Nigerian student attacked in Hyderabad: Are racial attacks here to stay?

Two days after African envoys boycott ‘Africa Day’ in India over the murder of the Congolese national, Masonda Ketada Oliver, came another brutal attack on a 23-year old Nigerian student in Hyderabad, reports The Times Of India .

The report further says that the Nigerian national Ghazeem got into an argument over parking with a local called Mohammed Ghafoor.

Sub-inspector K Krishnaiah of Banjara Hills — the area where the incident took place —  said that Ghazeem would park his car in Ghaffoor’s parking lot, instead of the parking space that had been allotted to him.

Things got ugly when the argument snowballed into a full-fledged assault, with Ghafoor beating Ghazeem with an iron rod, reports The Hindu .

The third year student, of Nizam College is reported to have suffered minor injuries and a case has been filed against Mohd. Gaffoor.

“The situation in India is no longer safe for us. Even the police are not willing to help us when we approach them,” said Emmanuel Omurunga, chairman of the African Students Association, Telangana said on Wednesday.

While this  instance now becomes the third in a spate of racial attacks carried out against African nationals in the nation, in the past few months, Minister of State for External Affairs  VK Singh on Thursday refused to call the most recent attack on Congolese student in Delhi, a case of racial attack.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter to reiterate the government’s resolve of ‘increasing the security and safety of African nationals’ in India.

I have asked my colleague Gen V.K.Singh to meet the heads of missions of African countries in Delhi and assure them /2

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2016

of Indian Government's commitment to the safety and security of African nationals in India./2

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2016

General V.K.Singh will also hold meetings with African students in metro cities to assure them of their safety and security.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2016

We will request State Governments to depute Commissioners of Police in all such meetings.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2016

We will also launch a sensitization program to reiterate that such incidents against foreign nationals embarrass the country.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2016

When I came to know about the unfortunate killing of a Congo national in Delhi, we directed stringent action against the culprits.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2016

I would like to assure African students in India that this an unfortunate and painful incident involving local goons.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) May 25, 2016

Swaraj’s addressal, though necessary, came a little too late, said this  Firstpost article .

India’s civilisational fractures of caste, colour and creed, you and me, have gotten worse, and after a handful of diplomatic statements and solemn tweets, the situation is expected to go back to square one.