DR Congo shop attacks over arrests in India

[ChinaToday]

Shops belonging to Asians were targeted in a protest in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo over the arrest of Congolese students in India.

The BBC reporter in Kinshasa says one Indian national was injured in the riots and is being treated in hospital.

The demonstrators were angered by the arrest on Saturday of 21 students in Jalandhar, a city in northern India.

There are differing accounts of why they were arrested and there have been allegations of police mistreatment.

But the Indian ambassador to DR Congo, Ram Manohar, told the BBC that the police had not assaulted the students, but there had been an exchange of violence during the arrests.

He said that on Wednesday afternoon 17 of the 21 students had been released.

DR Congo's deputy foreign affairs minister had requested that the students be immediately freed.

The Congolese authorities also demanded that the students be given a medical examination following the allegations of abuse.

Earlier, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported that one of the detainees had attempted to take their own life.

'Racist attack'
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
I was in the supermarket and some Congolese told me, 'If you leave we will slit your throat”
End Quote
Indian supermarket employee in Kinshasa

The BBC's Emmanuel Derville in the Indian capital, Delhi, says most of the students who were detained came from Kinshasa to study commerce or engineering within the last two years at the Lovely Professional University in Punjab state.

According to the police, the group was arrested after a fight broke out between several Congolese students and an Indian at a bus stop in Jalandhar on Saturday afternoon.

Jalandhar deputy police commissioner Jaspreet Singh said the Congolese then "stole the bag of the victim".

"When we arrived there we saw a crowd of Congolese had come - we tried to calm the situation but the Congolese were very aggressive. They insulted and attacked us," he said.

But the Congolese students say the trouble began after one of the undergraduates waiting for a bus was almost run over by a car.

He was then beaten with a cricket bat in what appeared to be a racist attack, they say.

A group of his friends came to his aid, alerted by a passing Congolese student.

Prompted by such reports, Indian and Pakistani-owned shops came under attack in central Kinshasa on Wednesday morning and remained shut all day, the BBC's Maud Jullien says from the Congolese capital.

"I was in the supermarket and some Congolese told me, 'If you leave we will cut your throat.' I stayed hidden until my boss came to find me and I could flee in the car," an Indian employee told the BBC.

"When in the car they were shouting, 'Catch him, catch him, catch him,'" he said.

After an hour police intervened to stop the riot, our Kinshasa correspondent says.

Mr Manohar said the "isolated incident" in Jalandhar should not affect the long-standing friendly relations that exist between India and DR Congo.

"It should not be construed as a target against a particular community or particular country," the Indian ambassador said.

"We are the largest contributor of troops to Monusco [the UN peace force in DR Congo] and we welcome each year between 6,000 and 8 000 Congolese students to India," he said.

BBC News - DR Congo shop attacks over arrests in India

 

[Abingdonboy]

Bloody animals. These actions over perfectly legitimate arrests of people who happen to be Congolese in India?

 

[ChinaToday]

Africans complain of discrimination in Mumbai, India

Africans staying in and around India's commercial capital, Mumbai (Bombay), complain of indiscriminate racism and constant police harassment, reports the BBC's Zubair Ahmed.

Nigerian Sambo Davis is married to an Indian woman and lives in Mumbai.

All his documents are valid, but he was arrested by the police recently on suspicion of being a drug dealer.

He and 30 other black Africans were detained for hours before they were let off with an apology.

But the following day, Mr Davis said that he was shocked to read in local newspapers that they were "arrested for drug peddling".

"The police treat us Africans like dogs," he says.

Mr Davis claims he often faces discrimination when he goes to restaurants or when he tries to rent an apartment in gated middle-class communities.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
Ikeorah Junior If Africans don't have papers, then deport them, don't put them in jail”
End Quote
Ikeorah Junior

Nigerian cafe owner in Mumbai

But he is nevertheless one of the lucky ones. He found a decent flat to rent, thanks to his Indian wife.

But his fellow countrymen, he says, still face discrimination: "When they go to rent flats in a normal building they are told - 'you are a black man, you are Nigerian, and you are not wanted'. This is racism."

'Hide and seek'

There is no official data on how many Africans live in Mumbai, but since India's economic progress gathered momentum in recent years, many have come to work in and around the city. Unofficial estimates put their numbers at more than 5,000.

Most of them are engaged in exporting garments to Nigeria and other African countries.

Many others are students, enrolled in the region's prestigious educational institutions.

But there are also hundreds of Africans, mostly Nigerians, who live as illegal immigrants in India. They have either "lost" their passports or their visas have "expired".

Every day, these people play hide-and-seek with the police - if they are caught, they are sent to jail.

Ikeorah Junior from Lagos runs a cafe for Africans in a crowded market on Mumbai's Mohammed Ali Road.

"I don't understand why they [police] have to go from house to house to arrest the people who don't have their papers. If they don't have papers, then deport them, don't put them in jail," he says.

Ahmed Javed, who is in charge of maintaining law and order in the state of Maharashtra, says it is not that simple: "In most cases they have no passports. So, unless their nationalities are determined, they cannot be deported."

Dozens of Africans have taken up residence on Mira Road, a dusty, nondescript town just outside Mumbai.

One "illegal immigrant" there asked me for money, claiming he had not eaten for two days.

He looked worried and told me that he had been approached by drug dealers to work for them.

"I have been here for three years - my visa expired a long time ago. I want to go back home. Please help me, brother," he tells me.

In this neighbourhood, Negro or kaalia (black in Hindi) are the two words indiscriminately used to describe all black people.

"We call them Negro because they are black. They look frightening," says one woman.

"They don't find homes to rent in Mumbai, they only stay in Mira Road. Why? Because of the way they behave. They sell drugs and indulge in other illegal activities. They cannot be trusted," a local man commented, seemingly unaware of the offensive nature of his words.

'Embarrassed and ashamed'

Against such a backdrop of pronounced prejudice, Sheeba Rani married Sambo Davis four years ago and the couple have two children.

Mrs Davis says her parents are enlightened Christians and they blessed them because they thought the marriage was God's wish.

But, she says, she has been ostracised by many friends, relatives and society since her marriage.

Mrs Davis is "embarrassed and ashamed" by the behaviour of the Indian people towards black Africans.

When I used to go to a mall or if I walked with him, I always wanted him to hold my hand. But when people saw me with him, they thought I was from a bad family or even a prostitute."

Earlier, she did not understand why black people were being looked down upon, but now she says she does.

"Because our society is obsessed with white skin. If I had married a white man, I would have gained more friends and society's approval too."

Mr Davis believes that the discrimination is solely "because I am a black man".

"It's because I am from Africa, I am a Nigerian. I think Indians see us as inferior."

Yet despite the discrimination they face, nearly all Africans the BBC interviewed said they had a soft spot for their adopted country.

They say the relations between India and Africa are "rock solid". Many argued that Indians and Africans are brothers.

"We look after Indians in our countries. They have become rich there. All we want here is for Indians to understand we are not drug dealers. We are not violent. We are just like them."

BBC News - Africans complain of discrimination in Mumbai, India

 

[Sashan]

Need to condemn the riots but the story behind the riots - Looks like a convenient story from the police - two sides fought and only people from one side got arrested.


There were two stories from the below news link - I would rather believe in the second story knowing fully well what the Indians are capable of. Truth is bitter and it hurts but need to accept the fact.


"According to a representative from the Jalandhar police, the authorities were investigating luggage theft that occurred the day before at the same bus stop and were verifying the identity of the Congolese nationals. According to the police, the students allegedly refused to obey, hit them, and broke the camera of a journalist present on-scene. The Indian media are reporting this version of the story.

In a message sent to the Congolese embassy in New Delhi, the Congolese Community of India (CCI) explained that a group of Indians had directed racist slurs and threats at one of the Congolese students. The student called his friends and a fight broke out. The police questioned the Indians and Congolese involved in the fight; however, following the questioning, none of the Indians were detained, while the Congolese were kept in detention.
"


Congolese nationals arrested in Punjab, a 'real hell for black Africans' | The Observers

 

[shiv]

they thought they are on their own country where police can be given middle finger.. !! u gotta talk nicely with them !

 

[mirage2K]

Africans complain of discrimination in Mumbai, India

Africans staying in and around India's commercial capital, Mumbai (Bombay), complain of indiscriminate racism and constant police harassment, reports the BBC's Zubair Ahmed.

Nigerian Sambo Davis is married to an Indian woman and lives in Mumbai.

All his documents are valid, but he was arrested by the police recently on suspicion of being a drug dealer.

He and 30 other black Africans were detained for hours before they were let off with an apology.

But the following day, Mr Davis said that he was shocked to read in local newspapers that they were "arrested for drug peddling".

"The police treat us Africans like dogs," he says.

Mr Davis claims he often faces discrimination when he goes to restaurants or when he tries to rent an apartment in gated middle-class communities.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
Ikeorah Junior If Africans don't have papers, then deport them, don't put them in jail”
End Quote
Ikeorah Junior

Nigerian cafe owner in Mumbai

But he is nevertheless one of the lucky ones. He found a decent flat to rent, thanks to his Indian wife.

But his fellow countrymen, he says, still face discrimination: "When they go to rent flats in a normal building they are told - 'you are a black man, you are Nigerian, and you are not wanted'. This is racism."

'Hide and seek'

There is no official data on how many Africans live in Mumbai, but since India's economic progress gathered momentum in recent years, many have come to work in and around the city. Unofficial estimates put their numbers at more than 5,000.

Most of them are engaged in exporting garments to Nigeria and other African countries.

Many others are students, enrolled in the region's prestigious educational institutions.

But there are also hundreds of Africans, mostly Nigerians, who live as illegal immigrants in India. They have either "lost" their passports or their visas have "expired".

Every day, these people play hide-and-seek with the police - if they are caught, they are sent to jail.

Ikeorah Junior from Lagos runs a cafe for Africans in a crowded market on Mumbai's Mohammed Ali Road.

"I don't understand why they [police] have to go from house to house to arrest the people who don't have their papers. If they don't have papers, then deport them, don't put them in jail," he says.

Ahmed Javed, who is in charge of maintaining law and order in the state of Maharashtra, says it is not that simple: "In most cases they have no passports. So, unless their nationalities are determined, they cannot be deported."

Dozens of Africans have taken up residence on Mira Road, a dusty, nondescript town just outside Mumbai.

One "illegal immigrant" there asked me for money, claiming he had not eaten for two days.

He looked worried and told me that he had been approached by drug dealers to work for them.

"I have been here for three years - my visa expired a long time ago. I want to go back home. Please help me, brother," he tells me.

In this neighbourhood, Negro or kaalia (black in Hindi) are the two words indiscriminately used to describe all black people.

"We call them Negro because they are black. They look frightening," says one woman.

"They don't find homes to rent in Mumbai, they only stay in Mira Road. Why? Because of the way they behave. They sell drugs and indulge in other illegal activities. They cannot be trusted," a local man commented, seemingly unaware of the offensive nature of his words.

'Embarrassed and ashamed'

Against such a backdrop of pronounced prejudice, Sheeba Rani married Sambo Davis four years ago and the couple have two children.

Mrs Davis says her parents are enlightened Christians and they blessed them because they thought the marriage was God's wish.

But, she says, she has been ostracised by many friends, relatives and society since her marriage.

Mrs Davis is "embarrassed and ashamed" by the behaviour of the Indian people towards black Africans.

When I used to go to a mall or if I walked with him, I always wanted him to hold my hand. But when people saw me with him, they thought I was from a bad family or even a prostitute."

Earlier, she did not understand why black people were being looked down upon, but now she says she does.

"Because our society is obsessed with white skin. If I had married a white man, I would have gained more friends and society's approval too."

Mr Davis believes that the discrimination is solely "because I am a black man".

"It's because I am from Africa, I am a Nigerian. I think Indians see us as inferior."

Yet despite the discrimination they face, nearly all Africans the BBC interviewed said they had a soft spot for their adopted country.

They say the relations between India and Africa are "rock solid". Many argued that Indians and Africans are brothers.

"We look after Indians in our countries. They have become rich there. All we want here is for Indians to understand we are not drug dealers. We are not violent. We are just like them."

BBC News - Africans complain of discrimination in Mumbai, India

while this is one side of the story....even though i agree with you on the racist part of people calling them negros....moreover this is mainly because of in-sensitiveness and also as some of the people are ignorant that negro is a racist term....moreover, the people are wary of giving them places to rent because all these african students do is drink and be merry and create a nuisance wherever they stay, some of them also over-stay when their visas expire and refuse to go back and live illegally here...also majority of them are drug dealers who supplement their living by selling drugs...i have personally seen this as my locality in Mumbai used to host many african students, there are still some living there and are married to the locals and i had a lot of african friends but they were shunted out and now these africans have completely taken over a place on the outskirts of Mumbai known as Mira Road...they have a colony full of africans there known as negro colony and are a nuisance as majority of these people are drug dealers, visa over stayers

on the bolded part...completely untrue as most of it are isolated incidents

Also these people losing their passports is that they themselves destroy their passports when their visas expire and they don't want to go back to their home countries but enjoy the life style they are living in India as majority of them are from poor countries and back grounds and when they return back they will not be able to do the same in their own countries as they would be under the supervision of their family and relatives

 

[danish_vij]

Shops belonging to Asians were targeted in a protest in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo over the arrest of Congolese students in India.

The BBC reporter in Kinshasa says one Indian national was injured in the riots and is being treated in hospital.

The demonstrators were angered by the arrest on Saturday of 21 students in Jalandhar, a city in northern India.

There are differing accounts of why they were arrested and there have been allegations of police mistreatment.

But the Indian ambassador to DR Congo, Ram Manohar, told the BBC that the police had not assaulted the students, but there had been an exchange of violence during the arrests.

He said that on Wednesday afternoon 17 of the 21 students had been released.

DR Congo's deputy foreign affairs minister had requested that the students be immediately freed.

The Congolese authorities also demanded that the students be given a medical examination following the allegations of abuse.

Earlier, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported that one of the detainees had attempted to take their own life.

'Racist attack'
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
I was in the supermarket and some Congolese told me, 'If you leave we will slit your throat”
End Quote
Indian supermarket employee in Kinshasa

The BBC's Emmanuel Derville in the Indian capital, Delhi, says most of the students who were detained came from Kinshasa to study commerce or engineering within the last two years at the Lovely Professional University in Punjab state.

According to the police, the group was arrested after a fight broke out between several Congolese students and an Indian at a bus stop in Jalandhar on Saturday afternoon.

Jalandhar deputy police commissioner Jaspreet Singh said the Congolese then "stole the bag of the victim".

"When we arrived there we saw a crowd of Congolese had come - we tried to calm the situation but the Congolese were very aggressive. They insulted and attacked us," he said.

But the Congolese students say the trouble began after one of the undergraduates waiting for a bus was almost run over by a car.

He was then beaten with a cricket bat in what appeared to be a racist attack, they say.

A group of his friends came to his aid, alerted by a passing Congolese student.

Prompted by such reports, Indian and Pakistani-owned shops came under attack in central Kinshasa on Wednesday morning and remained shut all day, the BBC's Maud Jullien says from the Congolese capital.

"I was in the supermarket and some Congolese told me, 'If you leave we will cut your throat.' I stayed hidden until my boss came to find me and I could flee in the car," an Indian employee told the BBC.

"When in the car they were shouting, 'Catch him, catch him, catch him,'" he said.

After an hour police intervened to stop the riot, our Kinshasa correspondent says.

Mr Manohar said the "isolated incident" in Jalandhar should not affect the long-standing friendly relations that exist between India and DR Congo.

"It should not be construed as a target against a particular community or particular country," the Indian ambassador said.

"We are the largest contributor of troops to Monusco [the UN peace force in DR Congo] and we welcome each year between 6,000 and 8 000 Congolese students to India," he said.

BBC News - DR Congo shop attacks over arrests in India

i live in jalandhar theses scums have spoiled they whole place they study in the same university from where Mr. Hamid KARZAI got hi degree.....huh!
the summary of incident is as given below:
one of these scums grabbed a bag from a student nd started running....the innocent boy started running behind him to catch him then he suddenly realized that 2 more people are running with him they were the ones whose valet was taken away by this scum the caught him nd informed the police nd when the police arived a group of more than 15 of these scums attacked the police party nd police called back up nd arrested all of them.....but this wasn't over yet they all didnt give up kept fighting wth police till they reached behind bars.......nd more over one student started banging his head on the wall in police custody...who was saved nd admitted in civil hospital later
21 LPU students of Congo origin in 14 days judicial custody - Hindustan Times

21 LPU students of Congo origin in 14 days judicial custody
A local court on Sunday remanded 21 Congo students of Lovely Professional University (LPU), who indulged into rioting and theft at a public place here on Saturday, to judicial custody for 14 days. Assistant commissioner of Police (ACP) Sarabjit Singh said that the students were


related stories
19 LPU students of African origin held for rioting, theft
identified as Spagar, Quatre, Mbalanganza, Mbata Siala, Juniore, Francis Cabrel, Luboya Saba, Mutumbo, Rom Mutombo, Papy Limboma, Julien, Chris, Jado Masiya, John Mayi, Stephen Kisa, Plydor Kazadi Kalbal, Bob Mubembe, Ebolo Edobijo, Max, Nzanzu Peghuy Wb and Masteb Paulin, all of them citizens of Congo.
Singh said that the city police had sent an email to the Congo embassy informing the latter about arrest of their citizens. "The LPU officials were also given copy of the FIR registered against the students," he said.

Meanwhile, Aman Mittal, LPU's director, public relations, said that since incident happened outside the university campus, the process was initiated to collect complete information and facts on this count. "We will conduct a separate inquiry. Action including suspension will be initiated against those students, who are found guilty of indiscipline during inquiry," Mittal added.

The city police had arrested 21 students for indulging into rioting and theft at a public place here on Saturday. A case under section 382 (theft), 160 (committing affray), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC was registered against them.

African students arrested in Jalandhar - Times Of India

African students arrested in Jalandhar
JALANDHAR: Nineteen students from different African countries studying at Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar were booked by police for theft, rioting and causing hurt, following high drama for around four hours, during which police had a tough time controlling them.


The accused allegedly had a scuffle with a youth from Himachal Pradesh on Saturday and later with a photo journalist. They also reportedly snatched their bag and camera respectively, which were later recovered by police from the accused.
The dispute started between Naveen Kumar who had come here to visit a travel agent to seek employment in the UAE, at around 6 pm. Naveen alleged that three African students snatched his bag. As people gathered and came to his rescue, the accused called their friends and soon their numbers swelled. They beat up Naveen and manhandled whoever tried to intervene till police reached the scene.

As police tried to take three students -- accused of snatching -- to the police station, their friends resisted strongly. Police somehow managed to bring them to police station, showing great restraint and avoiding use of force, sources said.

Even after reaching police station, police officials found it tough to take the accused inside.

Model Town ACP Sarabjit Singh said that they had arrested 19 students of Uganda, Nigeria, Burundi and other African countries while some of their friends managed to escape during the melee at police station.

Police have recorded the statements of the victims and also recovered their bag and camera from the arrested students.

On April 21 last year, Yannick Nizhanga (23), a student from Burundi, studying at LPU, was badly thrashed by local youths in the same Defence Colony area. He had later slipped into coma and remained on life support system. The ten accused, all from well-connected families, were arrested only after media exposed the issue, following a letter by Yannick's father to Punjab CM P S Badal.

 

[Tshering22]

i live in jalandhar theses scums have spoiled they whole place they study in the same university from where Mr. Hamid KARZAI got hi degree.....huh!
the summary of incident is as given below:
one of these scums grabbed a bag from a student nd started running....the innocent boy started running behind him to catch him then he suddenly realized that 2 more people are running with him they were the ones whose valet was taken away by this scum the caught him nd informed the police nd when the police arived a group of more than 15 of these scums attacked the police party nd police called back up nd arrested all of them.....but this wasn't over yet they all didnt give up kept fighting wth police till they reached behind bars.......nd more over one student started banging his head on the wall in police custody...who was saved nd admitted in civil hospital later
21 LPU students of Congo origin in 14 days judicial custody - Hindustan Times

African students arrested in Jalandhar - Times Of India

Diplomacy is okay but this is too much.

Creating ruckus and beating up people apart from open brazen stealing amounts to arrests. Simple as that.

Nothing racist about it.

If they can't behave properly, they will be arrested as per the law.

This is not lawless Africa. While implementation is pathetic, creating social unrest and attacking is illegal.