Afghan student stabbed near Goa University; one held

PANAJI: An Afghan student studying at the Goa University was stabbed by a group of men near here, a police official said on Tuesday. One person has been arrested in connection with the incident that took place on Monday afternoon in Dona Paula area near the university campus, he said.

The victim, Mathihulla Aria (24), who was pursuing M.Com course at the university’s Goa Business School, was injured in the attack and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital in Dona Paula, the official said. Panaji Police have arrested Satish Nilkanthe, a Maharashtra resident, for allegedly stabbing the student, the official said.

A police complaint was lodged by Rahul Tripathi, director of foreign students at the Goa University, he said. “The reason behind the assault is not known. We are interrogating the accused,” the official said.

The accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code Section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), he said. The search was on for three other accused who were at large, he added. Meanwhile, National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Goa chief Ahraz Mulla wrote a letter to Governor Satya Pal Malik after the incident and expressed fear of a “JNU-like situation” in the Goa University.

“This is to bring to your notice the recent attack on an Afghani student in Goa. The law and order in the state has gone for a ride and students of Goa are fearing a JNU-like situation here very soon with such attacks (coming to notice) on a regular basis,” Mulla said.

The NSUI, which is students’ wing of the Congress, said the attack on the Afghani student in Goa also raises questions about the security of students who come from other countries to study here.

The incident will send a “very wrong message” to the entire world about law and order of the country, Mulla said. He demanded strong action against those who were spoiling the harmony of Goa University and police protection in all colleges of the state to prevent a “JNU or Jamia-like” situation. Violence was witnessed recently at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi where some masked persons armed with sticks and rods attacked students and teachers and damaged property on the campus.

The Jamia Millia Islamia University in the national capital also witnessed violence last month following protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. PTI