The running over of a milk vendor by a Tanzanian student on Sunday morning would have perhaps resulted in mob justice if not for the swift action of the police.
Soon after Kelvin, allegedly inebriated, stopped his car after knocking down Veluswamy at R.K. Hegde Nagar, a mob gathered at the spot. The accused, as well as two of his friends in the car, were confronted by the mob. Chikkajala traffic police, who were informed of the accident, rushed to the spot, while the patrolling vehicle attached to the Sampigehalli police station arrived within minutes to ease the growing tension.
“As soon as we got the information that foreign students were involved, we rushed to the spot and secured the students. This was to ensure their safety and to avoid any untoward incident, as the residents were agitated,” a police officer said.
The police seemed to have learnt lessons from the past, where similar accidents had seen racial attacks as well as mob justice. In March last year, more than seven international students had been assaulted in separate incidents at Byrathi on the outskirts of the city after residents objected to their “rash driving”.
Chikkajala, Byrathi, Soledevanahalli, and Kammanahalli house a large number of international students, and the police have strengthened their outreach to both locals and such students. This includes convening peace meetings, and even appointing a nodal officer to look into the problems. “This was one of the reasons why were able to prevent the situation on Sunday from turning violent,” said a police officer.
Similar accidents involving foreign students had seen racial attacks as well as mob justice
