Nigerians were attacked at a mall in Greater Noida by a mob for their alleged role in drug trafficking
After many recent attacks in Greater Noida, African students have been asked not to go out without notice, the police said today.
"We had advised these students not to step out without prior notice. We have posted Police Control Room vans in their colonies and ensured all of them have their local SHO (Station House Officer)'s number," says Dharmendra Singh, a senior police officer.
After the brutal attack on Nigerians at the Ansal Plaza mall in Greater Noida and at Pari Chowk nearby, many Africans are staying in, too scared to step out of their apartments even for daily provisions.
Zaharaddeen Muhammad, aka Zahar, constantly answers SOS calls on his phone from his African friends. He notes down their addresses, names, number of family members and prepares a list. Based on this list, food will be supplied to their doorstep.
"We have taken the help of the police and asked them to escort us to these addresses so food and water can be made available to people of our community" says Zahar, a member of the Association of African Students.
Helping him is his friend Manuel, a student of BA Economics at the NIU for the past 18 months.
"If blacks can be targeted inside a mall with CCTV and security guards present, then anything can happen, right? I came here wanting to do my bachelors and masters as well... now I just want to leave," says Manuel.
On Monday evening, a large mob attacked two Nigerian brothers at the Ansal Plaza in Greater Noida. In footage shared on Facebook, one of the brothers is hit with steel dustbins and stools, kicked and punched by the mob. The attack took place not far from a crossing where three more Nigerians were assaulted by a large crowd that had taken out a protest march over the death of a Class 12 student, allegedly after a drug overdose. The protesters alleged that Nigerians were responsible for a drug problem in the neighbourhood.
After the two attacks, the police assured security arrangements but this morning, a 24-year-old Kenyan woman was pulled out of a cab and attacked when she was on her way home from work last night.