Click to play videoMelbourne: Two teenagers have been arrested for the racial attack on Indian student 21-year-old Sourabh Sharma in Melbourne (Australia).
"I'm appalled by these attacks and I condemn them absolutely. Australia takes very seriously its reputation as a safe destination for Indian students. Action is being taken. The police have launched a police operation specifically to investigate allegations of attacks on students," said Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.
The Australian government has already established a hotline staffed by volunteers who are fluent in English and Hindi to provide support, information and advice to Indian students living in the country.
Sourabh was attacked on the night of May 9 when he was on a train. He surrfered a fractured cheek bone and a broken tooth in the assault. He was also abused and then robbed
The attack was captured on close circuit television cameras. The two boys arrested are 16-year-old and 18-year-old.
Australian authorities claim the attacks are limited to just one area even as friends of the student who suffered brain damage say they are being intimidated.
"I don't know the motive but while attacking they were giving racial abuses. He is in a critical condition. Doctors are unable to tell anything. They say that it's a risk for a person to be in ICU in a critical condition on life support. The final word will be in 10-12 days. Students here are scared and they don't want to go out alone. Police say that we should travel in groups but that's not always possible. Improved security measures are necessary for locals. Counselling should be conducted for teens on racial tolerance," an Indian student Narasimha Rao said.
Indians have been attacked in Australia earlier too. Cabbie Balraj Singh was attacked on May 20, 2008, by two men who had hired his cab.
In April last year, 23-year-old Indian student Jalvinder Singh was stabbed four times in the chest.
Australia is investing nearly $3.5million to attract Indian students to study on its soil. But that campaign could remain a non-starter if the issue of racial attacks isn't addressed.
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