Even as retaliatory violence raged against Indians and their establishments in Congo for three days, from Monday to Wednesday following the murder of a Congolese student in Delhi last week, India Thur
Even as retaliatory violence raged against Indians and their establishments in Congo for three days, from Monday to Wednesday following the murder of a Congolese student in Delhi last week, India Thursday managed to persuade African diplomats to attend the Africa Day function organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations on Thursday evening in the capital. But African diplomats vented their fury through both blunt talk and poetry at the function and spoke about “barbaric attacks, racism and Afro-phobia” in India.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) Thursday evening confirmed that Indian shops and establishments in Congo’s capital Kinshasa were attacked earlier and two Indians injured by gunfire. The MEA said Indian establishments were targeted from Monday to Wednesday in the city’s commercial areas and the Indian mission in Kinshasa has taken up the issue with Congo’s foreign ministry. The MEA spokesperson said a note verbale was issued to the Congo foreign ministry with a copy to the ministry of interior and the police authorities to ensure safety of life and property of all Indians residing there. He said that as per the latest reports the situation was under control with no further incidents.
The MEA conceded the murder of the African student last week in Delhi may have an impact on Indo-African ties but denied that the Indian government had been lethargic in not anticipating the fury of African nations.
