The mob attack on a Tanzanian female student in Bengaluru, which almost triggered a diplomatic rift in Indo-African relations, took an interesting turn on Friday with the Tanzanian High Commissioner to India John WH Kijazi denying it was a “racist attack”.Kijazi, who arrived in the city along with officials from India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA), held parleys with Karnataka’s home minister G Parameshwara and other top state officials for more than an hour on Thursday evening. After being briefed by the state government on the sequence of events that culminated in the mob violence in which a Tanzanian girl was assaulted and her car set afire, Kijazi said, “What has happened is very unfortunate. We had a meaningful discussion with the state government and I am happy with the action taken against the policemen (who did not come to the rescue of the girl and her friend) and we were told nine persons have been arrested. I have got a clear picture of what happened prior to the accident and after that. It is not a racist attack. It is a case of friction between the local community (referring to the residents of Hessarghatta road and adjoining areas) and the students (from the African community).”The U-turn comes a day after Kijazi maintained in New Delhi that the assault on the Tanzanian girl was a “racist attack”. Kijazi down justified the move, saying, “I do not want to dwell into what has happened in the past... it is the media that projected it as racist attack.” He continued, “We have come here to discuss with the government on the concrete long-term measures to be taken to ensure African students in the city live harmoniously with the local community. I am going to meet the victim and the African students to know about the situation here. We need to avoid such situations.”At the meeting, Kijazi was not only apprised of the accident in which a woman was killed by a Sudanese student and the mob-violence that followed, but he was also briefed about the culture clashes being allegedly triggered by African students. “The locals have complained that there are cultural clashes because of excessive drinking, overspeeding and playing loud music by African students in the neighbourhood. These students should be advised not to disturb the tranquility of the neighbourhood and to share a cordial relationship with locals,” Kijazi was reportedly told by the state government.MEA joint secretary (states) Partha Sathpathy, who accompanied the Tanzanian High Commissioner, said, “The MEA is concerned about African students in the country. The State government has informed us that this particular incident has happened as a consequence of the accident. I request the media to refrain from being judgmental while reporting such incidents because the media’s projection about the country and Bengaluru would send a wrong message.”Kijazi said African students would be told to follow the law of the land and respect the leadership of the government and the local community. “We do not want any kind of friction between locals and African students in the coming days. The State government has promised to take long-term measures and we have told them to involve our mission in the process, along with college managements, local communities and authorities,” he said.Home minister Parames-hwara, who had come under intense scrutiny in the last couple of days for the way in which the situation was handled, said, “We have briefed them (Tanzanian high commissioner) about what has happened and they are convinced. The girl has told us she has lost several documents, including her passport, when the car was set on fire. We have requested the MEA to provide those documents.”The minister said the cops have been instructed to form peace committees and hold quarterly meetings by involving locals and students from the African community. He said college managements have also been told to furnish details about students who have been overstaying in the city.