Five Russians to stand trial for Indian’s murder

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Prime VIP
Moscow, July 2

Five young residents of St. Petersburg will go on trial for racially motivated killing of an Indian medical student in 2006, Russian officials have said.

Nitesh Kumar Singh, 27, a final year student at the Mechnikov Medical Academy in St. Petersburg was stabbed several times in the back by unidentified youth in a suspected hate attack near his hostel in September 2006 when he was returning after shopping.

Five young residents of St.Petersburg will go on trial for the hate crime, according to the city branch of Investigation Committee of Prosecutor-General’s Office.

Killing of Nitesh had sparked angry protests by the foreign student community in St. Petersburg who blasted the local authorities for failing to check racial attacks against Asians and Africans and City Governor Valentina Matviyenko had vowed to complete the probe and punish the murderers.

Eyewitnesses said the student was attacked by several young people who stabbed him four times. Nitesh died succumbed to wounds on way to hospital.

Quoting investigators ITAR-TASS reported that seven people were involved in attack on the Indian student. One of them has died and another is wanted. The remaining five have been charged with committing a hate crime and can face up to 20 years in prison.

One of the accused has been also charged with public extremist calls contained in his musical compositions and can get up to five years in jail for that. — PTI
 
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