Hyderabad: After a spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia over the last month, questions are being raised about whether the continent has always been racist or whether these are stray incidents.
Shravan Kumar from Hyderabad is still fighting for his life in a hospital in Melbourne. Shravan's uncle left for Melbourne late on Friday night.
He was brutally assaulted by 2 young Australians who gatecrashed a party of Indian students.
Indian student Baljinder Singh was stabbed by two men in the abdomen as he was leaving a railway station. The two attackers apparently asked Baljinder to hand over his wallet, but even before he could do so they stabbed him in the stomach.
Speaking to NDTV, an overwrought Baljinder said he wouldn't advice students to come to Australia.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Students in Australia has called for a peace rally on Sunday in Melbourne in response to the growing anger in the community against increasing hate crimes.
And, as India steps up pressure on Australia for the immediate stop of attacks on Indian students, Australia arrested five teenagers in connection with the recent assaults on Indian students and charged one of them with attempted murder.
The Australian Prime Minister condemned the attacks but his words bring little comfort to Shravan Kumar's family.
T Chidambaram, Shravan's father's slammed the Australian PM's statement.
The action taken by the Australian government will be keenly watched. And is sure to have an impact on students heading to Australia for studies. In Victoria itself, more than 45,000 Indian students are pursuing their studies. These are tough times and most of them are feeling threatened.
Deven Tanna, secretary of Federation of Indian Students' Association says Indians in Australia don't know what to do.
"Nobody has got back to us in terms of the measures being taken. The only information that we have is through media and online articles based on government's assurances. Indian students here were already living in fear these incidents have added on to that fear but now it has got mixed with confusion. They don't know whether to go to work or study. Many Indian students here work odd hours. Police say avoid night time. So what are we supposed to do?" he says.
Tanna adds: "I met Baljinder Singh who was stabbed. He was not carrying anything when the incident happened. He was returning from work and he was asked for his wallet which was giving to them. And he was still stabbed. So the issue of ipods and other such valuables is just a coverup. It cannot be applied in practice. None of the victims of the last attack were carrying any valuables."