India calls on Australia to take action on attacks

Sally Sara, New Delhi

Last Updated: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:24:00 +1000

Officials in India are calling on the Australian government to take action after the alleged assault of four Indian men in the south eastern state of Victoria.

The men say they were bashed by up to 70 people in a car park in the Melbourne suburb of Epping at the weekend.

But police say there were only four or five offenders, although there were another 15 people making racist comments.

The alleged assault has received widespread media attention in India with Indian news channel Times Now, broadcasting a special half-hour programme called Punched, Beaten and Abused.

Meanwhile, media editor and author, Farruk Dhondy has urged Indians in Australia to take matters into their own hands.

"There really has to be some form of retaliation from the Indian community as a whole. India has to stand up," he said.

"Indians in Australia have to stand up and demonstrate that they are not there in a victim culture, simply complaining to the police."

Government response

But the response from the Indian government has been more measured.

The spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, Vishnu Prakash, is calling on the Australian government and Victorian police to take action to prevent further attacks on Indians in Australia.

"We hope that the latest incident is investigated with care and the culprits are dealt with," he said.

No guarantee

The Deputy Australian High Commissioner to India, Lachlan Strahan says the latest attack on Indians in Australia is deeply regrettable, but cant guarantee it will be the last.

"We've seen an appreciable decline in the number of incidents, but again, I must stress we cannot give a categorically guarantee that no such incidents will happen again," he said.

The alleged assault comes as Victorian Premier John Brumby prepares to travel to India.

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