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Indians were thrown out from Uganda in August 1972 on orders from President Idi Amin Dada. Indians had transformed Uganda into the most prosperous country in all of Africa. Awon'go Idi Amin Dada Oumee, who had come to power on 25ᵗʰ January 1971, felt that they were 'blood suckers'. Idi Amin claimed that on the 4ᵗʰ of August he had dreamt that Indians should be expelled. On the 8ᵗʰ of August he issued the necessary orders. Indians were given 90 days to pack up and go, leaving behind all their wealth and possessions. A person was allowed to carry only one hand bag with them as they left Uganda. They were permitted to carry only £50 pound with them. Everything else was confiscated, all jewellery, all money was physically taken away. Businesses which had been set up by Indians were handed over to supporters of Idi Amin. Before expelling Indians from Uganda, Idi Amin had had killed most of the officers of the Ugandan army belonging to the Acholi and Lango ethnic groups. He was well known for indulging in violence against anyone he disapproved of. As a result, Indians did not wait to argue with him. They fled immediately. Those who delayed fleeing were shot, their women raped. About 90,000 people were thrown out of Uganda. All of them had been born in Uganda. About 38,000 Indians arrived in Britain to a life of poverty and want. Some of the local governments, such as that of Leicester, issued public notices asking Indians to not come to Leicester which already had a large Indian population. Why did Idi Amin throw out Indians from Uganda? As mentioned earlier, Idi Amin declared that he had been given a divine message in a dream to expel Indians from Uganda. In the explanations for his actions which he gave later he called Indians 'blood suckers' who were draining the Ugandan economy. Once Indians left, the Ugandan economy was ruined. Uganda became one of the poorest countries of Africa. Did Idi Amin face any consequences for his actions? No, Idi Amin did not face any consequences for his actions. He remained President of Uganda for five more years till on 11ᵗʰ April 1979 he was finally ousted after a mutiny by a section of the Ugandan Army resulted in a military intervention by Tanzania. During his brutal rule Idi Amin had managed to kill over 500,000 black Africans. But when he was ousted the new government thought it fit to let him flee to Saudi Arabia rather than seek revenge upon him. What happened to the Indians who were expelled? While the British government tried its best to stop the flow of Indians into Britain, the Jews of Britain welcomed them and provided them much needed support. The displaced Indians rebuilt their lives, much in the manner of Indians when they are persecuted. One such was the father of Zohran Mamdani, the young man who was elected Mayor of New York. Priti Patel, the British politician active in Conservative Party is another. Then there is the Jatiana family who became one of the richest families in UK with a wealth estimated to be over £650 million. The Madhvani family, led by Manubhai Madhvani too needs mention. The majority of those forcibly displaced did not make it so big. Many had to struggle to make two ends meet. A very large number had to take up low paying jobs which required hard labour. But, they all remained resilient. None of them took to a life of crime nor did they commit suicide. About 300 of them did accept the apology of President Museveni in 1997 and set up businesses once again but, this time only in Kampala. Pic. Indians getting off the flight from Uganda at Stansted airport on 18 September 1972. Photographed by P Felix who then worked for the Daily Express. Courtesy Indian history fb post