Terming attack on Africans as racial is ‘unfortunate': MEA

Four Nigerian students were attacked by a group of Greater Noida residents on March 26.

Asserting that the Indian Government is committed to ensure safety of African nationals, the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday said that terming the attack on Nigerian nationals in UP's Greater Noida as 'xenophobic and racial' was 'unfortunate'.

Reacting to Dean of the African Group Head of the Missions' statement saying that attacks on Africans 'were not sufficiently condemned by the Indian authorities', MEA said Greater Noida incident was 'unacceptable' and that the government condemned it.

In a strongly-worded press release on March 31, heads of African missions in India hit out at the government, saying it took no "known, sufficient and visible" deterrent action.

The envoys, who recently held a "special" meeting on the incidents, agreed to call for an independent investigation by the Human Rights Council as well as other human rights bodies, and also to comprehensively report the matter to the Commission of the African Union.

They said they expected a strong condemnation of the attacks at the highest political level, both nationally and locally, indicating their disappointment over lack of response from the prime minister and Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

"The meeting unanimously agreed that those accumulated attacks against Africans are xenophobic and racial in nature," they said.

Four Nigerian students were attacked by a group of Greater Noida residents who took out a candle light march on March 26 after a 17-year-old boy Manish died due to suspected drug overdose. The protest march was taken out after the police released some Nigerians detained for questioning in connection with death of Manish, a class 12 student, due to 'lack of evidence'.

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