Thirty-five students were put behind bars on charges of rioting. Arrests made when they went to the police station to complain about their flats being vandalised by hooligans
Thirty-five students were put behind bars on charges of rioting. Arrests made when they went to the police station to complain about their flats being vandalised by hooligans
On Thursday, around 35 Bahraini students staying in Kondhwa's posh Mayfair Eleganza Phase II received a rude shock when several goons armed with swords and metal rods barged in their rented flats, smashed the windowpanes and escaped with valuable belongings. Even worse, when the students reached the Kondhwa police station to lodge a complaint, they were arrested and booked under Section 143 and 147 of the IPC.
Mustafa Sayed Ebrahim, Bahrain's Cultural Counsellor, arrived in Kondhwa yesterday after the incident has instilled a feeling of fear and insecurity amongst the 500-odd Bahraini students in the city. Ebrahim had a look at the vandalised flats and said, "I am shocked at how the vandals broke into their flats. The police have been totally unfair and arrested the students instead of the hooligans."
However, R B Gaikar, police inspector of Kondhwa police station, has an altogether different story to narrate. "We had arrested the students as the residents of the building had complained that they were creating a ruckus," Gaikar added that one of the students had allegedly bit a resident's finger after which 200 society members fought with the Bahrainis. "We have booked the boys on charges of rioting," said Gaikar.
Meanwhile Ebrahim said that Bahrain's Ambassador to India Mohammad Ghassan had requested Ravindra Sengaonkar, deputy commissioner of Pune, to look into the matter. According to Ebrahim, Bahraini newspapers had also reported the incident. "We always considered India to be a place where all communities live in peace. This incident is shocking," he added.
A ray of hope
Ebrahim said that Bahrain will soon open a centre for their students in the city. "It will be funded by our government and will benefit over 500 Bahraini students who are studying in Pune," said Ebrahim. He added that the centre will take care of all matters related to students' stay, extension of visa and other issues that might arise from time to time.
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