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Ahmedabad, In a controversial move, Gujarat University has instructed six Afghan students and one from East Africa to leave their hostel accommodations, citing overstaying in India as the reason. This decision comes in the wake of an attack on foreign students by Hindutva activists during a religious gathering.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the eviction notice was issued shortly after an incident in which around two dozen members of the Hindutva BJP/RSS entered the university hostel on March 16, assaulting foreign students who were performing namaz during Ramzan. The police confirmed that students from Sri Lanka and Tajikistan required hospital treatment following the attack.
Subsequent to the assault, representatives from Afghanistan and Gambia engaged with the university’s administration to discuss the safety of their nationals. The university’s vice-chancellor, Neerja Gupta, confirmed that the seven students were directed to vacate their accommodations because they had completed their courses and were considered to be overstaying their welcome. She explained that these students were kept in the hostel pending completion of administrative procedures, which have now been concluded, enabling their return to their home countries.
Gupta reassured that the university has been in communication with the consulates of the affected students, who have been advised likewise. Despite these actions, the university maintains that it hosts over 300 international students and emphasizes the completion of all necessary formalities for the ousted students.
The incident and subsequent eviction have raised concerns about the treatment of international students and the climate of religious and ethnic tolerance at the institution.