Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj branded the attack “shameful” and demanded swift justice for those responsible as she moved to defuse any diplomatic tensions over the incident, AFP reported.
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“The external affairs minister, in her tweets yesterday, has also said that we are deeply pained over the shameful incident”, he said. “Sushma Swaraj also spoke to me, I will also be sending her a report through my Chief Secretary”, he told reporters at the global investors meet in Bengaluru.
The minister said that five accused are being interrogated by police officials in connection with the case and added that the state government has informed the ministry of external affairs about the incident.
“I 100 percent condemn this type of action, strict action should be taken, and it would be taken”, said Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi when reporters sought his opinion regarding the attack on the Tanzanian girl student in Bengaluru. “The mob of Indians started chasing and throwing stones at us in the vehicle because they saw we were Africans”, the woman has said in her complaint to the police.
Reportedly, 30 minutes before the incident, a road accident took place, wherein the vehicle driven by a Sudanese Medical student claimed the life of a local resident, while leaving another injured.
Calling the incident “a serious violation of human rights including racism” the commission asked the government “to submit a report in a period of 2 weeks as to the action taken on the incident”.
Bosco Kaweesi, a legal adviser at the All African Students Union, said: ‘She’s Tanzanian, the man who caused the accident comes from Sudan, they didn’t even know each other. “And she tried to enter a bus, the passengers pushed her outside”. They also torched the auto she was travelling in, and that of the Sudanese driver.
Kijazi said the victims alleged that they were attacked because they were black and it was a case of racial discrimination.
He urged the government to reinforce security in localities where African students were staying.
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He alleged that some goons were out to attack African students. The sympathy and the natural response over the accident drove the mob a bit emotional and violent and that too due to a mistaken identity of the victims for those who actually did the accident.
