A university in India issued new rules not to use public spaces for religious purposes after international students were attacked by a Hindu mob for offering Ramadan prayers on campus, The Independent reported.
At least five foreign students studying at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, India, were injured after they were targeted by a mob of about 25 people armed with iron bars and sticks on Sunday.
Students from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka were injured in the attack, with two requiring medical treatment. A few days after the incident, Gujarat University issued instructions to foreign students living in university dormitories and prohibited them from engaging in “religious activities” in common areas.
The new rules also state that students could face expulsion from college if they are found to have engaged in “use of abusive and threatening language, physical fights, use of force to get an unfair act accomplished etc.”
Public space to be avoided for any private, religious or outside activity.
The university announced the formation of an advisory committee of foreign students to address their concerns and the deployment of retired military personnel on campus to enhance security. Gujarat University’s vice chancellor Neeraja Arun Gupta told local media:
“One particular event [the offering of Ramadan prayers] cannot be the trigger for such a big incident. It’s not a question of a religious practice… it might be a cultural practice. Foreign students should have been mentored in a better manner in terms of cultural assimilation.”
India’s foreign ministry stated that it had contacted the state government about the violence and that “strict action” would be taken against the perpetrators.
