Melbourne, January 12: The Australian government is still downplaying the racist angle in the attacks on Indians Down Under.
Instead the Australian government has been blaming the Indian media for its coverage of the attacks.
“Indians are safer in this country than they are in their own country. If you have a look at the data, they are safer here than they are in India. They’re the facts, what we’re seeing is really a hysterical and uninformed outcry from some portions of the Indian media, and I expect we’re just going to have to live with that,” said Victoria’s Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland.
However, Acting Foreign Minister Simon Crean was more diplomatic.
“We are dealing with sensitive issues here, but the fact is there is no evidence that they’re racially based. It is far better to wait for the full facts, we would urge the Indian newspapers to do that,” said Crean.
In fact, the Australian investigation into the attacks on Indians is taking an intriguing turn.
They are asking whether Jaspreet Singh’s burn injuries could have been a failed suicide attempt. His wife denied it restating the story that he was attacked and set on fire by four men late on Friday in a Melbourne suburb.
But local media quoted police sources as saying that something about the case didn’t add up.
Jaspreet apparently tore off his clothes while fleeing from his attackers. Key items of clothing are missing and police are waiting to question him again.
Similar questions are being asked about New South Wales farmer Ranjot Singh whose charred body was found on December 29.
There’s suspicion he may have been killed by fellow Indians in a dispute over pay. The Nitin Garg investigation could cover the Indian angle too.
—Agencies