Racist India Shows Its Face Again, African Student Stripped and Beaten

NEW DELHI: Five people have been arrested in connection with the harassment of a Tanzanian student, who was stripped and beaten following a road accident in Bengaluru last week.

“ Five persons have been arrested so far related to the incident, will ensure justice is done,” Karnataka chief minister Siddarmaiah told ANI on Thursday.

The 21 year old Tanzanian student was assaulted and partially stripped by a mob in Bangalore, after a Sudanese student's car ran over and killed a local woman. The crowd chased the young woman and "removed her top," and her three friends -- also Tanzanians -- were harassed as well.

The incident took place Sunday night, but was reported only on Tuesday.

Tanzanian embassy officials have sought a report into the incident. Congres Vice President Rahul Gandhi stepped in as well, “Rahul Gandhi asks Karnataka Govt to explain and send report immediately,” party general secretary Digvijaya Singh said in a series of tweets on Thursday.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj described the incident as "shameful." “We are deeply pained over the shameful incident with a Tanzanian girl in Bengaluru. I spoke to the chief minister Karnataka. He informed me that a criminal case has been registered and four accused have been arrested,” Sushma Swaraj tweeted.

“We have registered a case of riot and arson against the accused on victim’s statement in which she reported of being assaulted in a mistaken identity by a mob on the outskirts of the city,” city police commissioner NS Megharik told reporters in Bangalore. “The incident occurred because the mob mistook the victim’s car being involved in a road mishap on same night (January 31) when a 20-year-old drunken Sudanese national (Mohammed Ahad Ismai) ran over a woman fatally. We arrested him after he was rescued from a raging mob,” Megharik said.

Social media reacted to the incident:

Attacks on African students are commonplace to India, with the Indian capital also seeing such an incident a few years ago. In a video that went viral, three African students were seen being beaten with belts, shoes, rods and glass, with the police making a half-hearted attempt to intervene, at Rajiv Chowk Metro Station.