Abishek Bunwarie was attacked by a group of men in Bangalore, India. Abishek Bunwarie was attacked by a group of men in Bangalore, India.
Durban - A KwaZulu-Natal student based in Bangalore, India, who bravely stepped in to help his friends when they were being attacked, was badly injured when the attackers turned on him.
Abishek Bunwarie, who is studying hotel management at the Acharya Institute of Management Science in Bangalore, was beaten up by a group of men last Thursday after he intervened when the men were harassing two of his female friends, Jimy Babu and Ashwini Venu.
Abishek, 19, of Danhauser, left for India last year after he obtained a scholarship to study from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
His mother, Ashika Bunwarie, said on Tuesday that her son had been discharged from hospital on Monday but still needed to see a dental surgeon because of injuries to his jaw.
His right arm was also in a cast.
Bunwarie said her son had been walking with two friends to get supper when the incident happened. “He was trying to stop the men from abusing his friends when he was attacked.”
She said the women were not harmed.
Bunwarie said it was an emotional time for her family.
“We are all trying to cope. It has been very difficult, especially for my husband Ajith and my other two children, who are worried about Abishek.”
Despite the attack on her son, Bunwarie said she was overwhelmed by the support Abishek had received from friends and others who had rallied around him.
“You think your child is in a foreign country and he is all alone. But that is not the case.
“I just thank God that his friends are there for him, they have been like angels and have been sending me constant updates.
“They visited him in hospital day and night. There are so many people who have been so helpful.”
She said she was grateful to the Indian consul-general in South Africa, Pradeep Gupta, and staff at the university who had been handling arrangements for his hospitalisation.
Bunwarie said her son had sent her a long list of all the people who had been helping him.
“He is so thankful to everyone,” she said.
She said before the incident, Abishek had been flying the South African flag high in India and had represented the university at an event in Amsterdam in October.
Bunwarie said she was now focused on getting her son home so he could recuperate, but was still waiting for medi-cal advice on his injuries.
“We are trying to raise funds for him to come home and for other miscellaneous expenses related to his hospital stay.”
Professor Labby Ramra than of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Education said parents were facing a serious dilemma regarding tertiary education for their children.
“The unrest at South African universities is expected to remain for the next four to five years and parents will have to consider options for their children carefully.
“Apart from the processes involved in overseas study, the safety and security of their children is of paramount importance so parents are going all out, but the costs involved are phenomenal.”
He said that parents should consider several options within South Africa before considering overseas studies, especially private higher education institutions.
*If you would like to contribute funds to bring Abishek home, the distraught family have asked that you please contact The Mercury: @TheMercurySA on Facebook or Twitter or e-mail kamini.padayachee@inl.co.za
The Mercury
