On Wednesday, the Association of African Students in India threatened to reach out to the global media and bring in the African Union and escalate the issue of Greater Noida attacks. The association said that they will reach out to their community about the attack on five students by the locals. A press statement issued by the association read that they will “write to the African Union (AU) – a conglomerate of 55 countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Zimbabwe, etc., – to cut off all terms and business relations with India.”
The statement also said that they will also hold a “nation wide protest inviting all international media houses such as BBC and CNN to narrate their woes, and give out detailed reports of racist attacks in India to their respective governments and demand action.”
The issue started after a class 10 student of the Pari Chowk area in Noida died of drug overdose and the locals blamed the Nigerians for the drug supply. Five Nigerian students were brutally attacked by the locals of the area. An African student in this regard reached out to Union MEA Minister Sushma Swaraj who promised action and contacted the UP CM Yogi Adityanath. The CM assured an impartial investigation into the case and the provision of justice. Section 144 has been issued in the Pari Chowk area after this incident.
The UP CM held a review meeting with the Police at the Lucknow Secretariat. Addressing the Senior Officials about this issue, he said, “The police must establish a direct communication with people and must take cognizance of even the most minor incident.”
SP Sujata Singh assured of higher security in Greater Noida which has a high African student population. He said, “Five people were arrested over the assault in which Nigerian students were beaten on Monday. We are also examining CCTV footage.” The SP also added, “Our teams are also on the lookout for at least four persons. We have identified 40 others after scanning security tapes and footage shot by onlookers and broadcast by the media. They would be charged with rioting and unlawful assembly for involvement in the mob.”
If this issue, along with the series of attacks in Bengaluru and Mumbai are escalated to the global media and the African Union by the Association of African students in India, it is likely to affect the business relations between Africa and India.
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