Thousands of Indian students and their supporters rallied into the city of Melbourne, demanding justice for the victims of the recent attackon Indian students as the Australian Government was not able to contain the rising anger and frustration within the community.
Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA) and National Union of Students (NUS) kicked off with the rally from outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where 25 year old Shravan Kumar has been hospitalized since May 9. Kumar was stabbed with a screw-driver by a group of Australian teenagers. T. J. Rao, former Counsel-General of India in Melbourne said, “He (Kumar) has come out of the coma and even moved his hands.” Rao too participated in the rally, also joined by around 5000 other participants. They marched from Victorian Parliament house on Spring Street, holding placards with the slogans reading ‘We Want Justice,’ ‘We Are The Economy Builders,’ and ‘End Racist Attacks.’
The state opposition leader in Australia Ted Baillieu and other community leaders too joined the rally while the marchers proposed to hand over their list of demands to the lawmakers which ultimately couldn’t materialize.
The foreign minister for the Australian government Stephen Smith admitted that the attacks are the “current problem” facing the Indian community. He was quoted as saying, “We’re doing everything that we can, both with Indian communities in Australia and India itself....but also working very closely with the relevant state authorities.”
My personal view would be whatever Australian Government do as of now from relaxation of migratory laws to affirmation of security for Indian rather foreign students, the country now, would certainly be the second option for young students to come and make a career for themselves, thus, hampering their own economy in some way or the other. Also somewhere, it would affect the Indian- Australian political relations too.
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