India asks Australia to take stern action against attackers - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

India has demanded a stern action from Australia as yet another Indian national was attacked, burnt in Melbourne. The police and the forensic scientists in Australia are investigating the attack on 29-year old Indian man, who was admitted to Melbourne's Alfred hospital in a serious condition, after he was allegedly attacked by four men and set on fire while parking his car. Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vyalar Ravi said Australia should take preventive action to rein in such attacks. "My feeling is that I want to make it loudly that the government take steps to prevent the action. The preventive action means they know, the police know who are the unwanted elements, who are the anti-social elements resort to this sort of crime, so why can't they arrest them in advance, put them behind bars," said Ravi . "And even they can prosecute them. So my suggestion to the government as well as the Australian government, please take preventive measures and preventive action on the anti-social elements," he added. Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur has also demanded a strict action, and said the matter will be taken up at the highest level. " Australia is a sovereign nation. It has its own rules and regulations. We, for our diasporas there, certainly have taken it up very strongly at the highest levels, not now but over a period of time ever since May, since these attacks came upon our people, said Kaur. "And they have assured us they have taken measures and it is still a matter of great disturbance and concern that it is continuing," she added. The attacked 29-year-old Indian man Jaspreet Singh is now reported to be recovering in the hospital. The attack comes a week after 21-year-old Indian student, Nitin Garg , was stabbed to death at West Foorscray, a suburb of Melbourne by some goons on the night of January 2. A series of attacks on Indian students in 2009, attributed by police to opportunistic criminals, escalated into a diplomatic issue between Australia and India after some Indian students and Indian media labelled the attacks as racist. The attacks have prompted protests and calls for better protection of international students by local authorities, with some saying that they no longer feel safe in Australia