In pics: Racial attacks against Nigerians in Greater Noida
African students living in Greater Noida say they face daily prejudice and are living in fear after two days of violence targeted at them following the mysterious death of a local youth.
On Monday evening, an angry mob brutally beat up a Nigerian man and roughed up two more near Greater Noida’s Pari Chowk. The mob, which started out as a candle-light march for Manish Khari , a 17-year-old student who allegedly dies of a drug overdose.
Witnesses said that as the candle-light vigil progressed, a few men started raising slogans against Nigerian nationals, accusing them of peddling drugs. The crowd turned violent after spotting a few Nigerians at Ansal Plaza.
In the wake of the attacks, police has beefed up security, deploying at least 200 additional police personnel in Greater Noida, especially residential societies with African population.
Additional police force was called from other police stations at Kasna, Knowledge Park and Surajpur police stations, where tempers still run high, as most of the African nationals stay in nearby localities.
Kasna SHO, Avnish Dixit said, “Following the scuffle that took place last evening, we have taken all necessary steps to ensure safety of African nationals. The police has kept vigil all night to control the situation.”
Brothers Endurance Amarawa (21) and Precious Amalcima (24) sustained facial injuries and minor fractures after being attacked by the mob. “They kept beating us viciously, hurling abuses at us,” said Endurance.
In Delhi, Africans have been the target of a spate of attacks in recent years - six people were thrashed in three separate incidents in Chhattarpur last year. A week before that, a Congolese national was bludgeoned to death. In Bengaluru, a Tanzanian student and her friends were attacked by a mob last year.
While Sushma Swaraj has asked for a report of the incident, Africans living in Delhi and its suburbs say that they will not be cowed by the attacks.