4 Indian students attacked with knife in Russia; accused teen has ‘neo-Nazi link’
One of the students is reportedly in a serious condition and so is the alleged attacker
A teenager, who reportedly belongs to a banned neo-Nazi organisation, allegedly went on the rampage on a Russian university campus with a knife on Saturday (February 7), stabbing four Indian students and later two police personnel as well when they tried to overpower him.
One of the students is reportedly in a serious condition and so is the attacker.
What happened on campus
The incident took place at a university in Russia’s Bashkortostan Republic, the Indian mission in Moscow said.
According to preliminary reports, the teenager, armed with a knife, entered a dormitory of the State Medical University in Ufa. He attacked the students living there and stabbed several of them, the Interior Ministry said. All four were Indians.
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“The attacker resisted arrest, during which two police officers were stabbed. Furthermore, the suspect also inflicted bodily harm on himself,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Maj General Irina Volk was quoted as saying by RTVI.com web portal.
High-level probe launched
Authorities in Ufa, the capital of the Bashkortostan Republic about 1,200 km east of Moscow, have launched a high-level probe into the incident.
Calling it an “unfortunate incident”, the Indian Embassy said, “Several persons including four Indian students have been injured.” The Embassy said it is in touch with the authorities, and officials from the Consulate in Kazan are en route to Ufa to provide assistance to the injured students.
In a release, the Russian Federal Health Ministry said the four people injured in the attack are receiving medical care. One is in serious condition, while three others are in moderate condition, it added.
Attacker in hospital
The attacker, identified as a 15-year-old youth, has also been admitted to a local children’s hospital in serious condition, the Baza telegram channel said.
The Baza channel claimed that the attacker belonged to a banned neo-Nazi outfit.
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“He belonged to the banned NS/WP neoNazi organisation. During the frenzy of attack, he was shouting nationalist slogans about (the) Holocaust,” it said and shared the photo of a Swastika drawn on a wall with the blood of the victims.
According to eyewitnesses, “there was blood all around,” Ren TV said, showing footage of wounded being taken to hospital by ambulance vans.
The All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging diplomatic intervention to ensure the safety of the thousands of Indian medical students currently studying in Russia.
(With agency inputs)