Show restraint, govt urges Indian students in Australia

NEW DELHI: Concerned over reports of some Indian students in Australia retaliating following the spate of attacks on them, the government on Tuesday asked them to exercise restraint.

"I would like to urge the Indian students to be patient and show restraint. They have gone there (Australia) for higher studies. They should concentrate on that rather than retaliate," external affairs minister S M Krishna told reporters outside Parliament House today.

He said the Australian government has given "fullest assurance" that steps will be taken to ensure the safety of Indian students.

A 20-year-old man was stabbed in Melbourne on Monday after he had allegedly racially abused a group of Indian students here in possibly the first act of retaliation.

According to reports, Indian students have formed groups to patrol troubled areas in Melbourne to prevent racial attacks on community members. They were asked by the Australian police to stop the practice and let them do their jobs.

Asked if there was any reduction in the number of staff members at the Indian embassy in Australia due to cost cutting, Krishna said the government will examine the issue.

On Monday night, around 200 Indian students, some of them armed with baseball bats and hockey sticks, gathered at the main street of Harris Park to protest against the recent racial violence, according to Skynews TV channel.

The demonstration started last night after a 20-year-old Indian student was allegedly assaulted by a group of men of Middle Eastern appearance, police said.

According to police officer Robert Redfern, the Parramatta local area commander, the attacks were "opportunistic" and not racially motivated.