India dismayed over attacks on Indians in Oz, summons envoy

NEW DELHI, Jan 29 (KUNA) -- India has taken a strong exception to the continued racial attacks on Indians in Australia, even as ten fresh such attacks took place Down Under during the past 36 hours.

The Indian Government summoned Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese for explanation about continuation of such attacks in his country.

Also, Indias Junior External Affairs Minister Preneet Kaur issued a statement saying: "We have learnt with dismay today, of fresh incidents of violence against Indians residing in Australia, with the latest reports coming from Brisbane where four Indians, including three taxi drivers were attacked in two separate incidents." She added: "Indias External Affairs Minister SM Krishna met his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith on the margins of the Conference on Afghanistan in London yesterday and conveyed that these attacks are particularly worrisome as the Indian community individuals appear to be singled out and it was becoming increasingly difficult to accept these attacks as mere opportunistic crime devoid of any racial motives." "It was the responsibility of the Australian authorities to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to book at the earliest and immediately put effective measures into practice, to prevent any further attacks," she further stated in the statement.

Indias stance against the incidents of attacks on Indians is arguably India's most aggressive move so far over the attacks against Indians in Australia.