Indian student stabbed in Australia in a latest assault case

Natasha Chaku

Melbourne, May 28 (PTI) In a fresh incident of racial
attack on Indians in Australia, a 25-year old student was
stabbed here, even as another youth from India's southern
state of Andhra Pradesh was battling for life after an assault
by local teenagers.

Baljinder Singh, 25 was attacked on Monday night when
two men carrying weapons approached, the 'Herald Sun'
reported.

The attackers demanded money and as Singh was
searching through his bag to hand over his wallet he was
stabbed in the abdomen. Singh screamed for his life, his
attackers laughed and fled the scene, the report said.

"I bent down and one guy stabbed me," Singh said
adding "I just wanted to save my life and yelled "just don't
kill me."

"They just laughed when they stabbed me in the
stomach. They laughed at me...I was screaming 'don't kill me,
don't kill me'."

Singh was quoted saying that he believed that the city
was a safe place to live, but was now convinced that Indian
nationals are being targeted as easy prey.

"We're not safe here now," he said adding "I thought
it was safe here, that's why I came to Australia.

"Now there are lots of attacks. You can see that in
the western suburbs, but I thought Carnegie was the safest
place in Melbourne."

Singh, who is recuperating from emergency surgery at
the Alfred Hospital, has not told his family for fear they
will be distressed.

Police official Darrell Allen said it was an
"opportunistic crime", but was not racially motivated.

"We fear that if we don't act quickly and get the
public's assistance there will be further attacks in the
future," he said adding "I don't think it's racially
motivated. It's an opportunistic crime and it's of great
concern."

A youth from Andhra Pradesh was battling for life
after a brutal racial attack on a group of four Indians by
Australian teenagers here drawing strong reaction from India
which wants an end to such violence.

Shravan Kumar, a 25-year-old student who was attacked
with a screwdriver over the weekend along with his three
friends is in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital here
and doctors are "not very optimistic" about chances of his
recovery, Indian Consul General here Anita Nair said. PTI NC
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