In spite of his father being unemployed due to the closure of a mill, he managed to study computer engineering and after securing a degree, he decided to go to Uganda and try his luck.

With the help of Snehal, a family friend, and against his own family's wishes, Devang eventually moved to Uganda, where he was doing quite well. His family had planned to get him married during his vacation in India.

On April 12, the Ravals received a call from Snehal, informing them about Devang's sudden death.

Shailesh said, "My son died on April 12 and we heard nothing either from the Ugandan or Indian government till April 15. I had lost hope of even seeing his body. It was only after our repeated faxes with the help of local leaders that we were officially informed by Ugandan officials that my son's body had left taken off from Kampala."

Translink (U) Ltd, the Indian-owned company for which Devang was working, arranged for his body to be sent to India by cargo. It was not accompanied by anyone.

At Ahmedabad, except for the media and a local MLA, no one from the state or central government had approached the Ravals.

Shailesh said he was thankful to the company and Gujaratis in Kampala for their support. About the locals of Uganda, he only said, "I just can't understand this. These were the same people who welcomed Indians back after the exodus in the 1970s."

Pravinbhai Vasavada, a retired bank officer from Ahmedabad whose family has settled in Uganda for years, says, "Locals in Uganda see Asians as we, here in India, used to see the British -- as the exploiters. There is always an undercurrent of anger against Asians there."

Last week, this undercurrent erupted.

Image : An injured Indian man is assisted by Ugandan police after being stoned on April 12 by demonstrators.
Photographs: Peter Busomoke/AFP/Getty Images
Also see: A day in the life of a school in Bihar

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