International Students Attacked While Offering Ramadan Prayers in India
KOCHI — In a shocking incident, police in India have apprehended two individuals following the assault on international students in a university hostel while they were observing Ramadan prayers.
Authorities revealed that a dispute over the prayer location escalated into a physical altercation at Gujarat University in western India over the weekend.
Three students had to be hospitalized, with one already discharged.
India’s foreign ministry assured that the Gujarat government was taking decisive action against the offenders.
GS Malik, the police commissioner of Ahmedabad city, informed the press that a group of around two dozen people barged into the hostel on Saturday night and objected to the students’ prayers, demanding they perform them in a mosque.
“A heated exchange ensued, resulting in assaults and stone-throwing. They also ransacked their rooms,” he stated, disclosing the formation of a special team to probe the incident.
Reporters from BBC Gujarati who visited the scene described witnessing stones and damaged vehicles. Videos circulating online depicted a mob chanting Hindu religious slogans while attacking the students, vandalizing property, and pelting stones.
One of the injured students, Navid Siddique from Afghanistan, recounted to the Times of India that he and his peers were engaged in Taraweeh, a nightly Ramadan prayer, when three individuals entered the hostel and confronted them.
“An argument ensued, leading to their return with a larger mob armed with stones and iron pipes to launch an attack. They wreaked havoc in the hostel, assaulting students and causing destruction,” he shared with the newspaper.
Noman, another Afghan student, alleged to BBC Gujarati that similar incidents had occurred previously, expressing concern for the safety of foreign students.
According to police reports, approximately 300 foreign students, predominantly from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and African countries, are enrolled at the university. The injured students were reportedly in India on scholarships from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Dr. Neerja A Gupta, the vice-chancellor of the University, acknowledged tensions between the foreign students and the attackers, stating that the issue was not solely about prayers.
Dr. Gupta announced plans to relocate the foreign students to new hostels equipped with enhanced security measures and amenities.
This incident is not an isolated one, as conflicts over Muslim prayers in public spaces have previously erupted in India. In 2021, Muslims in Gurgaon faced disruptions and protests while offering namaz in public areas.
Just this month, a Delhi policeman faced suspension after a video captured him kicking Muslim men conducting prayers on the roadside. — BBC
