Delhi police holds sensitisation programmes after attack on African nationals

New Delhi: Delhi police on Monday organised a number of sensitisation programmes in areas in south Delhi, following instruction from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to ensure safety and security of African people living in the national capital. The programmes held at Rajpur Khurd, Maidan Garhi and other urban villages in and around Mehrauli and Chhatarpur, were led by DCP and Additional DCP-rank officers in the district under the supervision of Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma, a senior police official said. A meeting was organised in this regard on Friday at Rajpur Khurd, a day after four separate incidents of assault took place on people from African countries like Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa and Cameroon, living in the area, leaving at least six persons injured, according to senior police officials. Police had said the incidents were triggered by arguments between the local residents and the African persons, with the former objecting to loud music and drinking in public. The African nationals, however, said they were racially abused. [caption id=“attachment_2805138” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] On Saturday and Sunday, several meetings were conducted with Africans and locals in Rajpur Khurd and Maidan Garhi. Addressing one such gathering, DCP (South) Ishwar Singh said, “They (African nationals) have come to our country, they are our guests and friends. They have come here just because they trust us.” “The way you behave with them will have repercussions on our brothers living outside. An example is the way Indians were attacked after the murder of a Congolese youth,” he said. Union Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh, along with police chief Alok Kumar Verma, also took one such meeting, at Chhatarpur Extension. The meetings and programmes, attended by both locals and African nationals, are being organised by ACPs in the sub-divisions, under the supervision of their seniors. Earlier today, a cab driver was beaten up allegedly by a group of Africans in the same locality. All these incidents took place close on the heels of the murder of a 23-year-old Congolese man around 11 days ago. African envoys had expressed outrage over the incident, following which India assured them safety and security for all African nationals.