India's foreign minister Tuesday urged Indian students in Australia to stay calm in the wake of a series of racial attacks on them in recent weeks. "I would like our Indian students to be patient ... restrained. They have gone there to pursue higher studies, they should concentrate on that," S.M. Krishna told reporters in New Delhi.
Krishna's comments came as students held protests overnight in Sydney after yet another attack on an Indian man in his early 20s by a group of men of Middle Eastern descent, according to the Australian police.
The protests degenerated into what police called a "vigilante" reprisal attack by a group of Indians wielding sticks and bats on a group of men of "Middle Eastern appearance". In a speech to parliament, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also slammed the attacks. "I have been appalled by the senseless violence and crime, some of which are racist in nature," he said, adding he was willing to "engage in a high-level dialogue" with Australian leaders to deal with the problem.
Krishna said Canberra had assured New Delhi that steps would be taken to ensure the security of Indian students - some of whom have been beaten, stabbed and robbed in a spate of attacks dubbed "curry bashings" by the media. The violence has prompted Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to call in the former head of the elite Special Air Service regiment to lead a task force to examine the attacks.
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