Protesters burn Rudd effigy

2 Jun 2009, 11:48 am   -   Source: AP, SBS
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Protesters have taken to the streets across India to demonstrate against violent attacks on Indian students in Australia.

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Protesters have taken to the streets in various major cities in India to demonstrate against violent attacks on Indian students in Australia.

The protests were triggered by attacks on five Indian students, who were stabbed and beaten in two unrelated incidents in Melbourne in the past week.

One victim, 25-year-old Sravan Kumar Theerthala, remains in critical condition after being stabbed with a screwdriver at a party.

Another student was beaten and robbed on a train earlier this month.

In New Delhi and Mumbai, members of the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protested outside the Australian High Commission.

In Bangalore, students held placards and shouted slogans by the side of a busy road.

'Please explain'

Speaking outside Parliament, India's External Affairs minister S M Krishna said the Indian government was in touch with the Australian government at every level.

Minister of State for External Affairs and Junior Foreign Minister Shashi Tharoor commented that India was waiting to see what steps were being taken by the Australian government to address the issue.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Parliament on Monday that he had reassured New Delhi that Australia was not a racist country despite a spate of violent crimes against Indian students in the nation's second largest city.

Bollywood star snubs university

Following the attacks, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan refused an honour from the Queensland University of Technology.

The University had offered to confer an Honorary Doctorate on Bachchan for his contribution to the world of entertainment.

The ceremony was to take place in July.

However, Bachchan has written in his blog that he has refused the decoration under the present circumstances.

"Under the prevailing circumstances I find it inappropriate at this juncture, to accept this decoration. My conscience is profoundly unsettled at the moment and there seems to be a moral disjuncture between the suffering of these students and my own approbation," wrote Bachchan on Saturday.

India has warned that the violence could jeopardise Australia's lucrative education sector, which earns $A2 billion annually from Indian students.

Several thousand students rallied at key intersections since Sunday venting their anger over the string attacks on Indian students.

The Rudd government has been keen to strengthen ties with India, one of the powerhouse economies of Asia with a growing middle class that offers many trading opportunities for Australia.

During a conversation with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday to congratulate him on his second-term win in recent elections, the pair discussed the recent attacks on Indian students.

Police argue that Indian students often fall victim to assault in Melbourne because they travel alone late at night to work long hours at part-time jobs and are known to carry valuable items such as laptop computers.

They urged students to take precautions.
 

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