At least 4 overseas college students have been injured after a Hindu far-right mob allegedly stormed a college hostel in India’s western Gujarat state and attacked the group of scholars for providing prayers in the course of the holy month of Ramadan, native media has reported.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday pledged to take “strict actions against the perpetrators”, because the native police within the house state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated an investigation was underneath method in reference to the assault on the Gujarat University.

The college students informed native media {that a} small group had gathered on Saturday night time contained in the boys’ hostel premises for the Ramadan tarawih prayer as there isn’t a mosque on the college campus primarily based in Ahmedabad. Soon after, a mob armed with sticks and knives stormed the hostel, attacked them and vandalised their rooms, they stated.

“A group of 15 students were offering prayers when three people came and started shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ [Hail lord Ram]. They objected to us praying here,” native media quoted a pupil as saying.

“After some time, about 250 people came and shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. They pelted stones and vandalised hostel properties.”

A pupil from Afghanistan informed native NDTV community: “They attacked us inside the rooms too. They broke laptops, phones and damaged bikes,” including that the AC and sound system had been destroyed as nicely.

Videos posted on X confirmed ransacked pupil dorms and a mob destroying the scholars’ motorbikes with lengthy instruments.

“We cannot survive like this,” one African pupil stated in his video filmed from the hostel. In the background, loud shouting and sounds of things being demolished, damaged and smashed by the mob are heard.

“We came to India to study and now we’re being attacked just because it’s time for Ramadan and Muslims were praying. Now they’re breaking down the bikes, everything is being demolished down[stairs],” he stated.

International college students (Africa, Uzbekistan, Afganistan and many others) finding out in Gujarat University @gujuni1949 declare they had been overwhelmed up, Stones thrown at them and at their hostel (A-Block), Vehicles destroyed whereas they had been providing Ramazan Taraweeh at a spot contained in the hostel A-Block… pic.twitter.com/ogJ3h7FUin

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 16, 2024

The Indian Express information web site reported two of the scholars had been severely injured and are recovering at a hospital after college students from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and several other African international locations had been attacked.

‘Strict action against the perpetrators’

“Yesterday, at around 10:30pm a group of students were praying. Around 20-25 people came and asked them why they were praying here and should instead go the mosque,” Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik informed reporters at a briefing on Sunday.

“An argument broke out between them, stones were pelted and their rooms were vandalised by the people who came from outside.”

He added {that a} grievance has been obtained towards 20-25 folks and one of many accused has been recognized. Nine groups have been fashioned to research the incident, he stated.

India’s External Affairs Ministry stated on X that the state authorities is “taking strict action against the perpetrators”.

“Two foreign students were injured in the clash. One of them has been discharged from hospital after receiving medical attention,” spokesman Randhit Jaiswal stated.

Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of parliament from the southern metropolis of Hyderabad, referred to as on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to “intervene to send a strong message?”

“What a shame. When your devotion and religious slogans only come out when Muslims peacefully practice their religion,” he posted on X.

“Domestic anti-Muslim hatred is destroying India’s goodwill,” he wrote tagging S Jaishankar, India’s exterior affairs minister.

Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor Dr Neerja A Gupta informed native media that the worldwide college students must be skilled in “cultural sensitivity”.

“These are foreign students and when you go abroad, you must learn cultural sensitivity. These students need an orientation. We will sit with them, provide cultural orientation and discuss how to strengthen their security,” NDTV quoted Gupta as saying.