There has been a sudden spurt in violence and hostility towards Africans again, especially in the city’s north-eastern parts. The Africans, mostly students, say that an earlier team of senior policemen had done well to bridge the divide between them and the locals and had the situation under control. Following several transfers, however, the new cops in charge are yet to understand the issues affecting the foreign students, letting latent prejudices against them rise to the surface once again.
The sudden spurt in hostile incidents involving Africans and locals are due to the recent transfers of police officers, say African student leaders. "There were very good senior officers like DCP Vikas Kumar, who, under the able guidance of P. Harisekaran, the Additional Commissioner of Police East Division, were able to keep a close watch on things and control such incidents. But now it's different. The new DCP is yet to look into these problems," says Mubarak, a student leader from Sudan.
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"Police inspectors of their respective jurisdictions in the North East division, where there is a higher concentration of African population, have got transferred and the new inspectors still haven't learnt of the problems prevalent in their jurisdictions," said Sougour, a student leader from Chad.
"Earlier, senior police officers starting from the rank of sub-inspectors were sensitized to dealing with African versus local issues in their respective jurisdictions. A number of peace meetings were conducted between both the communities spearheaded by Mr Harisekeran and these worked wonders for the African community, but at present as the officers are transferred, everything needs to start from scratch," pointed out Sougour.
There have been many complaints about the Africans overstaying in this country. The city police are doing their best to send them back to their home countries without any hassles. "Senior police officers have appealed to those foreigners who are overstaying and who would like to go back to their home countries in Africa, by telling them that if they are running short of funds for their tickets, the police officers will talk to the airlines to arrange for return tickets at a nominal cost," said Bosco Kaweesi, legal adviser to the All-African Student Association in Bengaluru.
As a majority of Africans come to India for the purpose of education, there are certain colleges which exploit this. They play with the lives and future of hundreds of foreign students who are forced to overstay to finish their education. These colleges take huge sums of money as fees and confiscate documents like passports from the students. They force them to study in four bed-room houses under the guise of 'hostels', with the management pocketing the rent. Even their education is imparted by inexperienced (or sometimes even student) members of the faculty.
"There were hundreds of African students who enrolled into the Loyola Business School, also known as Bangalore International College (BIC) in Marthahalli. Externally, the infrastructure of the college looked world class when it was viewed on the internet, but on reaching here, the students found that it was a 4-bed room house taken for rent. That's where we were taught," said Emmanuel Attiah, a student. "This is one of the main reasons why we overstay here in the city -- to complete our education. Most of us have all these problems which nobody takes notice of," added Attiah.
‘Utterly callous’
The way in which the Ugandan women's case was handled at Upparpet police station and K.C. General Hospital, where she was taken for a medical examination, shows the attitude of Indians towards Africans, said Bosco Kaweesi. “Let the woman be intoxicated, drugged, or even mentally unstable. At the end of the day, she is a woman and does not deserve 10-12 men pouncing on her as if she were an animal after putting a bedspread above her to subdue her like that. It's a shame for a country to treat a foreign woman that way,” ended Mr. Kaweesi.
The torched Wagon-R in which the Tanzanian girl was travelling. (Photo: DC)
Lessons not learnt
Lessons not learnt even after the barbaric incident of a 29-year-old Congolese man who got lynched to death in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area in May this year after an argument over hiring an auto-rickshaw. Lessons not learnt even after the shameful stripping and assault of a Tanzanian girl student who turned victim after a Sudanese man who had nothing to do with the Tanzanian girl, mowed down a local woman with his car. The system and its people have to go a long way to make peace between locals and foreigners.
Animosity bubbles beneath the surface
The simmering tension between Africans and locals continues unabated and unchecked in the city, with several incidents of hostility flaring up suddenly and frequently, especially in the North and North East pockets of Bengaluru.
While locals rent out their houses to these foreigners for handsome amounts, but turn a blind eye to whatever they (Africans) do. Those residing in the vicinity get fed-up and vent their anger when there is an incident of road rage or a clash between the foreigners and locals.
The African students are only too well aware of the general prejudice. "We are looked down upon, whether we go in search of a rented flat or to buy cigarettes. Many house owners don't even want to hear what we are saying. They just snub us, saying 'no' straight away with a disgusted expression on their faces. Even if there are cigarettes at the shop, the local shopkeeper will say 'no cigarettes' to us, and then sell them to locals in front of us. The other day I was asking a group of locals for directions to an ATM and I was deliberately told to go in the wrong direction -- where there were no ATMs at all! It was another local who helped me to go in the right direction and I found one there," says Ngoy Katuntu Tresor, a Congolese student doing BBA at the Teacher's Academy in HBR Layout.
"Don't paint all of us with the same brush because of a few black sheep and because we are from the same continent," appeals Tresor. He adds, "There are a good number of law-abiding and God-fearing African students who come to India to pursue their career dreams." Tresor adds that because of the few foreigners who indulge in antisocial activities like taking drugs, committing crimes and overstaying, all Africans are tarred with the same negative brush.
While there are a few exceptions among the locals, who claim that they are hospitable and accommodating towards foreigners, the majority of them from the suburban pockets in North Bengaluru where there is a high African population, say openly, how long can our patience last? They make no secret of their antagonism. "They are on our land and they need to respect our laws and culture. They do not do that and all that they do is hunt for trouble.
"They are loud mouthed. They know that they are strong and there is no check or supervision on them in a country like ours which is alien to them. They party through the night, playing loud music, creating a nuisance in the neighbourhood, consuming alcohol and doing drugs in public places. They drive in a rash and negligent manner, endangering public lives," said a local who did not want to be named.
Previous incidents
- January 2016: A Tanzanian girl was stripped and assaulted by a mob and her car was also set ablaze after a car accident involving a Sudanese man, which led to the death of a woman. Though the Tanzanian students' car happened to follow the car of Sudanese national, they were not related. But the mob assaulted them thinking they were together and two cars were set ablaze.
- September 2015: A Congolese student Borguy Mavinga was beaten up by locals for driving his car in a reckless manner and ramming into a compound. But Mavinga claimed the accident happened because he was being chased by some youths who abused him for playing loud music in the car.
- March 2015: A mob attacked eight Africans at Kothanur in separate incidents. Police claimed that road rage triggered the attacks and denied it had a racial angle
- September 2014: A 23-year-old business management student, Ammar Khureshi from Ivory Coast, a resident of Kamanahalli, was assaulted by three men in Ambedkar Colony
- July 2013: Wandoh Timothy, a 44-year-old Chad national, was assaulted by 10 people at Hennur. The trigger was a road rage that soon culminated into full blown racial slurring and attacks subsequently.
