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Rekha Dixit
Rekha Dixit

ATTACK ON AFRICANS

Don't brand every attack as racist: Swaraj

sushma-swaraj-reuters [File] Sushma Swaraj | Reuters

MEA summons dean of African Group Head of Missions for his allegations against the Centre

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday came down heavily against terming every attack on African nationals as racist and expressed her surprise and sadness over the recent statements by the dean of the African Group Head of Missions. 

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Swaraj said racist attacks are usually premeditated but the one at Greater Noida was impromptu. 

On March 27, two Nigerian students were attacked in Greater Noida by locals who had gathered on a vigil to mourn the death of a youth who had died due to drug overdose. The crowd got unruly on seeing the Nigerians, who were suspected of selling drugs, and some criminal elements attacked them. Swaraj said she did not see this as a premeditated attack. 

However, in response to the assault, the dean of the African Group Head of Missions had accused the Indian government of not doing enough against racist attacks and threatened to go to the Human Rights Council demanding a probe into the incident. 

Refuting the allegations, Swaraj termed the dean's comments “unfortunate and surprising”, and assured safety of all Africans in India. 

She said that disturbed by the dean's letter, the ministry had a talk with him, presided over by minister of state V.K. Singh. “Today, Singh has clearly told him that his statement was unfortunate and surprising because the Indian government's response cannot be called inadequate. We are determined to have a fair probe into the incident and the guilty will be punished. Not just Nigerians, but all African are safe in India. I assure you,'' Swaraj said. 

The minister said that on hearing about the incident, she had immediately called up Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and six people have been arrested so far. “I also asked the minister of state for external affairs M J Akbar to personally speak to the head of mission of Nigeria in regard with the developments. An independent inquiry is on and it was not right to term it a racist attack before the report was out,” she said. 

Even when Indians were attacked in the US, it was maintained that the probe should be out before terming the attack as racist, Swaraj added. “Recently, there was an Indian was killed in Mozambique. We have not rushed to brand it a racist attack,” she further stated. 

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