By IANS,
New Delhi: With an Indian student killed and another set ablaze in Melbourne in the last 10 days, India Monday asked Australia to probe the incidents urgently and warned Canberra that failure to address the issue will cast “a shadow” over bilateral ties.
Echoing the “deep concern” here over the continuing attacks on Indians, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna conveyed the need for urgent action when his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith telephoned him Monday afternoon.
“I spoke to the foreign minister of Australia. I have drawn his attention to the increasing assaults, some of them fatal, on Indian students,” Krishna told reporters here.
“I have requested him to expedite the investigations so that the culprits can be brought to justice,” Krishna added.
Alluding to the outrage in India and in parliament over the continuing attacks on Indian students, Krishna emphasised to Smith that the “non-redressal of this vital issue will cast a shadow on our otherwise excellent bilateral relations,” the external affairs ministry said here.
Krishna urged that the Australian government immediately ensure that the concerned state police authorities deal with investigations with sensitivity and a sense of urgency, the ministry said after the two foreign ministers had spoken.
“He (Krishna) reiterated the need for immediate corrective measures, pointing out that the issue had consistently figured in our parliament,” the ministry said.
Reminding Canberra that the attacks were continuing despite repeated assurances, Krishna also sought an update on the status of the probe into the killing of Nitin Garg, a 21-year-old Indian student, over a week ago, and the latest incident in which another Indian was attacked and set ablaze.
Jaspreet Singh, a 29-year-old Indian, was attacked and set on fire by four unidentified men at Essendon in Melbourne while he was parking his car shortly before 2.00 a.m Saturday.
He is said to be in a stable condition in Alfred Hospital with burns to 20 percent of his body.
Conveying his condolences over the deaths of Indian citizens in Australia, Smith said he was “conscious of the need for an early breakthrough in the ongoing investigations concerning these incidents”.
Alluding to strong condemnation of the attacks by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Deputy Prime Minister Julian Gillard, Smith said that his government attached “the highest priority to ensure the continued well-being of Indian students.”
Smith said that he was also appreciative of the concern in the Indian parliament over the attacks and understood the spirit in which the Indian government had underlined its grave concerns.