Gujarat University violence: V-C claims namaz can’t be only reason

Gujarat University vice-chancellor Neerja Gupta said namaz couldn’t have been the only provocation for violence against foreign students on Saturday night. Neerja Gupta told The Indian Express that ignorance of local culture by foreign students might have led to the incident. She claimed that foreign students eat non-vegetarian food and the dumping of leftovers can be an issue in Gujarat’s vegetarian society.
The vice-chancellor talked about the need to sensitise and mentor foreign students about local culture and practices.
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On Saturday, a group of people entered the Gujarat University hostel in Ahmedabad and allegedly attacked foreign students who were offering namaz inside the premises. In the violence, five persons suffered injuries. One student from Sri Lanka and another from Tajikistan were hospitalised after the attack.
One video purported to be of the incident and viral on social media shows a student hitting a person who is complaining about namaz being offered inside the university campus.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Police have arrested several people for their alleged role in the attack. A first information report (FIR) was registered against some 25 unidentified people for rioting, unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing hurt, damage to property and criminal trespass, police officials in Ahmedabad said.
The incident has attracted widespread condemnation from various quarters. Opposition parties have criticised the ruling BJP government for law and order situation in the state.
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The ministry of external affairs also took cognizance of the incident. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X(formerly Twitter) that the Gujarat government is taking strict action against the perpetrators.
“An incidence of violence took place at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad yesterday. State government is taking strict action against the perpetrators,” he said.