Not all attacks were racist: Oz Indian student body

“Two Indian students have been assaulted in Sydney’s CBD overnight,with one man suffering cuts to his face after being hit by a beer bottle,” the ABC reported about the incident that took place on Sunday.

Giving a new twist to its earlier made statements,FISA now stated that,”not all attacks were racist.”

It will be unfair to say that all attacks were racist or all Australians were racist. However,we will still take attacks on its face value,” organisation’s spokesperson Gautum Gupta said.

Stating that while there was a very thin line to indicate whether the attack was a racial one or was a petty crimes,Gupta maintained “there is an urgent need to take an action against such attacks that are growing in numbers across the Australia over the past few years.”

Speaking to a visiting Indian media delegation here along with the Australian media,Gupta said that in most of the cases,the attacks ended with a racial slur. However,few assaults were racist attacks like the one that left a 25-year old student Rajesh Kumar in Sydney with 30 per cent burn after attackers hurled a petrol bomb on his house where motive was not robbery or anything else.

According to Ravi Bhatia,Primus Australia Chief,said there was no such evidence that could show if there was a planned or organised racial attacks in Australia.

Bhatia,who have been blaming media on making an overreaction on the Indian students attack said that he never faced any racism in Australia and the country was absolutely safe for any student or traveller.

Yadu Singh,a reputed cardiologist from Sydney,said there were more crimes in India and more racism in India as compared to Australia.

“We cant call all sorts of crimes that happens to Indians as a racist crimes,” he said. Meanwhile,ABC report on Sunday quoted statements from team of visiting Indian media delegation as saying that they do not believe recent attacks on Indian students were acts of racism.

“There is this huge impression right now in the country about what’s happening,” according to a visiting Indian journalist.

She said,”I think there’s a huge concern for Indian students,so what we are reporting from here would be of great importance,as in it would at least lay to rest some doubts that Indians would be having right now about every student being attacked.”

Earlier,a statement issued by a leading Indian origin Australian media professionals quoted Pawan Luthra,Editor and Publisher of Indian Link and owners of Link Radio station channel said,”The reportage by Indian media on the students – issue moved rapidly from reporting to downright alarmist.”

“They should have known better than to take the bait of the race card from interested parties. Were there any supporting stories on other angles on the issue – other migrant communities,the legal safeguards against racism in this society – Good journalism was sacrificed for the sake of sensational headlines.”

“It is sad that students are being attacked but even sadder that Indian media has put on racial overtones on criminal incidents particularly in a country which has one of the most vibrant multicultural societies with strict legal safeguards against racism,” he said.

Australia’s leading expert on Indian cinema and ex head of Film & Media Council Anupam Sharma said,”The wave of unjustified and wrong Anti-Australia feeling brought on by relentless sensational media coverage is now creating a bigger and more unfortunate victim – The Indo-Australian Ties.

“Indian media cannot let few people hijack the reputation of a great country Australia.” Deepak Malhotra,who hosts one of the most popular and longest running Hindi talk show had said,”The nature of the crime committed has no racist overtones. I have lived here for 36 years and have not experienced racism once.”