Bengaluru city safe for all Africans: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwar
Bengaluru: State home minister G. Parameshwar has strongly refuted the claim that the mob fury that was directed at the 21 year old Tanzanian student was racist, saying that it was only a spillover of the people’s anger over a local woman being run over by a car driven by an inebriated African.
“This is definitely not a racial attack. This is just a response to an accident caused by a Sudanese student. I do not think Bengalureans have got that kind of a mindset,” Dr. G. Parameshwar told reporters on Thursday, counselling foreign students to abide by the law and not drink and drive.
Taking cognizance of the Deccan Chronicle report on the battering that the Tanzanian student received at the hands of an angry mob, Home Minister Parameshwar said that he will take the investigation to a logical conclusion even as the city police were asked to submit a report on the shocking incident that has been condemned across the world, and brought shame to a city that prides itself on being cosmopolitan.
Dr Parameshwar insisted that it was a case of road rage and mob fury and not a case of racism, despite Bosco Kaweesi, the lawyer for the African students in the city saying that the victim, Linah, the 21 year old student of architecture at a local college had been roundly abused and her clothes ripped off by a mob that rained racial abuse on her.
The police have arrested five suspects, who were part of the mob and said some more arrests were likely to follow. IG-DGP, Om Prakash and city police commissioner N.S. Megharikh on Thursday morning visited the Hesaraghatta suburb where the Tanzanians victims and other African students live and reassured them of their safety in the city.
The two cases - road accident and the arson and rioting registered at Soladevanahalli police station in Hesaraghatta have been transferred to the CCB to investigate under the supervision of Additional Commissioner of Police West, Charan Reddy who will submit a report within 48 hours to the state government.
The state government has communicated to the ministry of external affairs in Delhi about the case developments, Dr. G. Parameshwar told reporters reiterating "If we found any lapses on the part of any officials in the police department, we will definitely take severe action including suspension, once the report is submitted to us." The Congress government has been asked by Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi to submit a report.
State govt erred on many counts: BJP
State BJP spokesperson and former minister S. Suresh Kumar has accused the state government of mishandling the attacks on African students in Bengaluru last week and claimed the government had erred on many counts. The government was trying to hush up the case to avoid embarrassment. The Congress Party is in power in Karnataka but party vice-president Rahul Gandhi has asked for a detailed report from his government only after four days after the incident, he said. Mr Suresh Kumar also said that Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwar had committed a mistake by disclosing the identity of the victim. The incident happened due to the dereliction of duty on the part of the police. The home minister's reply on the incident was not convincing, he said adding that the need of the hour is to hold special meetings in places where more foreign students reside to instill confidence in them. The unfortunate incident has happened when the city was hosting the Global Investors Meeting to woo investors from all over the world. The government should take precaution to avoid such incidents in future. The accused who are involved in this incident should be punished, he added.
