Attack on Nigerian student not racial

The Banjara Hills police investigating the case of attack on a Nigerian student by a local on Wednesday here have ruled out racism as a reason for the attack.

The police said that they will be submitting a report on the incident to the Union Home Ministry which has expressed concern over a series of such attacks on Africans in the country.

“The incident occurred on Wednesday, when the 23-year-old Nigerian student Ghazeem, third year degree student at Nizam’s College and a resident of Singada Basti under the jurisdiction of Banjara Hills police station limits, had a tiff with one Mohammad Gafoor over parking his vehicle,” K Srinivas, Inspector Banjara Hills police station said on Friday.

The FIR mentions that Gafoor was enraged as Ghazeem parked his car in front of the gate of the opposite house where he lives. On Wednesday also Ghazeem had parked his sedan at the same spot leading to a discussion and finally a scuffle broke out during which Gafoor hit Ghazeem with a rod. Ghazeem’s friends took him to a hospital where he received eight stitches to his head. “I have told Gafoor that I have been parking my car in a manner that won’t trouble him. But he was adamant,” Ghazeem told media. But Gafoor says that he returned home after a heated discussion but never attacked the student.

Based on the student’s compliant, the Banjara Hills police have booked Gafoor under Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapon). However, the police refused to register a counter compliant by Ghazeem.