A week after a series of attacks on Africans in Delhi, India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj was trolled for a tweet asking Indians to shake hand and say "India loves you" every time they met an "African citizen".

The tweet came a week after a Congolese man was beaten to death in Delhi, with two other attacks on people from Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa in the national capital and Hyderabad a few days later. The Indian government has promised action against the attackers after numerous African diplomats asked the government to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of their citizens, most of them students.

I appeal to fellow Indians. Next time you meet an African citizen, pl shake hand and say 'India loves you'.

Pl RT — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 2, 2016

The attack comes a few months after a mob assaulted a group of Tanzanians in Bengaluru in February. The state government had denied that the attack was racist.

Yesterday, Swaraj had said that the attacks were "criminal" rather than "racial" in nature. "These were not premeditated acts against a particular community, rather these were spontaneous attacks perpetrated by anti-social and criminal elements,” Swaraj said in a statement. In another tweet, she promised to start sensitisation program "to reiterate that such incidents against foreign nationals embarrass the country."

However, several Twitter users pointed out the problems in her latest tweet.

"African citizen"

I don't have an updated map like Sushma ji has. Please point me to the country called Africa. pic.twitter.com/GjtM0VW917 — Maharana Brumby (@brumbyOz) June 2, 2016

Dear Jonty Rhodes, India loves you — Ajith (@ajith27) June 2, 2016

"India loves you."

African citizen: "Can you locate Malawi in the map of Africa?"

"Umm... Look, let's just stop at India loves you." — Pushkar (@Pushkarr) June 2, 2016

India Loves You*.



*Conditions apply. — Krupakar Manukonda (@krupakar_m) June 2, 2016

Or shake fist, beat crap out of him (or strip her, depending) and say India loves you https://t.co/E6XPIN9ptQ — Prasanto K Roy (@prasanto) June 2, 2016

Barack Ji, India loves you pic.twitter.com/m1Cq4H4aLd — Ajith (@ajith27) June 2, 2016

Next time you receive an email from a Nigerian Prince, immediately reply 'India loves you' — Sidvee (@sidvee) June 2, 2016

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