Parents still to be told of driver's death

The parents of Brisbane bus driver Manmeet Alisher have yet to be told he was killed when he was set alight on Friday.

Bus driver Manmeet Alisher

The brother of slain bus driver Manmeet Alisher (pic) has arrived in Brisbane. Source: Facebook

The family of slain bus driver Manmeet Alisher are still to tell his elderly parents that he has died.

Mr Alisher's mother is a heart patient and his father is elderly, but the family will wait until they return his body to India to tell them.

"We have just said there was an accident, he's in a coma," a family spokesman told reporters.

"When we take the body to India, then we will break the news."

Mr Alisher's distraught brother Amit flew into Brisbane on Sunday and faced the media, but was too upset to speak.

Mr Alisher, 29, was burned alive when an "incendiary device" was thrown at him while he was letting passengers on at Moorooka on Friday morning.

Mr Alisher, a prominent figure and beloved singer in the Punjabi community, was employed as a casual bus driver and had only been working in the job for several months before Friday's horrific attack.

Anthony O'Donohue, 48, has been charged with murder, arson and 11 counts of attempted murder, and will remain in custody until his case returns to court in late November.

On Saturday, O'Donohue's lawyer said he had concerns for the mental health of his client.

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said there was nothing to suggest the attack was racially motivated, but Mr Alisher's brother told the ABC he fears otherwise.

"We suspect that it may be (racially motivated)," Amit Alisher said.

"We would like to see due process, we have faith in the Australian system."


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world