and some international students that led to the trouble. She said the police were looking into the matter.
The university official also said that the foreign students need to be trained in local “cultural sensitivity” when they are in another country, India’s NDTV reported. She said the university authorities will sit with them and provide them a cultural orientation besides strengthening their security.
“An incidence of violence took place at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad yesterday. State government is taking strict action against the perpetrators. Two foreign students were injured in the clash. One of them has been discharged from hospital after receiving medical attention. MEA is in touch with Gujarat government,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
