Attack on foreign students: Academics seek statement from Gujarat University V-C

Among the signatories are current and former academics Raghavan Rangarajan, Navdeep Mathur, Neha Shah and Ghanshyam Shah.

A message to all the Gujarat University students and personally to the victims of the attack, reassuring them of the University’s commitment to their safety, will provide some succour to all students who may be feeling insecure in light of the attack, they said in the letter.

The signatories also urged the V-C to provide sensitisation to students about “the diversity of religious faiths and practices and about the importance of mutual respect for beliefs and practices of all faiths,” after noting the vice chancellor’s statement in the media that international students will be provided with cultural sensitisation. “A university campus is a safe space for all students and the manner in which students were targeted is condemnable,” stated the letter, adding the authorities need to take more immediate action against the miscreants who are from the University.

“We presume the university is providing emotional support to the students who were attacked as well as taking steps to ensure their physical safety,” the letter further stated. The incident has tarnished the reputation of Gujarat University within the country and abroad, it added.

On the night of March 16, around two dozen people barged into the hostel of the government-run university and assaulted students from foreign countries for offering namaz at one of the blocks during the ongoing month of Ramzan.

Two persons from Sri Lanka and Tajikistan were hospitalised after the incident. Five persons have been arrested so far in connection with the attack, as per the police.

The letter stated that visible actions by the university indicating it is vigorously pursuing with the police for swift action against the perpetrators of the attack will send the right signal to all concerned that it is a serious academic institution committed to creating the right environment for scholarship and education.

“At the least, the university must pursue with the Ahmedabad City Police as to why the miscreants were allowed to leave the campus in their presence, as has been seen in videos, instead of being detained for questioning and investigation,” it said.