'State didn't show any insensitiveness in Tanzanian case'

The administration in Karnataka “did not show any insensitiveness” in the case relating to a mob attack on a Tanzanian girl following a road accident, the Union Home Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

However, Minister of State for Home, Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, said six police officers had been suspended pending disciplinary enquiry due to the delay in apprehending the suspects in the attack.

The Tanzanian girl, a BBM student, and three friends were attacked by a mob at Soladevanahalli in Bengaluru on January 31 after a car belonging to a Sudanese student knocked down a woman. The issue had snowballed into a controversy with Tanzanian Ambassador John W H Kijazi visiting Bengaluru along with a team of officials from the Ministry of External Affairs.

“The local administration has not shown any insensitiveness in the case, but due to delay in apprehending the suspects, six police officers have been suspended pending disciplinary enquiry,” Chaudhary said.

Adequate security arrangements have been made in the surrounding areas and police patrolling has been arranged to prevent untoward incidents and to instil confidence in foreigners staying in the area, he said. The Karnataka government has ordered an enquiry by the Additional Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru (West), into the incident and investigation is under progress. Based on preliminary inquiry, 11 people have been arrested so far.