External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj intervened on Tuesday after a group of African nationals faced a mob attack in a neighbourhood of Uttar Pradesh near Delhi. The Minister took to the social media and announced the steps she has taken to ensure safety of the African students staying in Greater Noida.
“I have spoken to Yogi Adityanathji, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh about the attack on African students in Greater Noida. He has assured that there will be a fair and impartial investigation into this unfortunate incident,” Ms. Swaraj said on her official Twitter handle.
The attack on Monday evening, coincided with a protest that was organised by online groups who blamed the unexplained death of a teenage resident on the African community.
Following the attack, which took place in a shopping complex where some African nationals had gone for a meeting, African students reached out to the Ministry of External Affairs and urged Ms. Swaraj to intervene. In response Ms. Swaraj said, “Government of India is seized of the matter. We are taking immediate action."
The attack in Greater Noida is a reminder of the summer 2016 attacks on Africans in India, which included the death of a Congolese national in Delhi. The incident prompted African diplomats posted in India to skip official celebrations, casting a shadow on India’s ties with African nations.
