This Article is From Apr 04, 2010

Indian attacked in Oz; Cops accused of keeping it under wraps

Melbourne: A 34-year-old Indian man's throat was slashed at one of the busiest train stations in
Australia's Queensland state following which a suspect was charged, amid allegations that police kept the latest in a slew of attacks against the community under wraps.

Narenderkumar Patel was injured in the knife-attack during the peak commuter hours while he waited on Platform 9 at Brisbane's Roma Street Station at 4.20 pm (local time) on March 17, according to 'The Courier-Mail'.

Patel was allegedly grabbed from behind while a knife was pressed against his throat, causing a wound that, luckily, was not deep enough to sever an artery, it said.

Shortly after the attack, a 26-year-old man was charged after handing himself in at police headquarters across the road, the report said.

The suspect was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and carrying a knife in a public place. It is believed the bluntness of the knife saved Patel from more serious injuries.

Despite police prosecutors opposing bail, the accused was released and is due to face court again on April 15.      

Police did not release the details of the assault possibly to avoid any debate about the safety of Indians in Australia. The incident was also seen by police monitoring the station on closed-circuit television screens.

The report said the "Morning Roundup" distributed by the Queensland Police to journalists made no mention of the knife-attack against Patel, raising some serious questions about police efforts to inform the public.

The roundup referred to an overnight armed robbery at an Underwood service station where a knife was allegedly used by a man with an Australian accent to demand money and about another knife-attack by a 16-year-old. 
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