Six students from Afghanistan and one from East Africa have been instructed to vacate their hostel rooms at Gujarat University for overstaying, according to an official statement on Sunday. This decision follows a series of attacks on foreign students who were offering namaz on the premises weeks earlier.
After the attack on March 16, which targeted students observing namaz during the month of Ramzan, representatives from Afghanistan and Gambia visited the university to discuss safety measures with the vice-chancellor.
Neerja Gupta, the university’s vice-chancellor, clarified that the students asked to vacate had completed their studies but were staying in the hostel due to pending administrative work. The university has facilitated their return to their respective countries by completing the necessary paperwork and coordinating with the consulates.
“We have completed the required paperwork and they can now safely return to their native countries. We don’t want to keep any former students in our hostel. We have informed the consulates of the respective countries, and they have also directed these students to vacate the hostel,” the vice-chancellor said.
The attack on March 16 saw around two dozen individuals assaulting foreign students who were offering namaz at one of the hostel blocks. The incident resulted in two students from Sri Lanka and Tajikistan being hospitalized.
