Racist Violence Raises Its Ugly Head In Russia – Indian Student Killed in St. Petersburg. In a shocking incident on Sunday
(24th September) night, Nitish Kumar Singh from Bokaro (Bihar) a student of the Mechnikov Medical Academy in St Petersburg was stabbed to death in front of his hostel. He was rushed to the hospital, and died there an hour later. He indicated that four or five persons had
attacked him, but was in no condition to give more details. His grieving family in India, is now awaiting the arrival of his body. His brother says that Nitish, who was to return home for good, after a year, had also been the victim of
incidents of ‘racism’ three years back. Although, the attackers have not been identified, Russian authorities conclude that the incident is indeed racist in nature, and have ruled out theft as a motive. This is because of similar incidents in the past. A group, which call themselves ‘Skinheads’, had attacked an Indian student in April 2006. Luckily, the boy survived, although he had been stabbed in the neck. In April, once again, a Senegalese student was killed by a gunner whose weapon was decorated with a Nazi swastika. More recently, in August, ten people died in an explosion in a multi-ethnic market. Currently a trial is also on with fourteen persons accused of killing a Vietnamese student in 2004. The most dastardly of the killings was the one of a nine year old Russian girl of African origin. What is happening to the earlier cordial and peaceful ties that existed between Indians and Russians? Is the cause rooted in economics: resentment against outsiders who are taking away jobs, and seats in local educational institutions? Is Neo-Nazism germinating once again in Europe? Is it the folly of those who are so limited by their sense of sight that they cannot comprehend that people who look different, are essentially similar to them?