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Indian Student Who Was Beaten Up In Poland Is Not Dead, Clarifies Sushma Swaraj

A Twitter user had claimed a student had been beaten to death.
Image used for representational purposes only.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Image used for representational purposes only.

NEW DELHI -- After a Twitter user claimed that an Indian student has been beaten to death in Poland and tagged Sushma Swaraj in the tweet, the external affairs minister sought a report and found that he had survived the attack.

Early on Friday evening, a Twitter user called Amit Agnihotri claimed that an Indian student has been beaten to death. He even shared a link to an article written in Polish in the same tweet and tagged Swaraj in it.

Based on the tweet and the absence of government clarification -- which came in later -- HuffPost India also reported that the student was dead.

According to the article in the Polish news site, the student who was beaten was is in Ponzan under the Erasmus scholarship. The incident occurred on Thursday when the attacker punched the student in his face. He was left with a bleeding nose and cuts on the forehead as he fell on the ground after being attacked. The student had just gotten off a tram and was walking towards a friend's apartment when he felt someone pushing him from behind. The attack took place soon after.

Bystanders and a friend of the student reported the incident to the police and called for an ambulance, according to the report on the Polish site. The police, the website report, initially had trouble recording the student's statement as he did not speak Polish. The writer claims that the student was unwilling to have his name published as he was scared, especially since the attacker fled.

According to witnesses, who spoke to Wyborcza.pl, the attacker looked like he was in his 20s, was slightly chubby and was carrying a blue back pack.

In response to Agnihotri's first tweet, Swaraj had said that she is seeking a report:

A couple of hours later, Indian ambassador to Poland Ajay Bisaria clarified that the student was not killed, as claimed by the Twitter user.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.