New Delhi/Melbourne, Jan 5: Three days after an Indian youth was fatally stabbed in Melbourne, India’s external affairs ministry Tuesday issued an advisory asking Indians studying in Australia and those planning to do so to take extra security precautions while moving around in that country.
 The Indian government issued the advisory even as Australian authorities Tuesday said that a partially-burnt body found in New South Wales (NSW) province was that of a young Indian man. The body is yet to be formally identified but investigators believe it to be of a 25-year-old Indian man, The Age reported Tuesday.
 Alluding to a surge in incidents of assault and robbery targeting Indians in Australia, the ministry issued a list of dos and don’ts for Indians in that country. It includes not travelling alone at night and not carrying more cash than required.
 Significantly, New Delhi did not ascribe these attacks to a racist motive, saying there is no “discernible pattern or rationale behind them”. Increasingly also, the acts of violence are often accompanied by verbal abuse, fuelled by alcohol and drugs.
 Australian authorities have maintained they were probing Sunday’s stabbing incident and it was premature to conclude that there was any racist angle to the attack.
 The external affairs ministry also stressed that the attacks are continuing despite a slew of anti-crime measures taken by the Australian authorities and added that while most Indians have a positive experience in that country, it was advisable to take some security precautions.
IANS

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