JEDDAH: Minister of Higher Education Khaled Al-Anqari has denied rumors that his ministry would cancel scholarships to India following reports of a Saudi who was studying at a New Delhi university being involved in a hit-and-run accident.
Al-Watan daily previously reported that some Saudi student at Jamia Hamdard university in New Delhi were attacked by a group of Indian students after a Saudi student was involved in a hit-and-run incident.
“What has happened to the Saudi student in India is an accident that could happen to any student in any country,” Al-Anqari said, adding that the authorities are monitoring the case in order to discover the reasons for the attack and to defuse the situation.
The Saudi students in New Delhi denied anyone of them being involved in a hit-and-run accident and said a Nigerian student had fabricated the story. They told Al-Watan daily by phone that 18 of them were now being held at a New Delhi hotel and that they were being investigated. They said they were now waiting for the Saudi cultural attaché in India to intervene on their behalf.
According to Farid Al-Shahrani, at 3:30 p.m. on the day of the incident, he was with two Saudi friends, Mani Al-Yami and Salih Al-Obaidi. He had lent his car to Mubarak, a Nigerian student.
Shortly afterward, Mubarak returned and told them that he had hit a person while driving Al-Shahrani’s car. “Mubarak came to us and told us that he had hit someone. We found out that the victim suffered injuries and one of us offered to transfer him to a hospital outside the university,” said Al-Yami, adding that when they left the hospital a large group of students attacked them in the presence of the vice chancellor of the university and the dean in charge of foreign students as well as the head of the university security.
“When we went to our car we found it smashed. When we informed the police they showed no response. We then called Bandar Al-Zaid, who is in charge of students affairs at the Saudi Embassy. He told us that he would send us a lawyer, but the lawyer did not come. The police then took the car,” said Al-Shahrani.
According to Al-Shahrani, the Nigerian student had been taken for questioning but was freed. “After seven days no one helped us and we feel that the embassy wants to put the responsibility on us,” he said.
The students are scheduled to meet with the vice chancellor today.
The official in charge of students’ affaors at the Saudi Embassy refused comment and referred to the Foreign Ministry.
The students have written an official letter to the Saudi Embassy in which they expressed fears that they would be held responsible for something they had not done and that their scholarships might be canceled.
