Thaindian News

Chandigarh/New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is deputy chief minister, Wednesday met Australian High Commissioner to India Peter Varghese, and sought immediate steps to ensure safety of Punjabi students and immigrants in that country.
The meeting by the Badals and their delegation with the high commissioner follows the death of two Punjabi youth in Australia in recent days. The attacks are being suspected to be racially motivated.

“The delegation called on Australian High Commissioner Mr. Peter Varghese at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi and presented a memorandum to him for taking up the matter at the highest level in the government of Australia to ensure quick and effective response to the situation,” the chief minister’s spokesman said.

He added that the high commissioner assured the delegation that he would take up the matter with his government with utmost urgency, adding that the Australian government was fully alive to the Indian concerns, especially those of the people of Punjab.

The memorandum submitted to the high commissioner said: “We are constrained to draw your kind attention to the mounting concern in the minds of the people of Punjab over the growing incidence of racist attacks against Punjabi immigrants living in Australia.”

“The latest incidents involve two young boys from the state. Nitin Garg, a student in Melbourne, and Gurmail Singh, a farmer in New South Wales were brutally attacked by the racist elements. The body of Gurmail Singh has been found by the Australian police in burnt state while Nitin Garg was stabbed to death.

“The nature of crime in both cases point clearly to hate crimes. These incidents, coming as the latest link of long chain of such racist atrocities against Indians in general and the Punjabis in particular, have sent shock waves in the entire state.”

The memorandum further pointed out that the incidents went against the spirit of any civilized society.

Indian students comprise the second largest group among immigrant students coming to Australia for their tertiary education.

“There is a widespread feeling in the minds of the people here that the authorities in Australia are not doing enough to provide deterrence to the racist and lawless elements, which had emboldened the latter to step up their heinous crimes against innocent immigrants. The situation has assumed the proportions of a grave human tragedy,” said the memorandum.