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NEW DELHI –   A Gurudwara was allegedly torched by arsonists in Melbourne, placing further strain on diplomatic relations already damaged by a series of racial attacks on Indian students. This  has been termed as an ‘attack on religion’.

A fire suspected of being set with Molotov cocktails inside a Sikh temple under construction in a Melbourne suburb has caused outrage in India.

Someone using an accelerant started the fire that caused major damage at Nanaksar Taath Temple in Cranbourne.

Australian police today said the blaze in a gurudwara here was a “deliberate” act and  an outraged Sikh community called the incident “race-related” and “an attack on Indians”. Detective Senior Constable Paul Stow, in charge of the investigation, said police believed the arson to be a “deliberately lit fire.”        

The partially-built Nanksar Thath Gurudwara in Lynbrook area here – a home to a congregation of Sikhs –  was damaged due to the fire that broke out at 0030 hrs local time yesterday.

Reacting to the incident, Gurudwara elder Satnam Singh said the wilful destruction of a “God house” was an attack on Indians.

“At this stage there is nothing to suggest it is race-related, other than the fact that it happened to a temple,” Detective Constable Stow was quoted as saying.

“Our consulate in Melbourne is in the process of ascertaining details from the Gurdwara Management Committee and also following up on the incident with Australian authorities,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said.

India said it was in contact with Australia over the incident that has outraged Sikhs sentiments  in Melbourne and their religious counterparts in India’s Punjab State.

Photos carried in Australian papers showed the structure was badly charred by the fire.

Tensions between India and Australia have run high over a number of physical attacks and even murder of Indian students in Australia, mostly in and around Melbourne.

India issued a travel advisory to students in Australia telling them to take great care about their security.

The first-ever attack on a Gurdwara (Temple) in Australia has triggered condemnation from Sikhs in that country and in India.

In Punjab, where most Sikhs live, the state’s Chief Minister, Prakash Singh Badal,  fumed at the torching of the temple.

Badal said on Wednesday he had taken up the matter with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.  Badal also referred to the arson fire as part of the pattern of racial discrimination against Australia’s Indian minority.

Adding to the growing number of attacks on Indians in Australia, there is yet another disturbing news of an Indian taxi driver racially abused in Australia’s victoria state.

According to the Australian police, the taxi driver was beaten by a drunk passenger in Victoria yesterday. The alleged offender was arrested at the scene and has now been charged with two counts of making threats to kill and criminal damage.

Some stern measures  will have to be taken by the Australian authorities to stop these aattacks to ensure that this menace does not spoil the otherwise harmonious relations between the two countries.

Ravi Matah

Tags: Melbourne, Racial attack, Sikh Temple Torched, Sikhs outraged, Taxi Driver beaten

This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 10:43 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.