Forty-eight hours after a Tanzanian student was beaten and stripped by a group of locals, a group of Nigerians living in Hyderabad, southern India, said that locals subjected them to a deliberate and possibly racist attack on Thursday night.
The local police force is now investigating a case against unknown persons on charges of wrongful restraint and quarrel.
The mob of local Indians who attacked the Nigerians included people who were carrying pistols and military knifes.
Angry Nigerians living in India
Alleging they did not receive enough support from police, over 20 Nigerian students then stormed the local police station by to complain of the attack afterwards.
They dispersed only at 2.30 a.m. after they were assured that justice would be granted.
Police Inspector Murali Krishna refused to say if the incident was caused by racism, only stating: “It was an accidental brawl. We have registered a case under sections 323 and 341 of Indian Penal Code. We are investigating.”
Omobowle Seun Gideon, a first year MBA student at Osmania University and president of the Association of Nigerian Students in the city, said: “One of our guys was passing by on his bike.
“As he was giving way to another motorist coming opposite to him, a local man on the road abused him repeatedly, to which, he too shot back verbally. The incident turned into an argument.”
Indian policemen
According to him, two more Nigerians joined the man whereas scores of locals joined the other side.
“How can anyone take out a gun and a military knife in public?” Gideon said.
“Finally, when police arrived they see three of us holding a local man,” he added.
Gideon, in a bombshell revelation, then said he handed in CCTV evidence to the police to verify the accusations, and they are not verifying the footage. There are around 40,000 Nigerians living and studying in India.
Most of them live an honest life however Nigerians continue to have a poor public image in the country.
Our countrymen are associated with organised crime, scams and fraud, leading some locals to form racist sentiments.
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