In a possible reaction to the murder of a 23-year-old Congolese youth in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area last week, some shops owned by Indians in Congo have been attacked and many Indian citizens have been injured, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
According to Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Embassy in Congo is in touch with the local authorities to ensure safety and security of Indian citizens. The MEA statement also said the situation has calmed down.
Reportedly, there are nearly 5000 Indian shops in the Congolese capital city of Kinshasa alone.
The incident comes at a time when African countries have expressed outrage over the recent killing of a Congolese youth Masonda Ketanda Olivier, who was bludgeoned to death by three men last week after a brawl over the hiring of an autorickshaw.
While the two suspects have been arrested by Delhi police, the manhunt to nab the third one is still on. The whole incident was caught on CCTV camera.
In protest against the murder, the envoys of the African nations on Wednesday said they will not attend the “Africa Day” celebrations scheduled on Thursday and stressed that India must take “concrete steps” to guarantee the safety and security of its African nationals.
While the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj assured the African countries that the government has directed concerned authorities to take stringent action against the culprits involved in killing of Olivier, she also asked Lt Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung to ensure that the murder case is tried by a fast track court.
Feature image source: Twitter/Indian Express