Protest in Melbourne,Andhra student out of danger

Angry over the spate of racist attacks in Australia,hundreds of Indian students on Sunday took out a massive rally in Melbourne....

amp;149;Angry over the spate of racist attacks in Australia,hundreds of Indian students on Sunday took out a massive rally in Melbourne,demanding justice for the victims of recent assaults,including 25-year-old Shravan Kumar who is battling for life in a local hospital. Kumar,who had slipped into coma,was out of danger,but still critical,said T J Rao,a former Consul General of India in Melbourne who too participated in the rally.

amp;149;The peace rally organised by bodies like Federation of Indian Students in Australia FISA and National Union of Students kicked off from outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital,where Kumar is admitted after being stabbed by a screwdriver by a group of teens on Sunday last. The marchers proceeded to the Victorian Parliament in Spring Street,where they shouted slogans like Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

amp;149;Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith,meanwhile,said his country was doing everything it could to prevent further attacks on the Indian community. Were doing everything that we can,both with the Indian community in Australia and India itself8230; but also working very closely with the relevant state authorities, he was quoted as saying.

amp;149;Another Indian student,Baljinder Singh,stabbed by two attackers recently,has been discharged from hospital while Rajesh Kumar,who suffered 30 per cent burns after a petrol bomb was hurled at him in his home,was being treated in a Sydney hospital.

amp;149;Reacting to the students rally,the Indian Consul General in Melbourne,Anita Nayar,described it as freedom of expression. Australia is a democratic country and it this rally is freedom of expression, she said.

amp;149;Insisting that Australia is not a racist country,Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy told NDTV that we should cooperate to ensure that incidents of atrocities dont occur. We should ensure Indian students are well-informed about Australia which is generally a very safe country. We are proud of our record as a multi-cultural country, he said.