NEW DELHI: African people who have rented rooms in Khirki Extension have started moving out to other areas, rattled by the vigilante action by locals on Wednesday night. Some of the 100-odd Africans who live in a lane beside Sai Baba temple there told TOI they have contacted their embassies for protection, and are also considering returning home.

On Friday evening, a group of foreigners lighted candles at Jantar Mantar in a silent protest. A 23-year-old woman, who was humiliated and forced to undergo a medical examination for suspected drug abuse on Wednesday night, told TOI she has rented a room in Devli, southeast Delhi. "I do not want to recall the night. I have left the place for now since I was feeling depressed," she said.

"Whatever the men were doing was deliberate and intended to assault us. They entered our rooms and assaulted us. But for the police presence they would have probably killed us," said the woman's sister, who studies at a city engineering college. Others from the small community said they had to bear abuses from the locals on Thursday also.

Another woman who was targeted on Wednesday said all of them are engaged in different professions. "But we stay together since it works out cheaper. If we had to do anything illegal, why would we stay here at night?" She has come to India for treatment from Uganda. "The incident has sent a wrong message about us," she said.

One of their male friends, Jason, who claimed to have protected them from the crowd on Wednesday night, said, "The local youths call the women names, so we have to walk them home from the road at night. People judge us wrongly for that".

The African tenants said the locals are racist. "Other foreigners also live in the area but only the Africans are treated badly," said one of the women.

