Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda has described the recent death of an Indian national in a riot in Kampala an aberration in the otherwise harmonious relations between Ugandans and Indians.
Rugunda who is on a confident-building mission to India following last month's race riot, told a meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi today that the death of one Indian does not reflect the real Uganda.
Deval Rawal was stoned to death April 12 by a mob that was protesting a move by The Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited, which is part of the Indian-owned Mehta group, to expand its sugar estates by cutting the Mabira rain forest. Mabira forest, one of Uganda's last remaining patches of natural forest has been officially protected from encroachment since 1932.
The Ugandan government announced a compensation of 18 million Ugandan shillings to the family of Rawal.
Rugunda said that the Ugandan delegation had met with India's Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi to convey the condolences of the people and government of Uganda for Rawal's death.
Stating that Rawal's death was a one-off incident, Sanjiv Patel of the Indian Association of Uganda, who is also a member of the delegation, said that all communities
