JOIN US"These students were granted bail on personal bond of Rs.20,000 each yesterday (Friday) evening. However, they cannot leave the country and have to again appear before the sub-divisional magistrate here on May 10," said a police official.
"Two officials from the embassy of Sudan and a lawyer, of the Supreme Court of India, have come here. They met the released students and also gathered information about the case from police. There is a possibility that they will take these nine students to Delhi with them," he added.
The nine African youths, all studying at Lovely Professional University (LPU), were identified as Hosam Abdul Hafis, Asad Krar, Ahmed Mustafa, Yusf Musa, Hashim Salah, Ahed Hasablas, Mohammad Issah, Taisar Abad, all Sudanese students, and Jahia Faizal from Tanzania.
They were arrested Thursday and booked under Sections 107 and 151 of the Indian Penal Code. The first section relates to abetment in crime and the second to knowingly joining or continuing in assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse.
However, three other African students, who have been charged with murder, were sent to 14 days judicial remand Friday.
They were identified as Ahmed Al-Nagni and Sayed Feisal from Tanzania and Hatin Indriss from Sudan and they were arrested Wednesday night for allegedly thrashing Johnny F. Lalhmangaih to death during a soccer match at LPU Tuesday evening. Following this, they were also suspended by the LPU authorities.
The victim, Johnny, 22, who was pursuing civil engineering from LPU, had scored a goal for his team during a friendly football match between students from Africa and Mizoram in the campus. Following this, the African students allegedly got into a brawl and started bashing him.
LPU authorities closed the varsity for three days till Saturday. The varsity authorities have also shifted all 45 African students from their hostels to an undisclosed location.
Over 250 foreign students from 16 countries are studying at the university. Of them, around 50 are from African countries.
Punjab's first private university, LPU is located on the Phagwara-Jalandhar National Highway, 140 km from Chandigarh, and has over 24,000 students on its rolls.