Perhaps the only thing that is worse than the recent killing of an African national in the national capital is that the incident barely received any public attention and did not even spark an outrage. It’s difficult to say with a degree of certitude if this was because the public has already become immune to the idea of African nationals being targeted across the country or if there is a level of quiet acceptance for violent racist acts or if African nationals are seen as so very different from the rest that we cannot even seem to muster the most basic human values of kindness and compassion for them.
However, what can be said for sure is that an innocent man, no matter the colour of his skin or his passport, was viciously attacked in the middle of our national capital, and eventually succumbed to his injuries. The immediate cause for the attack seems to have been a dispute as petty as one on hailing an auto-rickshaw. The victim and his assailants reportedly flagged down the same three-wheeler, and there was a disagreement about would take the ride.
This led to a full blown fight and even passer-bys who sought to intervene weren’t spared. Police officers investigating the case have sought to portray this as a plain and simple law and order problem -- of the sort that is, unfortunately, common in Delhi. And they aren’t entirely wrong. People in Delhi have been killed for ridiculously petty reasons – for parking in the wrong place or over-taking someone’s car. So, there is some merit in the argument that the murder of the African national this past weekend should be viewed in this context.
However, to pretend that there was no racial angle in this heinous act would be akin to suggesting that Nido Tania from Arunachal Pradesh was killed in 2014 only because he sported an unconventional haircut.