Why Nigerian Students Are Being Attacked In India

Students from Nigeria studying abroad have noticed an uptick in violence over the past month, with hoodlums in Cyprus attacking them.

The most recent attack took place in India, a nation in South Asia.

What has happened so far?

According to reports, more than 60 Nigerian students at a private institution in India fled the campus after being brutally beaten and harassed on the football field and in their dorm.

The international students at GD Goenka University claimed that they were currently residing in different parts of Delhi out of fear for their lives. They said that they had requested the involvement of the Nigerian embassy.

Nearly a month ago, a group of Indian students protested against Nigerians in the school for praying on the football field, which now gives them the decision to leave the school.

According to a report seen by Mandy News, the protesting students, who chanted “Jai Shri Ram,” had complained to the registrar, requesting that they make sure the Nigerians performed namaz solely in their dorm rooms. Police and the institution had previously stated that the issue had been peacefully settled.

If you don’t know what the term “namaz” refers to, it is the five daily ritual prayers that Muslims are required to observe.

But on Sunday, both the police and the administration of the university claimed that the protests against namaz a month earlier had nothing to do with the football field.

The university’s decision to combine Indian and Nigerian students into one team reportedly caused problems on Friday, according to Khaleel, a Nigerian student.

•  “Our captain spoke with the sports officer and laid down his objections against a ‘mixed team’. The officer decided to call off the match.
• Despite that, a few Indian students entered the field and before anyone could realise a thing, someone hit our captain on the head with an iron rod.
• Outsiders, who had come on bikes, also joined them and there was a clash. However, the matter was resolved that day itself,” he told TOI.

The following day, according to Khaleel, they were attacked in the dorm by a group of Indian students.

• “They hurled abuses and threatened us with dire consequences.
• We are 63 Nigerians here in total. We have left the campus for the time being and are staying in Delhi,” he added.

However, a group of Nigerian students allegedly attacked Indian students, according to their claims.

It was alleged that 5 Nigerians used cuss words directed towards Sultan Khan, a pharmacy student, on Saturday while he was going around campus.

• “They kept raining blows on me. My friends came to my rescue, but they were thrashed with sticks and rods too,” said Sultan, who lodged a police complaint.

According to reports from Indian media sites, both parties have filed complaints against one another at the Sohna City police station, resulting in cross-FIRs. The cases have been filed under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily inflicting harm), 34 (common intention), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

• “There was no major incident. The two groups had an argument during a football match, which escalated into a fight.
• We have received complaints from both sides and registered cross-FIRs. We are scanning CCTV footage and will take action accordingly,” said Upasana, the ACP (south).

No students had fled the campus, according to university authorities. They did, however, claim that 10 students had their academic privileges terminated because of their alleged involvement in the disturbance at the Friday match.

Since then, the attack’s footage has become widely shared on social media.