29-year-old Indian man attacked, set on fire in Australia

MELBOURNE - A 29-year-old Indian man has been admitted to Melbourne’s Alfred hospital in a serious condition after he was allegedly attacked by four men and set on fire last night.

It’s alleged that the man was returning home from a dinner party with his wife when he was approached by four men, who burned his car and set him on fire.

According to the police, the victim was taken to hospital with 15 per cent burns to his arms, chest and face after the attack shortly before 2am in Essendon.

A police spokeswoman said that the investigators were yet to confirm the motive surrounding the attack.

“They don’t believe it was racially motivated at this stage,” The Age quoted the spokeswoman, as saying.

Meanwhile, the police has appealed for public assistance to locate the victim’s clothes, which he shed as he fled the scene.

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. (ANI)