India condemns killing of student in Australia

Sun, 03 Jan 2010

New Delhi - The government of India has condemned the killing of an Indian student in Melbourne on Sunday and asked Australian authorities to take action against the perpetrators of the attack. Nitin Garg, 21, was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants at a park in the city in south-eastern Australia. He is the first victim to succumb to injuries amid a string of racist attacks on India students and immigrants in Australia, the PTI news agency reported.

Garg who was beaten by a group of men on a previous occasion had migrated from northern India and had permanent residency in Australia.

"The Minister of External Affairs (SM Krishna) strongly condemned the brutal attack on Mr Garg and called on Australian authorities to speedily bring to book person/s responsible for the crime," a statement issued by India's Foreign Office said.

Krishna directed the Indian embassy in Australia to coordinate with Australian authorities and extend assistance to Garg's family as well as the Indian community in the city, the statement added.

According to the PTI news agency, nearly 100 cases of attacks on Indians were reported in Australia in 2009 against 17 similar assaults in 2008.

On a visit to India in November, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his government was committed to taking all possible measures to ensure safety of Indians, seeking to allay Delhi's concerns over the attacks.

Several Australian ministers have visited India in recent months as the issue threatens both the billion-dollar education industry and bilateral ties. An estimated 90,000 Indians study in Australia.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301891,india-condemns-killing-of-student-in-australia.html.