'Some assaults on Indians in Australia racist'

The Australian High Commissioner in India has admitted that some assaults on Indian students there have 'racist motive' and said the government has taken effective steps to bring those to an end.

The Australian High Commissioner in India has admitted that some assaults on Indian students there have 'racist motive' and said the government has taken effective steps to bring those to an end.

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John McCarthy said majority of attacks against Indians in the past one month have taken place in 'poorer'" areas in Melbourne where the crime rate is already high.

"There have been a series of bad crimes, particularly in Melbourne and not all of them have resulted into serious injuries, but have taken place in very poorer areas of Melbourne. We are seeking to end those attacks as quickly as possible by intensifying police actions," he told Karan Thapar on CNBC-TV 18.

"There is no question that all these are criminal acts. For some of the acts the motivation might have a racist element. I will not rule out that some of the attacks were racist," he said while responding to a question on the nature of the assaults on Indian students.

The High Commissioner said both the federal and state governments have taken steps to see that such attacks don't take place in the future and added that police presence has been doubled in areas where students were attacked.