Krishna to take assault issue with Aussie FM

With assaults on Indians in Australia showing no let-up, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna is expected to take up the issue with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith whom he will meet on the sidelines of a conference in London later this week.

With assaults on Indians in Australia showing no let-up, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna is expected to take up the issue with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith whom he will meet on the sidelines of a conference in London later this week.

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This comes in the backdrop of increasing attacks on Indian students including fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Nitin Garg earlier this month.

Sources said the meeting was sought by Smith to apprise Krishna of the measures taken by Australian government to ensure safety and security of Indians there.

They said Krishna will discuss the issue of insecurity these assaults have created among Indian students there and for their families here.

Krishna is going to London for a conference on Afghanistan on Thursday and will meet Smith there during his three-day visit there.

Indian has been maintaining that Australia "needs to do more" to stop these attacks, which the government of that country has been terming as "opportunistic urban crimes."

Meanwhile, two more Indian students were punched, pushed to the ground and kicked by a mob in Melbourne last night in the eighth such incident in Australia in a fortnight.