7 arrested for assault of 4 foreign students of private university in Vadodara

Police said 10 attackers have been identified with the help of a widely-circulated video of the assault.

Seven persons were arrested on Monday in connection with the assault on four foreigners, students of Parul University, in Waghodia area on the outskirts of Vadodara on March 14, police said.

Police said seven people were arrested after being identified on the basis of a viral video of the assault (Videograb)

The four were assaulted by local villagers after a confrontation, reportedly over smoking cigarettes near a dargah in Limda village.

“We have arrested seven persons, and further investigations are underway. Of the four injured students, the condition of the one who sustained serious injuries and collapsed on the spot is now stable,” said Rohan Anand, superintendent of police (SP) Vadodara Rural.

A case was registered on a formal complaint filed by a university official on behalf of the students. Police said 10 attackers have been identified with the help of a widely-circulated video of the assault. Two of the attackers were minors and were released.

According to the complaint filed at Waghodia police station, a group of around ten villagers armed with bats, sticks, and blunt objects assaulted the foreigners, who struggled to communicate as they did not understand the local language.

The victims were hostelers at Parul University in Waghodia and were identified as Sufay Kangwan Ruttan from Thailand, a second-year BCA student; Odwa Andrew Abbas Andre Watari from South Sudan and Tange Evenilson Thomal from Mozambique, both first-year petroleum engineering students; and Mohammed Alikhalif Khalif Mohammed from the UK, a first-year cardiology student.

The students were taking a stroll by a lake in Limda village when they were spotted smoking cigarettes near a dargah. Some local residents objected to the students smoking near the dargah but they were unable to understand Gujarati, leading to a confrontation. According to the complaint, the villagers used sticks, bats, and blunt objects - some also threw stones at the students.

As the video of the attack emerged on social media, police swung into action. Parul University officials, alarmed by the incident, immediately rescued the students and shifted them to the university’s hospital.