Attacks on Africans criminal acts, but not racial : Sushma Swaraj

"I was surprised to see the charge that India is a xenophobic country,"  Swaraj said while making a statement in the Lok Sabha.

"It is wrong to say racial attack since this was done by an angry mob... Indians have also died in African nations, we didn't allege racial attacks?"

Her statement came in response to the statement issued by a group of  African envoys describing the attacks as "xenophobic and racial".

In one of the series of incidents, four Nigerian students were severely bashed up by an angry mob that was out on street to protest the death of a teenager following overdose of drugs, which the local residents alleged was the result of "bad influence" by the Africans residing and studying in the Greater Noida area.

In another incident a Kenyan woman was pulled out of a vehicle and beaten up.

Reacting to the incidents, the African envoys also accused the Indian Government of not taking enough action against the guilty and threatened to take up the matter with the United Nations.

"However, Swaraj said that six people have already been arrested in connection with the violence. " Is that not signs we are taking action?," she asked.

"They want to go to the UN Human Rights Council, we have all human rights institutions, a free press, judiciary..."Ms Swaraj said.

On Monday, the External Affairs Ministry, had said in a statement,  "It is unfortunate that a criminal act triggered following the untimely death of a young Indian student under suspicious circumstances has been termed as xenophobic and racial."