Brewing Racism Blows Up

바카라�We all bleed red, no matter your race,바카라� says 20-year-old Nigerian national Ayesha ­Mohammed, as she reaches for a waiting taxi. She is literally fleeing her rented flat in Greater Noida바카라�s Express Park View Apartments overlooking empty agricultural greens. Ayesha and her friend Maryam Ishak are moving to an undisclosed location in Delhi because Greater Noida is not safe for them for now. In the last few days, African nationals in the neo-city have been living in fear. Most of them have been told to stay indoors and 바카라�lay-low바카라� by concerned associations of African students in India on social media.

바카라�I came to India because we바카라�re told 바카라�Indians treat (people) well바카라�,바카라� says Ayesha, as her friend Maryam tries to call someone. The girls are studying computer science at Greater Noida바카라�s Sharda University. Maryam바카라�s call goes through. She hands over the phone to this correspondent. It바카라�s her friend, from Delhi. The male voice from the other side mumbles out a ­request: 바카라�Can you let the girls go? And no photographs please.바카라� The interview ends abruptly.

On Monday, a mob brutally assaulted five Nigerians at a mall. The crowd was on a protest march, after the death of 17-year-old Manish Khari. He was discovered in an ­inebriated condition by his parents just before he died of a ­cardiac arrest. Manish lived in flat B-16 of the NSG Black Cat Enc­lave. Manish바카라�s father, Karanpal Khari, who is into real ­est­ate, blamed their Nigerian neighbours for his son바카라�s death. The pol­ice picked up five Nig­erian nationals for questioning, but let them go because there wasn바카라�t any evidence to link them to Manish바카라�s death. The majority of the crowd comprised those from a particular community to which Manish belonged.

Last year, Congolese national Masunda Kitada Oliver was beaten to death in Delhi. It had sparked a diplomatic row. Then there were more reports of violence against Africans바카라�from Delhi, Bangalore.

In the eyes of locals, Nigerians are the bad guys. 바카라�They are lawless. They are always brawling,바카라� says Anirudh Singh, a ­security guard manning the NSG complex. Manish바카라�s parents have left the place, he says.

The word he and most locals use for Africans is 바카라�Habshi바카라�, a medieval word for Abysinnians from the Persian Habashis. Habshis get drunk. 바카라�Habshis gang up. Habshis do drugs. Habshis don바카라�t pay their bills. Habshis have wild parties,바카라� are some of the impressions locals have of African nationals, always with that word along. In a satellite town like Greater Noida, the racism appears to be rabid, unapologetic , and made up of paranoid myths. 바카라�Habshis eat human flesh. They ate a small boy a few years ago,바카라� says a convinced 20-year-old ­Mohit Phagna, a member of a self-styled vigilante group formed by some locals. 바카라�Once, they bit off an autorickshaw driver바카라�s ear lobe after an argument,바카라� adds Ramesh Singh, a village elder.

Policemen too harbour their doubts. 바카라�I바카라�ve heard they eat ­human flesh. I don바카라�t know if that바카라�s true. They are always in some crime or the other,바카라� says sub-inspector Madan Singh. ­Rahul Kumar, another policeman, agrees. 바카라�They are big time into financial frauds.바카라� The two are part of a security detail deployed to protect Nigerians at the Nimbus apartment. But at Kasna police station, the records tell not many complaints are lodged against Nigerian nationals. And a duty officer confirmed there had never been any complaint relating to cannibalism.

바카라�I don바카라�t deny that youngsters bec­omes aggressive at times. That happens, right,바카라� says 34-year-old Prince Abubacker, a Nigerian businessman in another apartment block. He denies the claims that Nigerians run drug rackets in the area.

The violence has since been brought under control. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted to say she called UP CM Yogi Adityanath to ensure protection. But racism has struck deep. 바카라�Why don바카라�t they go back,바카라� says Phagna. That바카라�s what white supremist Americans are yelling out to Indians in the US too.