‘Spoken to CM, will take immediate action’

A DAY after the attack on African students in Noida, the Centre termed the incident as “deplorable” and sought immediate intervention of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to the chief minister, following which she said the central government will take immediate action and that Adityanath has assured her of a fair and impartial investigation into this “unfortunate” incident.

“I have spoken to Yogi Adityanath ji, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, about the attack on African students in Greater Noida. He has assured that there will be a fair and impartial investigation into this unfortunate incident (sic),” she said in a series of tweets.

Responding to a tweet from a student who requested her to “act fast as living for us in Noida is becoming a life-threatening issue”, Swaraj said “the central government is taking immediate action.”

Later, Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar spoke to the acting High Commissioner of Nigeria and apprised her of the steps being taken by the local authorities for safety and security of Nigerian nationals in the area.

In a statement, the MEA said, “The government is committed to ensuring safety and security of all foreigners in India. People from Africa, including students and youth, remain our valued partners.”

The Nigerian High Commission said it had conveyed its concerns to the Indian government and had been assured that these concerns will be addressed. “We have taken up this issue with the Government of India. The Indian government has listened to our concerns and informed us about the steps it was taking to ensure the safety of Nigerian nationals,” an official of the Nigerian High Commission said.

Sushma Swaraj