Tanzanian girl stripped, beaten in Bengaluru; 'deeply pained', says Sushma Swraj

The African students in north Bengaluru closed ranks on Wednesday as details emerged of a mob of locals allegedly attacking and stripping a Tanzanian girl in the neighbourhood on
Sunday.

The 21-years old girl who have been attacked met with top police officials on Wednesday to narrate what the mob had done to her. She gave her statement at the DCP's office at Pennya.

As the details spread, the community leaders were continuously in touch with their fellow nationals and relayed the safer routes they should take while commuting between their home and colleges.

"We are now scared of every Indian around us after what has happened to me," a 21-year old student of a city college told the media persons at Sapthagiri Hospital, where she was take for the medical test by the police.

External minister Sushma Swraj took a note on the incident andtweeted "We a deeply pained over the shameful incident happened with a Tanzanian girl".

She asked the foreign government to provide security and safety to all the foreign students.

Earlier, in a note verbale, Tanzania high commission asked the External Affairs Ministry to take strong legal action on those who assaulted the girl.

Bengaluru police on Wednesday registered a case under section 354 IPC (outraging the modesty of a woman) against unidentified persons.

I spoke to the Chief Minister Karnataka. He informed me that a criminal case has been registered and four accused have been arrested.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) February 3, 2016

Four locals were taken into the custody later in the evening.

The girl's nightmare upholded around 7:30 pm when she and her three Tanzanian friends were going in a car in Ganapathinagar, from Hesaraghatta main road. About 2km away and about 30 minutes hour earlier, a car driven by a Sudanese student, had run over Shabana Taj, 36 who had been walking with her husband, electrical contractor Sanaullah.

A mob allegedly comprising locals, who were rioting following the accident, stopped the girls car.

" We got out of the car and there were many people around. There was a policeman standiy nearby, I asked him what has happened, but he said nothing. A friend rushed to me and asked not to walk around but just then the mob started hitting him," she said.

The push me around and hit me. I was wearing a T-shirt. They tugged on it and tore it, leaving me literally without anything. They continued to thrash us and we ran for our lives. My friend and me hopped onto the bus but the driver didn't move and the other passengers through us out. We were at mob's mercy. A passerby who offered me T-shirt was  also attacked. They thrashed us until we took shelter near some shops, she said.

The mob meanwhile had set ablaze the car.

As they were on the way to Sapthagiri Hospital, the mob chased them. Even at the hospital, the mob allegedly threatened to storm the hospital, if the Africans were not sent out. Police sources  said they took girl's statement on Wednesday, confirming that there's been a thee days delay in acting in the incident.

African student leaders commended the killing of the women in an accident by a Sudanese student but said law should take care of its course. However attacking innocent people based on their ethnicity should not be tolerated, they said adding that the matter had been taken up by their embassies too.