Amid outrage by African envoys following killing of a Congolese youth here, three cases of physical assault and criminal intimidation of African nationals in south Delhi have been registered by the police.
Police attributed two of the incidents to locals raising objection to the African nationals' playing loud music during late night, and the other to objection raised against a group of Africans consuming alcohol in public.
All three incidents, which took place after 10 PM on Thursday in areas under the jurisdiction of Mehrauli Police Station, are reminiscent of the Khirki Extension incident in 2014 which witnessed a midnight raid by AAP MLA Somnath Bharti and some locals, levelling serious allegations against African nationals residing in the area.
Also Read
The complainants in Thursday's cases include two women -- one from Uganda and the other from South Africa -- and at least two Nigerian men, police said.
"While two of the cases have been registered under the charge of criminal intimidation, the other has been registered under charges of causing hurt and wrongful confinement," DCP (south) Ishwar Singh said.
He further said, "No African National was seriously injured. A Nigerian national, identified as Leuchy, sustained minor injuries on his nose and he was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre."
"None of the African Nationals agreed to give a complaint. However, the local police acting on their own have registered criminal cases. The accused persons involved in the incidents have been identified and efforts are on to arrest them," Singh said.
When contacted, Leuchy (32), who has been living here since November 2015 on a business visa, said that he was on his way to a nearby church in an auto-rickshaw when a group of locals stopped it midway.
"They attacked me with bats and a stone, which caused a deep injury on my nose among other wounds. They kept thrashing me as I screamed for help asking them why they were doing so," he said, adding that the group also vandalised his friend's car which was parked on the same street.
Police claimed that these are three separate incidents which have nothing to do with the violence against Indians in Congo, following the murder of 23-year-old Congo national M K Oliver in South Delhi's Vasant Kunj area last week.
Envoys of African countries on Thursday had expressed shock over the incident, following which India assured them of safety and security of all African nationals.
