Adelaide. All is not well with the Indian community living in Australia. The news of burning down of a Copper Tiffin Restaurant [1]owned by an Indian named Yash Desai, in Sydney on Cleveland Street is still fresh in everyone’s mind. And now three cars belonging to Indian students were torched by a gang of teens in fire bomb attacks, which have been described by the Indian community as ‘racial’.
Acccording to ‘Adelaide Now’, the students lived in Greenacres suburb and said the early morning fire-bombs attacks have left them shattered and are scared of their lives now.
Yasif Multani, a 28 year old Indian student, claimed that a group of about fifteen neighborhood teenagers were responsible for the attacks on the Indian community.
He added that two of his cars were torched in the attack on Tuesday morning and various other cars had been torched in the past three months, the report had said.
The dust bins had been sprayed with racist graffiti and they were emptied in the streets. The windscreens of the cars had been smashed within the complex.
Multani quoted one of his friends, as saying that he saw a teenager on a bicycle throwing petrol bombs on the cars on Tuesday. He added that those people knew when the students were at home and when they were working. During nights they bang doors and run away.
Melbourne. In an incident held earler, the Victorian County Court heard that Aleksander Trifunovic drove his two other friends Shayne Comensoli and Lennon Metaxas around Melbourne’s west, looking for an Indian person to rob on a night of last October, the AAP reported.
A 23-year-old Indian student was brutally attacked robbed, and left unconscious at a telephone booth in Melbourne by a group of three youngsters.
Aleksander Trifunovic drove his friends- Shayne Comensoli and Lennon Metaxas- around Melbourne’s west, looking for an Indian to rob in October last year, the Victorian County Court was told on Wednesday.
Prosecutor Amelia Macknay said the attack was due to the perception that Indians are known for keeping cash with them, AAP reported.
Comensoli and Metaxas, both aged 20, who had been drinking at a hotel, spotted Lucky Singh in a phone booth in Sunshine about 1.30 am October 15, 2009. They got out of the car and attacked him, prosecutor Amelia Macknay said.
Metaxas kept punching Singh repeatedly while the victim screamed in pain and fear. Comensoli told the victim, “‘Shut up, you Indian’…,” and then said, “‘now it’s my turn'”.
The victim was hit up to 20 times on his head and face and curled up on the ground covering his head with his arms, the report said, adding the attackers then picked him up, dumped him on a park bench and continued the attack.
Singh was left bleeding and unconscious on the footpath, suffering bone fractures, severe swelling and bruising.
The attackers stole $ 80 in cash from Singh’s wallet and split it between them, then called for Trifunovic, 20, to collect them.
Singh, who had been living in Victoria for eight months, said in his statement that the attack had shattered his confidence and he suffered flashbacks.
Comensoli pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury and robbery, while Trifunovic pleaded guilty to aiding a robbery.
However, defence lawyer Ron Tait denied there was a racial aspect to Trifunovic’s crimes.
No racial aspect? Attacking an Indian while he is returning home after doing a part-time job, or burning down his cars while he is sleeping, is not a ‘racial attack’ in the eyes of the Australian Police?
Ex Australian PM, Kevin Rudd had given various assurances to the External Affairs Minister, S.M.Krishna that hoodlums who participate in such attacks will be severely dealt with. Recently, the Honorable Court there has given a suspended sentence in a similar case .
Will Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard now wake up to this problem and issue suitable directives to the Police to ensure that such instances do not recur in future and the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice? Otherwise the Indian government will be forced to look at other diplomatic options to ensure the safety of Indians residing there.
Ravi Matah.