The foreign ministry on Friday took note of what is being deemed as a "racial attack" on an Indian student in Australia's Sydney and said that they were in contact with his family. “We've knowledge of the incident. As per our information, he's in hospital and under treatment. Our High Commission in Canberra and Consulate in Sydney are in close touch with local authorities. We're in contact with the family,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on the incident.
Shubham Garg, a 28-year-old student pursuing PhD at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, was reportedly stabbed 11 times by an unknown assailant. The incident took place in the first week of October, his family claimed, seeking help from the government on social media.
“Some of our officials met him in the hospital in Sydney. We extended our consular services. We've also come to know that a suspect was taken into custody. Australian authorities will give you more details on the investigation. Our expectation is that it's seen seriously,” Bagchi said during a press briefing.
“We've been in touch with the family here. We have requested the Australian High Commission here to expedite travel documents of visas so family members could urgently go. I'm happy to hear that it's done,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Kavya Garg, who claimed to be the sister of the victim, sought an emergency visa for family members to fly to Sydney tagging PM Modi, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier in the day, Kavya Garg, who claimed to be the sister of the victim, sought an emergency visa for family members to fly to Sydney tagging PM Modi, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
{{/usCountry}}Australian media reports have claimed that a 27-year-old man was arrested for the attack and has been charged with “one count of attempted murder”. “We can confirm the men are NOT believed to have known each other before the incident,” the police said in a statement.
Shubham Garg, a resident of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, had moved to Australia in September this year to pursue his PhD in Mechanical engineering. He completed his master's degree from IIT Madras.
The attacker had reportedly demanded cash from Garg and on being refused, he stabbed him multiple times on his face, chest and abdomen before fleeing the spot.