UNI
New Delhi, Apr 15: An Indian national was killed and businesses of people of Indian origin and a temple were damaged when a protest demonstration turned violent in Kampala yesterday, as reports suggested Indians had once again become targets of attacks in Uganda after three decades.
India has strongly taken up the matter with Uganda and been assured that the Ugandan government would take all necessary steps to provide security to Indian nationals.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, in a statement, strongly condemned the incident in which the ''guests of the country'' were ''singled out for demonisation ''. He assured security to Indian nationals and punishment to the guilty.
The 24 year-old Indian, Devangkumar Shaileshkumar Raval, of Ahmedabad, was killed when a local protest demonstration turned violent in the Ugandan capital.
Raval's body will be brought to Ahmedabad on April 15 at 1640 hrs. by IC-603 from Mumbai.
A Swaminarayan Temple, a branch of the Bank of Baroda and some shops owned by Indian origin people were damaged in the violence.
The attacks brought back the memories of the seventies when Indian origin people were the target of racial attacks under the then dictator Idi Amin.
Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma told reporters that he had spoken to Ugandal Foreign Minister Sam Kuteesa on phone and been given ''firm assurance'' that all necessary steps would be taken to provide security to Indian origin people.
He said the government was touch with the Ugandan authorities.
The Minister, however, denied that there was large-scale violence targetted at Indian origin people. He said the incident was the result of a demonstration. Some undesirable elements joined the demonstration and resorted to violence.
He said Ugandan officials had met the Indian origin people and assured them full security.
The resentment against Indians was the result of a Ugandan government plan to hand over part of the forest reserve to the Sugar Corporation of Uganda, a business house run by an Indian.
The Ugandan President, in a statement, said when stopped by the police for deviating from their approved route, the demonstrators attacked people of Indian and Chinese origin, burning cars and attacking shops.
The statement further says that to attack, insult or damage the property of any Ugandan or guests of Uganda is something that the NRM Government would not tolerate.
''Indeed, the incident of yesterday, when three people died and some enemies of Uganda singled out guests of the country for demonisation, should serve as a lesson to the external groups that keep trying to defend the activities of such people who do not want to follow the law.'' In the statement, the Ugandan President further expressed condolences to the families of those who died and assured Ugandans that ''such hooliganism will not be allowed to happen again.'' Devangkumar Raval, son of Mr Shaileshkumar Bhanushanker Raval, of E/15-11, Santosh Park, Nobal Nagar Kuber Nagar, Ahmedabad 382340, had the passport No.E9184432 issued at Ahmedabad on May 20, 2004.