Australia on Tuesday admitted for the first time that some of the recent attacks on Indians in the country were "racially motivated", even as the authorities asked protesting community members not to take law in their own hands and "let the police do their jobs."
Rattled by the first act of retaliation by the Indian community in Melbourne following racial attacks on them, a top police official asked Indian students to disband their patrol groups and assured that steps will be taken to ensure their safety.
Victorian Police Commissioner Simon Overland, who had been denying any racial angle to attacks against Indians, said some of the recent attacks were "racist".
"We also feel that the police force should be multicultural and people from different communities including Indian should join the police," he told foreign journalists.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the federal government had been working with Victoria and other states to ensure that Indian students feel safe in Australia.
"As a national government we're concerned about any manifestations of violence in any part of the community," Gillard was quoted as saying by the local media.
Her comments came in the wake of hundreds of Indian students protesting against the continuing attacks on the community members, especially students.
