Fresh attack in Australia, petrol bomb hurled at Indian youth

Natasha Chaku

Melbourne, May 29 (PTI) In a fresh attack targeting
Indians in Australia, a student suffered up to 30 per cent
burns after a suspected petrol bomb was hurled at him in his
home in Sydney.

According to local newspaper for Indian community, South
Asia Times, 25-year-old Rajesh Kumar was quickly covered by a
blanket by his flatmate after the attack Thursday, an act
which saved him from further injuries.

Kumar was sitting on his bed in the front room of his
rented house when an unknown person threw what neighbours say
was a small petrol bomb through his window. The explosion and
subsequent fire left Kumar with burns to a third of his body.

The latest attack came as Shravan Kumar, a 25-year-old
student from Andhra Pradesh, was fighting for life in a
hospital here after being stabbed by a screwdriver by a group
of teens in a weekend attack that also left three of his
friends injured. Doctors have said they were not very
optimistic about Kumar's recovery.

Another student Baljinder Singh, stabbed by two attackers
with a screwdriver early this week, has been released from
hospital Friday.

A New South Wales Fire Brigades spokesman said Rajesh
Kumar's flatmate Arminder Singh did the right thing when he
grabbed a blanket and threw it over his friend, helping to
extinguish the flames.

"He was crying, on fire. He lay down on the ground and I
put the blanket on him," Singh said adding "I told him
everything was going to be OK. He was asking: 'Is my face OK?"

Singh, 33, said he was halfway between the laundry and
kitchen when he heard the sound of smashing glass and his
friend screaming. He and another flatmate, Chander Mohan, said
they saw Kumar run out of his bedroom and out the front door
with his back and arms on fire.

Singh and Mohan said the attack was terrifying.

"We could not sleep, we could not eat all night," Singh
said.

They had moved into the house with Kumar and two other
flatmates in February but were moving out again as soon as
possible, Mohan said.

He said Kumar had no enemies and had not been in any
trouble. "We don't know why," Mohan said.

Singh said he had been robbed on the street three times
in the past two months. PTI NC
RKM
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