Weeks after attack over namaz, 7 foreign students told to vacate Gujarat University hostel for overstaying

Ahmedabad: Weeks after several international students were attacked over offering namaz in their hostel, the Gujarat University has ordered seven students to vacate the hostel on the grounds of overstaying. 

Officials said that six students from Afghanistan and one from East Africa have been asked to leave the hostel. They said that during the visit of an Afghan and a Gambian delegation following the attack, the varsity had informed them about these students' overstay and would be sent back to their respective countries. 

Gujarat University's vice-chancellor Neerja Gupta told reporters that these students have been asked to vacate their rooms since they have already completed their studies. 

She said, " the students were staying in the hostel on grounds such as small paper work, transcript not finished, stamping not done on certificate, among other administrative reasons. Now, these administrative works have been taken care of and the arrangements have been made for these students to travel back home safely."

On March 16, a group of people had stormed the hostel, block-A, at the varsity campus in Ahmedabad and beaten up several students. Two of them were immediately discharged after medical care, two were hospitalised. Police investigation found that the attackers were from Bajrang Dal who were opposing the Muslim international students for offering namaz in the hostel premises. 

Since then, the students have been shifted to a new hostel. Varsity officials said that there are 300 foreign students studying in the varsity.