4 years: 500 attacks

Shocked? For Australian media, it's not even a story anymore

4 years: 500 attacks

Shocked? For Australian media, it's not even a story anymore

The Federation of Indian Students in Australia has come up with a shocking statistic there have been more than 500 attacks on Indian students over the past four years. There are over 80,000 Indian students in Australia. The Federation has called for a peace rally today "in response to the growing anger in the community".

The rally will begin Sunday morning from Royal Melbourne Hospital, where Sravan Kumar Theerthala is battling for life, and conclude at Victorian Parliament House. It will end with a candlelight vigil in support of the victims of the crimes.

Anger among Indians in Australia reached a high point after two separate attacks in Sydney and Melbourne left young Indian men in hospital. Last weekend, Sravan Kumar Theerthala from Andhra Pradesh was stabbed with a screwdriver by a gatecrasher at a Melbourne party, an attack that left him in a coma. Hours later in Sydney, hospitality graduate Rajesh Kumar was sitting in his bed at the house he shared with other Indians when a petrol bomb was thrown through the window. He received burns to 30 per cent of his body.

Dr Yadu Singh, a Sydney cardiologist working with the Indian Government to address the violence against Indian students, says, "The attacks are not random, people are targeting them because they are Indian. They know students are easy targets."

Police in Australia concede several Indians are victims in robbery statistics, but don't accept they are being targeted because of race."Sometimes, it is just a combination of timing and chance," said Inspector Scott Mahony from Melbourne's western suburbs.

Criminals went for soft targets, and Indians fell in this category because they often travelled alone at night and were passive by nature, police argued. Those representing international students at Australian universities said other foreign students were also being targeted.

But the Indian community is convinced racial hatred is at the heart of the issue. Sujatha Singh, India's High Commissioner to Australia, said she did not think Australia was "a racist society", but there were elements that held "racist attitudes".

Some have suggested the attackers acted out of jealousy of Indian students' academic success, but Dr Yadu Singh said the hate was more basic. "These criminals are not competitors of Indian students. They have nothing else to do but robbing and committing crimes."

High Commissioner Singh slammed local police as insensitive in their dealings with Indian students, after it was suggested some students were preyed on because they carried expensive gadgets.

Dr Yadu Singh said the image of the wealthy Indian student was outdated. Today, most came from impoverished backgrounds and worked late at night, to survive, he said. A recent victim, 21-year-old Sourabh Sharma, was viciously bashed by six men while travelling home alone on a train after working a night shift at a fast-food restaurant.

Dr Yadu Singh said, "Students are worried that lodging a formal police report will ruin their chances at permanent residency. So they suffer the humiliation... and the criminals think: 'We are pretty safe robbing them'." Local police have promised to step up patrols while Indian community leaders hope to teach students how to be street smart.

The highest levels of Australian Government are looking into the issue. Deputy PM Julia Gillard, also education minister, has pledged to meet students to discuss safety concerns and to urge local police to crack down on thugs.

Money is a major motivator for the Australian Government. The number of Indians studying in Australia has more than doubled since 2006 to 93,000, contributing about $2 billion to the economy last year.

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