IN AUSTRALIA, ANOTHER BHARATIYA SET ON FIRE *** Jai Maharaj posts
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Oz revels in denial as attacks mount
Pioneer News Service - Indraprasth
The Pioneer
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The spate of attacks on Indians living in Australia shows no sign of
abating. Even as the Australian Government continues to deny racial
motives behind the violence, yet another Indian became a victim.
Twenty-nine-year-old Jaspreet Singh was set on fire by assailants in
Melbourne, prompting an outraged New Delhi to question Canberra's
inaction. Australia, of course, condemned the incident and said it
would not jump into conclusions.
The latest attack comes a week after the stabbing to death of 21-
year-old Indian graduate Nitin Garg in a Yarraville park while he was
on his way to his part-time job at a restaurant. The body of another
Indian youth, 25-year-old Ranjodh Singh, was found in Willbriggie in
the neighbouring state of New South Wales on December 29.
India amplified its exasperation over the continuance of such
"disturbing" incidents despite promises of action by the Australian
Government and said the matter had been taken up "vigorously" with
authorities there.
"We came to know that another attack has taken place in Australia. It
is unfortunate that things are not moving as they promised. It is
very disturbing for everyone of us in the Government as well as for
the people of the country," Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar
Ravi told reporters here.
Ravi said Australian authorities must act tough on those behind such
crimes and put them behind bars. "I want to make it loudly clear that
the (Australian) Government should take preventive action," he
stated.
Ravi claimed the police know the elements behind these attacks and
the persons committing these crimes. "Why cannot they arrest them and
put them behind bars and prosecute them? My suggestion is that please
take preventive action against these elements. Our Government
expresses serious concerns and waiting for better results," Ravi said
on the sidelines of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.
Terming the incident as "unfortunate", External Affairs Ministry
spokesman Vishnu Prakash said the Indian High Commissioner in
Canberra and Consul General in Melbourne were following up the matter
"vigorously with the Australian authorities".
He said Indian authorities were informed that Jaspreet had suffered
burn injuries in an attack by unidentified assailants in Melbourne
early this morning. "No further details regarding the individual or
incident are available at present," he said.
Prakash said the condition of the victim was not critical but that he
had been hospitalised and receiving treatment. Interestingly, he had
a word of advice for the media. "Under the circumstances, the media
is advised to exercise utmost restraint in reporting on these
sensitive issues as it could aggravate the situation and could have a
bearing on our bilateral relations with Australia," the spokesman
said.
Separately, Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur told
reporters, "Australia is a sovereign nation. We have taken up the
matter at the highest levels. I think the country certainly needs to
step up its law and order."
Australian Deputy Premier Julia Gillard condemned the attack on
Singh, saying the "matter remains under investigation by Victorian
police and Government would not comment further until police provide
more information. Government condemns such acts of violence in the
strongest way," she said.
Gillard had angered the Indian Government when she had dismissed an
earlier attack that had claimed a life saying it happened all the
time in major cities across the world.
The police in Melbourne said that, as the victim was getting out of
the car four men attacked him, pushing him back against the vehicle
and pouring an unknown fluid on him. One of the men then ignited the
fluid with a lighter before all the attackers fled.
Jaspreet ran from the car while peeling off his clothes. Acting
Senior Sergeant Neil Smyth said it was not yet known who the four men
could be or their relationship to the victim. He said investigations
indicate the attack was random.
"It's unlikely to be a racially motivated incident as due to the
timing and the nature, it's highly unlikely anyone could have
targeted the victim in the circumstances," Smyth said.
Singh's friends said he had been living in the city on a spouse visa.
Gautam Gupta, President of Federation of Indian Students of Australia
(FISA), said such attacks are unacceptable and the federal Government
must act against them.
"We are extremely disturbed, we have contacted the Prime Minister's
Office and have suggested that they intervene, it's high time they
intervene," he said. "How many times are they going to just dodge
this issue?"
Meanwhile, the Government has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs
2.5 lakh for the family of Nitin Garg. The Ministry of External
Affairs made the announcement on Saturday as the body of the 21-year-
old was brought home from Australia.
In a statement, the MEA said the Government of India had also borne
all expenses for the repatriation of the body of the deceased to
India, including transportation. An officer of the Consular, Passport
and Visa Division of MEA was at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International
Airport this afternoon and assisted in the release of Garg's body, it
said.
Earlier, the Indian Consulate in Melbourne extended all necessary
facilitation for early release of the body of the victim and its
repatriation to India, the statement said.
The body was received by the deceased's brother Aneesh and was later
transported by road to his native place in Ludhiana in Punjab. An MEA
official accompanied the body till it reached the final destination.
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