Indian envoy to meet Brumby;Police ask victims to report cases

Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, Feb 6 (PTI) Amid a slew of attacks on Indian
students in Australia, High Commissioner Sujatha Singh is set
to meet Victorian Premier John Brumby to discuss the issue,
even as the state's police chief Saturday asked the community
members to trust his department and report the assault cases.
Singh would meet Brumby during the weekend after he
sought a meeting following her discussion of the crisis with
Victorian Governor General Quentin Bryce last week, sources
told PTI, without giving details.
Singh had in her meeting with Bryce applauded the role of
police in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, but
said Victoria was taking too long to respond and was in a
state of "denial" over the severity of attacks.
Her remarks prompted Brumby to seek a meeting with her
again to assure that his government was doing all it could to
stop the attacks. They had met last month also.
"I'll be able to inform her of all of these things and
reassure her that Victoria is a much safer place than other
places in Australia and indeed around the world," Brumby said.
There have been over 100 instances of attacks on Indians,
most of them students, in Australia since last year.
21-year-old Nitin Garg, who was stabbed to death on January 2,
was the first victim of such attacks this year.
Meanwhile, Victorian police commissioner Simon Overland
said Indian students, particularly men working as taxi drivers
and convenience stores attendants, were over-represented as
victims of robberies rather than permanent residents. (More)
PTI