Africans attacked in Noida: Indian envoy summoned in Nigeria, Swaraj assures impartial probe

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday assured the Rajya Sabha that there will be an impartial probe into the alleged brutal attack on African students in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

Replying to concerns raised by some Opposition members during the Zero Hour, Swaraj said the incident was "unfortunate" and the Centre has sought a report from the state government. "Both incidents are unfortunate. Firstly, 19 year-old boy died and thereafter there was an attack on a Nigerian student. ...On behalf of Uttar Pradesh CM and myself, I want to assure that there will impartial probe," she said.

The Minister said the state administration was taking steps to maintain law and order and the Nigerian student is being treated in a hospital. "As long as investigation is not complete, it is not proper to say anything more," she added. The issue was raised earlier by Sharad Yadav (JD-U), while Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and members like Anand Sharma (Cong) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) associated with him in condemning the brutal incident.

Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien too condemned the incident and said "we are condemning racial attacks on Indians in other countries and at the same time racial attacks in our country cannot be justified. The government should be very vigilant and very strong action should be taken."

Yadav demanded that both External Affairs Ministry as well as Home Ministry should take steps in this matter. "We don't want others to face discrimination in our country. Steps should be taken on a war-footing. A wrong message is going outside the country," he said.

Sharma said India commands goodwill and its image is being sullied throughout the world with this incident. He demanded a special cell in External Affairs and Home Ministries to protect such students. Yechury sought moving of a special resolution in the House in the matter. "Normal excuse is given that there is peddling of drugs by Africans. These are law and order problems and the law and order machinery must take care of that. This is not the way to do it, sir. "If there is a cow protection law in some state, the law and order mechanism must take steps, but not the cow vigilantes. If eve-teasing is there, there cannot be private armies. The law and order machinery must take care," Yechury added.

In Nigeria, Indian envoy has been summoned

On the other hand, Nigeria has called in the Indian envoy in the country to register its protest over an attack on four Nigerian students in Greater Noida and sought "diligent prosecution" against the perpetrators. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Olushola Enikanolaiye, sought action by the Indian government at a meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria Nagabushana Reddy in Abuja on Wednesday, state-run News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported.

The Nigerian students were allegedly attacked by people during a candle-light march for a 17-year-old Indian boy, who died of suspected drug overdose last week in Greater Noida. The boy's parents alleged that the foreigners had kidnapped him and given him drugs which led to his death.

Enikanolaiye said the call for the prosecution of culprits was necessary to serve as a deterrent to others, the report said. "We want to see diligent prosecution so that it would serve as a deterrent to those who think they can take laws into their hands and harass students who are going about their studies. That is why we felt we should register our concern to you on this occasion, and to please ask your government to take effective measures that this does not occur again," he said.

He said the Indian high commissioner was called in to register the Nigerian government's concern over the incident. He expressed concern that the incident was not the first of its kind as Nigerians had been attacked in the past by Indians. "It is therefore, a concern to us that Nigerian students in that place were harassed, beaten up and many of them were seriously injured. We think this should not have happened considering the excellent relationship between two of us the two countries have things in common and have been great friends," it quoted Enikanolaye as saying.

Withdraw cases against civic society members, says RWA

The Resident Welfare Association of Gautam Budh Nagar has written to the district authority to withdraw the cases registered against NGOs and social group representatives.

"Nigerians in the guise of students come here and indulge in narcotics smuggling. Police should probe this angle in detail and arrest those in the wrong. We respect the Nigerians as our culture talks about 'Atithi Devo Bhava' (The guest is equivalent to God) but we cannot allow anyone to run a racket and ruin our children's lives," Sher Singh, RWA secretary general said.

"We also condemn the assault on Nigerians. Our demand is that police should go through the CCTV footage and identify the culprits who attacked the African students. The FIRs against the civic society members is unjust, they should be withdrawn," he said. "A thorough investigation should be done without any bias," Singh added.