NCR: Kenyan woman thrashed in Greater Noida, third recent attack on Africans

Following the highly condemnable racial attacks on Nigerian students recently, yet another case of an African being assaulted emerged on Wednesday. According to ANI, a Kenyan woman was thrashed by some unidentified men in Greater Noida. The woman had earlier been reported as Nigerian.

#UPDATE UP: African woman allegedly slapped in Greater Noida is a Kenyan National and has been discharged from hospital

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) March 29, 2017

India Today reported that the woman was inside an autorickshaw when some unidentified men pulled her out and started misbehaving with her. The men beat her up when she tried to shout for help. She informed the police, who took her to a local hospital. The police said they are probing the matter, according to India Today. [caption id=“attachment_2805890” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Greater Noida, which houses numerous colleges and universities where thousands of foreign nationals study, has witnessed a spurt in violence against Africans. Monday night four Nigerian students were attacked by crowds near Pari Chowk while two more were beaten by a mob inside a shopping mall. India on Tuesday condemned the alleged racial attack on Nigerian students. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that she had spoken to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and he assured her of a fair and impartial investigation into the unfortunate incident. Four Nigerian students had on Monday sustained severe injuries after being attacked by a group of local residents in Greater Noida’s Pari Chowk area in Uttar Pradesh, according to The Times of India. The incident took place on Monday evening when local residents raised slogans demanding that all Africans living in residential colonies in Greater Noida be asked to vacate their rented houses immediately, according to The Times of India.  The attacks took place after protests over the death of Manish Khatri, a Class 12 student in Greater Noida’s NSG Society, Superintendent of Police Sujata Singh told IANS. Khatri is said to have died of cardiac arrest due to suspected drug overdose on Saturday. Singh said three FIRs had been registered. According to The Times of India, the locals had permission to organise a peaceful protest at Pari Chowk on Monday, but the situation quickly spiraled out of control, even though police were present, NDTV reported that the police said they used batons to control the mob that attacked the Africans Monday evening. Three students were admitted to a nearby hospital with injuries. Seven local residents have been arrested, according to NDTV. Also, the police have identified and traced 54 locals who were part of the mob that beat up the students. Atul Saxena, the store manager at Levi’s outlet in Ansal Plaza where one of the attacks occurred, said two Nigerian men shopping in the mall rushed into the store, closed the door and pleaded with him to save them from the mob. “After them, some 100 or 150 people forced open the door and barged in. They beat one of the men and dragged him out. The other hid in a trial room. He too was dragged out and beaten up,” Saxena told IANS. The store manager said the men were beaten up by leather belts taken from the store. “Some among the mob ransacked the shop and lifted goods too.” The victims — Endurance Amarawa, 21, and Precious Amalcima, 24 — were taken to a hospital with facial injuries and minor fractures but doctors have said they are out of danger. “We were shopping in Ansal Plaza on Monday evening when suddenly a mob attacked us viciously. We tried to enter a showroom to save ourselves,” Precious Amalcima, who is doing political science from Noida International University (NIU), told reporters at the hospital. Endurance is a first year BA-LLB student at the university. A video shared online by the Association of African Students in India shows a mob beating, kicking and punching an African man repeatedly inside the mall. Some among the mob carried sticks, stools and trash cans to beat the man in the video which couldn’t be verified independently. Following the Monday attack, the Association of African Students in India on Tuesday had asked its members in Greater Noida to remain inside their homes and not leave them until sufficient security measures are taken. “You are advised to not attend any lecture until we are granted maximum security,” the association said in a Facebook post. MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay said Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar had spoken to Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner and assured him of steps being taken for the safety and security of Nigerian nationals. “The government is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all foreigners in India. People from Africa, including students and youths, remain our valued partners,” Baglay said. In Gautambudh Nagar, District Magistrate NP Singh held a “peace meeting” with some Nigerians, police and civil officials, local resident welfare associations, students and representatives of colleges and universities of the area. Singh, according to a statement, assured that the administration was committed to the safety of foreign students and said that the incidents had “blemished the image of India where thousands of foreign students come to study”. “They are our guests and we should respect them. It’s part of our culture.” With inputs from agencies