Bengaluru mob violence: 4 arrested, Sushma asks CM to take strict action

Bengaluru: Four accused were arrested on Wednesday for stripping and beating up a Tanzanian girl student in Bengaluru. Police said they have recorded the girl’s statement and a criminal case has been registered.

The incident took place on Hesaraghatta Road in Bengaluru on Sunday night after a Sudanese national ran his car over a 35-year-old woman, killing her on the spot.

The Tanzanian student was travelling in another car, a Wagon-R, along with four others. The young woman, who arrived on the spot around 30 minutes later, was dragged out of the car and paraded naked after being stripped by the mob.

Read: Bengaluru: Mob strips Tanzanian girl, torches her car as police watch

“We have Zero tolerance for mob mindset and have taken stringent measures in this case,” said NS Megharikh, Bengaluru Police Commissioner on the incident.

Following massive outrage on the social media, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj raised concern over the issue and spoke to Karnataka Chief Minister over the matter.

“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,” Swaraj tweeted.

“African embassies are shocked at Sunday’s incident in Hesaraghatta, where a mob chased and thrashed a Sudanese student and beat up four more Tanzanians. The Tanzanian Embassy on Monday sought a detailed report on the incident from student leaders to pursue the issue diplomatically,” Bosco Kaweesi, Legal Adviser, All African Students in Bengaluru had told Deccan Chronicle.

Read: Africa angry, demands justice after mob strips Tanzanian girl in Bengaluru

Five Tanzanian students, including two girls, from Acharya College were in the car. Everyone was attacked. The mob stood in front of the car, preventing it from moving forward. They were beaten up, their dresses were torn and they were humiliated by the unruly mob for no fault of theirs.

Read: Road rage gets a foreign face

The mob then set the car ablaze with all the students losing their valuable documents, like passports, ATM cards and cash. Injured students were sent out of the hospital because they could not pay the bills as their ATM cards were burnt, and they had no cash on their hands. They also could not contact their parents as their phones were robbed, Mr Bosco said.