Vadodara: An international student at Parul University was assaulted by villagers in Waghodia. Paayo Eric, a BSc (neurology) student, filed a complaint against four persons at Waghodia police station on Monday. According to the complaint filed by Eric, he was out cycling in Waghodia with his friend on Sunday afternoon.

He rode ahead and reached a canal where he was riding his bicycle on the road. Some villagers accosted him and started questioning him in Gujarati. Eric, who is from Papua New Guinea, couldn't understand them and began answering in English.

The villagers began yelling and abusing him. Eric tried to get away on his bicycle, but they caught hold of him and assaulted him with sticks and metal pipes. He suffered a fractured hand and injuries to the other hand, legs and back.

A teacher from his college who was happened to be passing by intervened. She convinced the assailants to spare him. Eric was then taken to hospital for treatment of his broken hand.

The accused were later identified as Mahesh Parmar, Jagdish Parmar, Sunil Vasava and Rahul Vasava and 10 unnamed others. The accused are farmers. Eric, 20, lives in a rented house near the university in Waghodia.

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