A vigil has been held in Sydney on Wednesday to pay respect to Manmeet Alisher, 29, who died in an attack during his bus-driving shift in Brisbane’s south on Friday.
Anthony O'Donohue, 48, was arrested and charged for the murder of Mr Alisher and attempted murder of the passengers, and arson.
Community members gathered at Robin Thomas Reserve, Hassall Street in Parramatta for the vigil which was held with support from Parramatta City Council.
Rajwant Singh, a Punjabi community leader at the memorial, told SBS that Manmeet’s death had hit the community hard.
“There was a lot of connection with this incident. He was a migrant, he was young, he had the same dream as every one of us,” he told SBS.
Mr Alisher, an aspiring singer who was engaged to be married, was a strong presence in Brisbane's Indian community.
“It happened just before the festival of Diwali, which is a happy festival, a festival of light.
“We are all affected by that.”
Mr Singh said it had hit the community particularly hard because it felt it could have been anyone.
He said the Indian community had been thinking: “It could have been me, it could have been anyone I know.”
The motivations of the attacker cannot be clarified until the investigation is completed, he added.
The death sparked horror across Australia and India with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi contacting Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to convey his concern.
A press release from the Indian Government read: “Prime Minister Modi also conveyed a sense of concern being felt in India over the recent brutal killing of Mr Manmeet Alisher, a person of Indian origin, in Australia.”
Queensland's Transport Workers Union has encouraged bus drivers to wear black arms bands over the coming week in memory of their colleague Manmeet Alisher. Brisbane City Council gave a fund set up for Mr Alisher's family $10,000.
Mr Alisher's brother arrived in Sydney on Sunday. He said he had not told their mother - who has a heart condition, or father about the news at that time.
