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Family pleads for help to get stab victim's body back
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Family anger: 21-year-old Nitin Garg (AAP: Supplied)
Mourners held a candlelight vigil overnight for the Indian man stabbed to death in Melbourne at the weekend, as his family pleaded for help in returning his body to India.
Accountancy graduate Nitin Garg was killed while walking to his part-time job at a fast-food restaurant on Saturday night.
The 21-year-old's uncle, Raj Kumar, says the family wants to return his body to India as soon as possible.
The Australian High Commissioner in New Delhi, Peter Varghese, has contacted the family and offered logistical but not financial support.
Mr Kumar says he is devastated by the loss of his nephew.
"Every time we were assured by your ministry, Australian, they were protecting Indians, but they have failed in protecting Indians," he said.
The Indian government says the killing of Mr Garg was unacceptable and that the Federal Government has a moral and legal responsibility to safeguard Indians in Australia.
External affairs minister SM Krishna is calling on the Victorian and Federal governments to provide protection for Indian students.
He says India does not have any immediate plans to impose sanctions against Australia.
"I think taking into consideration the friendly relationship that we have with Australia, I don't think India would be prompted to take any other step," he said.
The Indian government is urging Victorian police to speed up their investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Mr Kumar says he is also upset that his family did not receive any notification of Mr Garg's death from Australian officials.
He says Indians are not safe in Australia despite government assurances.
"Nobody has helped us. Nobody is telling us anything. Nobody is listening to us," Mr Kumar said.
About 75 people attended the candlelight vigil at West Footscray last night to support the local Indian community.
The vigil started at the fast food restaurant where Mr Garg worked and visited the Yarraville park where he was fatally stabbed.
The ceremony was organised by the Footscray Church of Christ, whose spokeswoman, Cara Munro, says the community is distressed by the death.
"When I hear about things like this happening in a country as beautiful as Australia, I feel like we're failing," she said.
"There are things that we can do. It's just a case of mobilising and banding together.
"The more we connect interpersonally with Indian students as non-Indian Australians, the more we break down stereotypes and become more involved in each other's lives, the less likely it is that instances of violence will be tolerated."
Separate attack
Police have also revealed that they are investigating the assault of a second Indian man at a fast food outlet in Melbourne on Saturday night.
A 29-year-old man was working outside the restaurant at Hampton Park when a car-load of men pulled up and bashed him.
Federation of Indian Students spokesman Gautam Gupta says the assault is further proof of the violence directed towards his community.
"Obviously the community is very concerned at all these attacks, the senseless attacks that are ongoing," he said.
"I don't know if after all this publicity and millions of people being aware of these issues and promises being made by politicians, what will people have to do to get action?"
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Comments (36)
- 05 Jan 2010 9:18:54am
Should the Government be taking further action to protect foreign students?
- 05 Jan 2010 9:33:53am
Yes, the govt should be taking further action to protect ALL foreign students - not just those of Indian origin. These people are guests to our country and pay very handsomely to be so - they deserve more to be done to protect them.
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Danny:
05 Jan 2010 10:10:56am
Is that right Liam.
I also pay handsomely to live in this country and have done for 43 years. I don't see any special protection for me or any other of my countrymen. What makes you think there should be special attention paid to foreign students?
This is a tragedy but no more tragic than anybody else who has been attacked in towns and cities all around Australia every day. This has been a media beat up. We all deserve the right to safely walk the streets at night.
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- 05 Jan 2010 9:34:02am
Yes
But they must also address major factors leading to this tragedy such as police not having enough powers to search for concealed weapons.
I think if someone is out late at night wearing a hoodie hang'in out near a railway or take away..police should not be expected to be overly politically correct ..and should have the right to search them and perhaps move them on Cap'n:
05 Jan 2010 9:37:55am
In a realistic sense, what can they do? Offer 24hr police escorts to foreign students? The reality is, a person out alone anywhere in the world who looks "different" is a potential target to someone who knows that that person will be alone, both right at that moment and in a general sense.
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tim:
05 Jan 2010 9:40:23am
Yes, there is a problem here.
Unfortunately the Melbourne police are in denial and there Investigations take a long time.
The infamous "gangland war" took them 3 years and 20 something murders to solve.
What does this say about australia are we willing to just let things like this happen?Reply Agree (0) Alert moderator
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tuppence:
05 Jan 2010 10:06:06am
Sure it takes time to solve crimes, if you want an instant conviction I suppose the police could round up the "usual suspects" and frame someone. That might placate the mob/media for a while - but it would mean allowing the real perpetrators to get away with it. The long term result being a more violent society.
Lets stick with rigorous investigations that lead to arresting, trying and convicting the 'actual' culprits.
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madu:
05 Jan 2010 9:40:55am
I believe there is too much hype of foreign students, its a cop out to say these attacks are racially motivated.
What we need is more general security increases, not just for Indian students, but EVERYONE, of all races, classes, etc. -
Helena Andreas:
05 Jan 2010 9:44:57am
To Nitin's family and friends, the Indian community and other people who are affected by these incidents - I offer my condolences. Please know that there are many, many Australian's who love Indian people. The unintelligent person who harmed Nitin is a minority and I hope that he/she is found and stopped. From my experience Indian people are mostly beautiful, gentle, intelligent, smiling people - some of the nicest people I have met in the world! I want you to feel welcome and safe in Australia.
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Anom:
05 Jan 2010 9:53:12am
Look enough! - although Australia is so very blessed with a peaceful environment we do also have unfortunate cases of violence and criminal activity - this is unavoidable (Check out the stats - compare Australia to the world - we've got a fantastic track record). There is no indication to say that this was a racially motivated attack - maybe it has been a case of irresponsible behaviour of behalf of the victim. Speaking from the experience of being a past resident of Footscray I know that when travelling alone there are things you do and dont do - you do stick to areas where there is light, people, activity, you get public transport, and foremostly you stay alert - you don't walk through secuded areas in the evening by yourself. Indians (in particular) need to step back a minute and realize that although we are in a pretty good place they need to take some responsibility for their own safety - I'm a woman - I do! We all do! The outcry from the Indian community is unexceptable - and will only serving to alienate Indians more within Australia - Aussies will not take the whole wrap for this and every other unfortunate attack on Indians or anybody else - and we shouldn't have too. The Australian government has a duty to protect all citizens - lets hope that it can continue to do this. God bless the lad who lost his life.
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DSMatthews:
05 Jan 2010 9:54:36am
If there is any evidence of organised violence toward people based on their nationality then it is up to the federal government to instruct ASIO to investigate the groups responsible (i.e. it is a political/security issue, a form of terrorism), on the other hand if these attacks are the random acts of a handful of sociopaths who have attacked people who do not have basic urban survival skills then it is up to the police to investigate the crimes and the government to educate potential victims so that they are less likely to get into trouble. They need to be better able to recognise and avoid dangerous areas, scenarios and people. If there is one phrase that sums it up it is, "Cheap rent = Dangerous location".
We teach our girls how to avoid danger and most a sensible enough to avoid being raped, so I can't see why we can't teach people to avoid other forms of violence, or at very least minimise their risk.
The ideal, but unrealistic, solution is to clean up all the dangerous areas in our major cities so that everyone is safe no matter how clueless they are, but it is idiotic to make such demands of the police as the task is impossible to achieve without turning Australia into a draconian police state.
I wish the Indian government and media would demonstrate a greater level of emotional intellect, rather than the irrational and unhelpful outbursts they currently indulge in, because only rational though, knowledge sharing and cooperation will solve this problem. -
Only Logical:
05 Jan 2010 9:58:04am
There seems to be enough evidence now to confirm that Indian students, specifically, are being targetted.
Therefore, yes, they should have extra protection until such time as the perpetrators are caught. It's an outrage that we still have such racism in a country which is so - successfully in other ways - multicultural. -
Bob:
05 Jan 2010 10:16:23am
This stuff isn't just happening to indian students, the media is just putting the focus on them. This stuff happens in all the major cities all the time. Doesn't matter what race or religion you are every major city is dangerous at night. Even hobart; you can't walk home there alone safely. This is an issue for every person in this nation, not just indian students.
- 05 Jan 2010 9:33:53am
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Over reacting:
05 Jan 2010 9:29:09am
This was a terrible thing to happen and I am so sorry for the family and friends of this poor man.
However I feel that the Indian media and government is being short sighted in their reaction and reporting of this event. It is not the Australian government's responsibility to provide individual protection for anyone, of any ethnicity, apart from the protection the police already provide. Most people I know would shy away from walking to and from work late at night as it is dangerous. It is a sad fact of life that crime occurs and it is also the individual's responsibility to ensure they don't put themselves in a dangerous situation. We do not live in a perfect, crime free world and while we work towards that utopia, people should have a realistic idea of the limitations of police power and protection.
Whether this is racially motivated, or an opportunistic crime, the government's main responsibility is to ensure that people don't have a false sense of security and that they are aware of the dangers of walking around alone at night. -
matt:
05 Jan 2010 9:32:34am
I think not, how many murders are there, how many assaults are thhere every day, how many occur to any one particular ethnic group!! I understand their anger but to call on the government for special protection is a rather light headed statement! Should Greece be proteting Australian toruists in particular after two deaths on the isands over a 1 year period, no! Same Same
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mark:
05 Jan 2010 9:59:18am
Think so! Given the history??? If there were many incidents of Greeks harassing Aussies, they will have to act right. If it was really random, nobody would ask for specific protection..
The govt protection is more around laws, ensuring the police in the cities/towns are not plagued by racism /inaction etc
This aint good for AUS. I was planning on going there but need to think about it now!
Mark
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Eponymon:
05 Jan 2010 9:33:16am
What can the government do? What is required is a cultural shift in attitudes that avoids Indians or anyone else for that matter being assaulted. Maybe now we can have greater surveillance in our cities after all in public there should be nothing to hide. Once we get a profile of the type of person who is more likely to attack foreigners, then a more targeted approach maybe warranted.
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Harry Mudd:
05 Jan 2010 9:34:06am
The Government should be doing something to stop violent crime period.
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Unit7:
05 Jan 2010 9:39:41am
It amazes me how Deputy Police Commissioner Kieran Walsh can stand there and state that these attacks are not race related. The man must have his head in the sand.
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kelvin10:
05 Jan 2010 9:39:54am
What a tragedy for the family. It's hard to avoid the conclusion that this was not racially motivated - rather than a "random murder" (whatever that means). As a community, we seem to have bought into the proposition that "growth is good" when one of the consequences may be a big anonymous city where the sense of community and goodwill to our fellow citizens is lost. Welcome to Everywhere. On reflection, perhaps the government could formulate a fully rounded strategic plan for Melbourne and Victoria, rather than just reactions to a series of unfortunate (and in this case, tragic) events.
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HQ:
05 Jan 2010 9:45:36am
Only if it is proven it was a racial attack. It should be handled through education as well. It is possible that if it is racial, it is because of enmities that exist in the Indian region. More likely, the Indian students are seen as 'rich' because they are here to study and the attacks are both opportunistic and resentful by other young people who feel they are either displaced or disenfranchised in their own circumstances, regardless of their own racial origins.
It should not be ignored that there are more knife attacks across the community, as well as 'general' violence. This is something that we all, as well as the Federal and State governments, need to address. I sometimes wonder if anybody tells young people that it is unacceptable to act out against others. There is a general lack of responsibility towards others amongst the young. Who is teaching them? Anyone? It should come from the community as a whole, not just the parents. In too many cases, the parents are working long hours to pay their way and the children are left to fend for themselves.
All that said, never let it be forgotten that the majority of young people are well behaved, considerate and would never dream of attacking people. Drugs, alcohol and disenfranchisement are the scourge of society. That and the belief that all the streets are 'out of control' and 'violent', youngsters arm themselves and/or band together to: get them before they get us. The media has a lot to answer for in this regard. Young people have a natural herd mentality and if they see themselves up against it, they will come out fighting. It's like 'sport'. It was true when I was a teenager in the 1960s!
As for the Indian students, I hope they recognise that the majority of people they encounter here treat them well and not in a racist manner.
I have to wonder how much 'political mileage' is being made in India over this.
All that said, my condolences to the family of this young man who was on the threshold of life. -
tr:
05 Jan 2010 9:46:58am
I have young adult children and no-one protects them at night. I can only hope that we have taught them enough about personal safety to keep them safe.
The Indian government is being unrealistic in their requests for protection. If we were in India would we be given extra protection. Perhaps they need to start teaching their students about personal safety especially when they travel to foreign countries.
What is a non Indian Australian? Surely we have not come to the time where Australians are either Indian or non Indian. -
Sage:
05 Jan 2010 9:48:34am
Government can do more to maintain the order by having police in civilian clothes and driving in unmarked average cars to protect us (not only the foreign students).
There is problem with youth (and adult) alcolism in public places as well. The number of empty beer bottles in the Mebourne city has increased a lot recently. -
Sinekal:
05 Jan 2010 9:52:41am
The tragic death of one Australian permanent resident who happens to be of Indian descent is not helped one iota by the bleating of self interested politicians and others determined to play the victimised race card.
This man was so enamoured of India he moved to Australia and became a permanent resident. In so doing he accepted the risks which sadly claimed his life.
Can the arrogant and self righteous opportunists in India who want to use this murder as a publicity opportunity to condemn Australia please advise how many foreigners have died due to acts of violence in India in the last year? No ? I thought not. -
Wayne A:
05 Jan 2010 9:57:13am
You can`t offer extra protection to one section of the community based on ethnic background.
the media and politicians are being rather stupid by highlighting attack on Indian students.....
Assault and murders happen (unfortunately) but claiming that all made against Indian student are
based on racism is ridiculous......and scare mongering..
Indian student happen to be easy targets for violent crimes because many work in industries late
at night.... convenience stores, service stations, driving taxis and so on... they work or walk the
streets late at night which unfortunately has become dangerous FOR ALL!
Many Australians are also scared of walking the streets late, working in various industries late at
night or catching public transport late
A reality check is in order instead of playing the racism card... -
SunnyCoaster:
05 Jan 2010 9:57:56am
Unfortunately, Australia is becoming a country where senseless violence is increasing dramatically. The increase seems to be in violence against those least likely to retaliate, and Indian people are on the whole very peaceful, good-natured law-abiding citizens. I work alongside, and live among them. It goes hand in hand with vile treatment of animals, child abuse. It is about pathetic men trying to prove themselves but too cowardly to face anything that would actually prove a challenge. Add alcohol in the mix, a court/social system that is averse to punishment and you end up with innocent people dead. While I sympathise with all concerned, I would ask why this particular death has caused so much uproar, when we read daily in the papers of innocent men going about their lives being set upon by drunks fuelled with aggression bravado and testosterone. And because they are drunk, or young, they serve the smallest of sentences while their victims end up dead or permanently damaged. 4 years for a young man pulled out of a cab and beaten to death up here in Queensland.
Here's an idea to protect international students. If you commit a crime against an international student (or other visitor) you will be punished according to the laws of their country of origin. Or indeed, extradited to be tried in their courts. -
Michael:
05 Jan 2010 9:58:12am
I feel the amount of money somebody has shouldn't determine the police protection they receive. While what happened is terrible I feel the focus should be on making it safter for all people - not just individual minorities.
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MiWe:
05 Jan 2010 10:01:16am
Whilst it is deeply regrettable that ANY death should occur on our streets at the hands of thugs, killers and despots, to single out and one particular group in our community for either attacks or special protection smacks of racism and/or preferential treatment and is therefor not reasonable.
What must be done however, is to legislate, as a matter of urgency to dramatically increase penalties for these vicious attacks as follows: attempted murder to a mandatory 15 years imprisonment and murder to mandatory life of 25 years without parole.
The issue is with Governments and they must act now! -
Pamela:
05 Jan 2010 10:05:18am
Although this killing is tragic, I don't see how any individual from any country can be guaranteed safety anywhere.
Australians have been killed in India and it has not caused political division between our two countries. -
agreed:
05 Jan 2010 10:12:23am
to over reacting:
couldnt have said it better. this is spot on. whether a citizen, tourist, permanent resident or student, your rights for protection are the same as everyone else who lives in this country.
while this is tragic, if you have been a long term melbourne resident you should know better than to walk through a park in footscray alone late at night. people need to take a level of responsibility for the situations they place themselves in. the government cant be responsible for everything.
now whether the government has an obligation to provide a sort of demographic education to visitors that could warn them of potential areas of danger, that is a different issue. unfortunately that information is also largely subjective and viewed differently by different parts of the community. -
Chris:
05 Jan 2010 10:26:00am
I doubt it was racially motivated but rather opportunistic.
I'd be interested in seeing the stats for all attacks on the same night in Melbourne (or Sydney or any other town) and would probably guess that there were more white Australian born victims that night. Doesn't mean we should have special protection for white Australians.
We have a good policing system and generally safe society - if you have travelled outside Australia you would of course realise this.
Education is probably a form of response both for potential victims walking by themselsves late at night and for potential criminals who perpetrate these acts.
The media promote it as a way of generating (I didn't say reporting!) news. No matter if your Indian or Australian media.
If you beleive some politicians wont jump on a populist agenda and use it for their own gain you must have rocks in your head.
If you dont beleive Australia is a safe society, where the vast majority of its citizens originate from every country in the world and live peacably, then stop whinging about it and do something practical to make it safer. It's your society your deriding and you of course bear some responsibility too for its nature. -
Flavian Hardcastle:
05 Jan 2010 10:28:20am
I don't see what can be done. A man takes a shortcut through a park at night, in an area notorious for gang related violence, and ends up getting stabbed. This could happen anywhere in the world, and I don't see how we can prevent it.
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PT:
05 Jan 2010 10:30:05am
Is the loss of this Indian student's life any greater than the loss of ustralian men and women who have died from similar crimes?
The Government should bring in tougher penalties for these types of crimes and hopefully it will be enough of a deterrent to protect everyone living in this country.
But of course they won't because of the do gooders who say the criminals have rights as well. -
Accountant:
05 Jan 2010 10:30:57am
Yes, the government should take further action to protect foreign students.
They are our 3rd biggest export. So any further projection would be just like that we extend to our farmers, wouldn't it? -
Frank:
05 Jan 2010 10:33:50am
Singling out once minority group for special protection would be a racist act its self. We all need security and it is a failure of Gov policies that these things happen.
We are moving down the violent path that the UK and US have already traveled. I do not see that a proportional response will help stop any increase in violence in Melbourne.
We will be having this same discussion for the next 10 years until we all have barbed wire on our fences and personal security guards to walk to the shops. -
GB Dorrington:
05 Jan 2010 10:35:19am
Both State and Federal governments should severely regulate the sale of *all* knives. Knives of any shape and form are readily available over the counter without restriction in any outdoor store or supermarket. So why are people carrying knives around out in the street? I grieved with a close friend for the loss of his mother in Bairnsdale in early December to a stabbing, and now I'm reading of at least 4 more stabbings every week!
