Mob attacks foreign students in Kyrgyzstan, Indians asked to stay indoors

India, as well as Pakistan, on Saturday advised students in Bishkek "to stay indoors" amid mob violence targeting international students erupted in Kyrgyzstan's capital city. While the Embassy of India in Kyrgyzstan said the "situation is presently calm", Pakistan's mission said a few hostels of medical universities in Bishkek, where students from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan reside, have been attacked amid the violence.

Reacting to the situation, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said in the wake of the violence, "Law enforcement agencies took prompt measures to detain persons involved in the event, both foreign citizens and citizens of Kyrgyzstan". It said the situation was "completely under the control of law enforcement agencies" and said, "There are no seriously injured people among the participants of the incident".

Earlier in the day, the Indian Embassy in Kyrgyzstan tweeted, "We are in touch with our students. The situation is presently calm, but students are advised to stay indoors for the moment and get in touch with the Embassy in case of any issues. Our 24—7 contact number is 0555710041."

 According to data from the Ministry of External Affairs, some 14,500 Indian students reside in Kyrgyzstan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar retweeted the Embassy post, and said, "Monitoring the welfare of Indian students in Bishkek. The situation is reportedly calm now."

In its advisory posted on social media, Pakistan's Embassy in Bishkek said that the matter escalated after videos of a fight between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students on May 13 went viral online on Friday. The Embassy further said that Pakistani students have been asked to "stay indoors until the situation returns to normal", adding that the violence appeared to be directed against all foreign students, and not just Pakistanis. There are about 10,000 Pakistani students in the Central Asian nation currently.

A video doing the rounds on social media shows a corridor inside a building that has been vandalized. The footage shows broken doors and glass shards on the floor. Additional footage has emerged where a mob is seen dragging a person by the leg and then physically assaulting the individual. However, there was no official confirmation of the identity of the person being attacked.