Gujarat University asks 7 foreign students to vacate hostels after Namaz Row

Ahmedabad:

Six students from Afghanistan and one from East Africa have been asked to vacate their hostel rooms at Gujarat University for overstaying their stay, an official said on Sunday. A few weeks ago, some foreign students came under attack for serving namaz in their dormitories.

Days after the March 16 attack, Afghan and Gambian delegations visited the university and held meetings with the vice-chancellor on security measures.

“Six students from Afghanistan and one from East Africa were asked to vacate their hostel rooms after they were found to have overstayed their stay,” Neerja Gupta, vice-chancellor of the university, told PTI in an interview. She said these people had completed their studies and Living in the dormitory as a withdrawn student due to some unfinished administrative work.

Gupta said the school has ensured that they are no longer required to stay in the hostels and has made arrangements for their return to their respective countries.

“We have completed the required documentation and they are now safe to return to their home countries. We do not want any former students to stay in our hostels. We have informed the various consulates and they have also instructed these students to move out of the hostels.”

She said there are more than 300 international students studying at Gujarat University.

About two dozen people broke into the government-run university’s hostel on the night of March 16 and attacked foreign students as they held worship in one of the blocks during the month of Ramzan, police said.

Two students from Sri Lanka and Tajikistan were taken to hospital following the incident.