An attack on Indian students in Australia – the latest in a string of such incidents- has left a 25 year old engineering student from Andhra Pradesh in critical condition in a Melbourne hospital.
Shravan Kumar, the 25-year-old student, is critical, said one of his close friends who had a narrow escape during that attack.
“Doctors are still unsure if Kumar will survive and if he does, he will lose his vision or memory”, Kumar’s friend, Srinivas Gandhi, said.(link)
The group of Indian students was attacked by a group of teenagers. In the course of the attack, the attackers reportedly made statements that the students should “Go back to India”. If that is not a racial attack, I don’t know what is!
The Australian authorities have been downplaying the racial angle to such attacks in the past. Yet, they are quick to react to any hint of racism- however imaginary – directed at one of their own.
The Australians have no compunction in taking enormous amounts of money from Indian students. Every daily in India has advertisements from various Australian Universities holding seminars to attract Indian students to apply. Some fly – by night operations even use Indian students as ATM machines. The entire scenario is based on exploitation.
Yet the Australian government has moved abysmally slowly on addressing the very real issue of violence against Indian student. See this for example.
“Last time one of the taxi drivers was killed, the government promised us there will be taxi shields inside the cabs. We are treated like second-class citizens in Australia,” Sunny Singh of suburban Blackburn was quoted as saying by local media.
What will it take for the Australian authorities to wake up?
The Indian government has shown some reaction at least:
“I have been appalled by the attack on our students in Melbourne. Our consulate general in Melbourne has been in touch with the students affected and with the state police,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters.
“We will also impress upon the Australian authorities that such attacks should not be permitted and that it is their responsibility to ensure the well-being and security of our students in Australia,” he said.(link)
I join in the condemnation of the Australian governments pathetic inaction!
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