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racial attacks down under
Oz duty-bound to book culprits: Krishna
Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service

BJP activists burn a photograph of Australian PM Kevin Rudd during a protest in Bhopal. — Reuters

Bangalore, January 4
Reacting strongly to the murder of an Indian student in Australia, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna today said the Australian government was duty-bound to investigate the stabbing of the youth in Melbourne and bring the culprits to book. He said such incidents would vitiate the atmosphere of trust and cordiality between the two countries.

“Incidents like this will only vitiate the atmosphere of trust, the atmosphere of belief, the atmosphere of cordiality of the relationship,” he told reporters here today after making a courtesy call to Karnataka Governor HR Bharadwaj.

Whatever be the motive behind the murder, whether it was a racist attack or provoked by some other reason, said Krishna, the Australian government must carry out a thorough investigation and round up the culprits. “That is the least the Australian government can do and that is what we expect,” he said while replying to a question.

Krishna said the relationship between the two nations had been very strong and mentioned three high-level visits by the Australian political leadership to India and his own to Australia last year.

The Union Minister said he had on Monday morning spoken to the Indian High Commissioner in Canberra, who had taken up the issue with the Australian government “in the strongest possible terms”.

Nitin Garg, 21, originally hailing from Punjab, was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants in Melbourne. He became the first victim to succumb to his injuries out of several Indians who were attacked in Australia in the recent past allegedly on racist grounds.

India eager to wrap up social security pact
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 4
In the backdrop of another fatal attack on an Indian Down Under, New Delhi is learnt to have conveyed to Australia its keen desire to speed up negotiations for an early conclusion of a bilateral social security pact.

A concerned New Delhi has also sought from the Indian High Commission full details of the brutal attack on Nitin Garg, a 21-year-old student hailing from Punjab and working part-time in a restaurant.

Official sources here said the government was initially quite hopeful that the series of measures put in place by the Australian authorities would help ensure the safety and security of Indians Down Under. However, the latest attack has put paid to all such hopes. Sources said attack shows that the problem of racial attacks on Indian students is far from over and the Australian authorities need to take more effective measures. They were hopeful that a social security pact would go a long way in protecting Indians settled in Australia.

India has already signed social security accords with Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The significantly growing Indian community of largely skilled migrants in Australia has been pushing for such an accord.

As per reports, there are more than 120,000 Indian students in Australia - predominantly from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Nearly 100 attacks on Indians - mainly students - were reported from Australia during the last year.

In shock, Nitin Garg’s family waits for body
Mohit Khanna
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 4
‘‘I want my son back. I want to see him one last time," lamented Parveen Garg, a widow and mother of Nitin Garg, 23, the Jagraon youth who was killed in a suspected racial attack in Australia, while mourning his death along with other women at her home in Vikas Nagar colony.

Nitin's uncle, Raj Kumar, said she had not eaten since the time she was told her son was stabbed to death by assailants in Melbourne. The deceased’s relatives are demanding the victim's body should be sent back to India as soon as possible to enable the family to perform his last rites.

Nitin, who is said to have been recently granted permanent residency in Australia, was studying for a graduate degree in accountancy. He was brutally stabbed in the abdomen by a group of young people while he was returning back home after finishing his shift at a restaurant, where he was working part-time.

"He was a fun loving guy and always supported his friends and students who hailed from Punjab. He was good in accountancy and stood first in the class during the examination. He was looking forwards to a job in a bank," said Aman, a friend of Nitin, who travelled along with him to Melbourne for studies three years ago. It was Aman who broke the news to the family about Nitin’s death.

Hanish Garg, the victim’s elder brother who last met Nitin on December 27 during his trip to Australia, was cursing the moment when he allowed Nitin to pursue studies Down Under. "We have a flourishing business here and I had persuaded him to return back after his degree," said Hanish while leaving for Delhi to catch a flight to Melbourne.

Back home in Vijay Nagar, Nitu, the victim’s sister and the youngest member of the family, was in complete shock. She has fond memories about her brother. "He was more like a friend, we didn’t have much of an age difference so we shared a good understanding with each other," she cried, while showing clothes he had brought for her from Australia during his visit to India last November and December, which turned out to be his last.