Amnesty International on Wednesday said the recent spate of attacks in Uttar Pradesh show that black people in India continue to face racist discrimination and violence. The organisation urged the Uttar Pradesh authorities to ensure the safety of African students in the state and bring to justice those responsible for the violence. The remarks come on a day when a group of unidentified men pulled a Kenyan woman out of an auto rickshaw and allegedly molested her.

“Many of those injured were targeted merely because of the colour of their skin,” Makepeace Sitlhou, Campaigner at Amnesty International India said. Sitlhou urged the police to not overlook the discriminatory elements, saying “Racism can end only if authorities first acknowledge and document its existence.”

The Association of African Students in India has issued an advisory telling all students from the African community to not leave their homes. “We can’t attend our classes because we are scared that we will be beaten up,” Samuel Jack, president of the association said.

Greater Noida has been on the boil since March 24 when a Class 12 student went missing. Soon, rumours spread that the teenager had last been seen with a group of Nigerians. A crowd had raided their home, and when they failed to find Manish Khari, they accused the Nigerians of having eaten him up. The 19-year-old had died of a suspected drug overdose on Saturday and five Nigerian students living in the neighbourhood were booked for murder. The students were later released for lack of evidence.

On Monday, a group of residents had organised a protest at the Pari Chowk junction. Four Nigerian students were injured when a group of more than 100 locals attacked them, demanding that all Africans living in residential colonies in Greater Noida be asked to vacate their rented houses immediately. The Noida Police have booked almost 600 people for rioting and another 44 for attempt to murder in connection with the attack. The police have arrested seven people so far.

However, Gautam Buddh Nagar’s district magistrate on Tuesday had said the violence against Nigerian residents in the area was not a hate crime. Nagendra P Singh said the incident was triggered by a rumour spread by a few people.