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Tanzanian woman assault: Five instances when Indians cried racism

Here are the five incidents where Indians have complained of racial bias against them:

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SRK, Devyani Khobragade and Sureshbhai Patel
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1. Devyani Khobragade row

Devyani Khobragade, 39, who was India's deputy consul-general in New York, was arrested in December 2013 on charges of visa fraud and lying to US authorities about what she paid her housekeeper. Khobragade's arrest and strip-search provoked protests in India and dealt a serious blow to US efforts to strengthen ties with India. After Kobragade was released on a bond, her father accused US authorities of racist behaviour and said the incident smacked of "racial bias" and sought an apology from law enforcing agencies. 

In New Delhi, India reacted sharply to the arrest and strip search of Khobragade and initiated several steps to downgrade privileges enjoyed by American diplomats and their families, including withdrawing airport passes and stopping import clearances for the US Embassy, according to reports.

2. Shah Rukh Khan name row

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has also had his share of racist experiences. He was detained once in  August 2009 at the Newark Airport in New Jersey for almost two hours by immigrant officials because of his last name.

He was also detained again at a New York airport in April 2012 for over two hours by immigration officials after arriving from India in a private plane with Nita Ambani, to address students at Yale University. While Nita Ambani, and the rest of their group were cleared immediately, Khan was stopped and was given immigration clearance only after about two hours.

While addressing the students at the University, the star had also made a sarcastic remark saying, "Whenever I start feeling too arrogant about myself, I always take a trip to America. The immigration guys kicked the star out of stardom."
 

3. Shilpa Shetty- Big Brother row

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty also complained of racism when she was participating in the reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother. Along with Shilpa, thousands of viewers also complained about the racist behaviour of her fellow housemates. Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communication industries, had said that it received around 3,500 complaints from viewers and organisations about the treatment meted out to the Bollywood actress.

Her tormentors in the show, Danielle Lloyd, a former beauty queen, and Jo O’Meara, member of defunct girl band S Club, Jade Goody, a celebrity known for being crass and her boyfriend Jack Tweedy had mocked her Indian accent, quarrelled with her and called her names behind her back. Shilpa later received immense support from the viewers and went on to become the winner of the show. 

4. Attack on Indian grandfather

An American police officer was accused of violently assaulting an unarmed 58-year-old Indian grandfather Sureshbhai Patel and leaving him partially paralysed. The officer went on trial on charges of using excessive force.The incident occurred on the morning of February 6, 2015, when while walking down the sidewalk, Patel "was violently assaulted by a police official without provocation, and left partially paralysed," the 11-page lawsuit said. A day before, Patel had arrived in the US to assist his son and daughter-in-law in caring for their 17-month-old child who suffered developmental delay after a premature birth.

5. Attack on Indian students in Australia

Over 100 incidents of attacks on Indians, particularly students, were reported in 2009 and 2010. The Australian government had given a dossier on these incidents to India which revealed that nearly half of the attackers had been juveniles. Shaken by a wave of racial assaults, thousands of Indian students went on peace rallies chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and demanding justice for victims of attacks. 

With agency inputs.

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