Four released after ‘attack on two Indian students’ in Australia

MELBOURNE - Four men, who were arrested for their alleged involvement in a race-related assault on two Indian students in Melbourne, have been released from custody.

According to reports, police is also interviewing four others in the gang of eight alleged attackers, all described of being of Asian appearance, over the attack which occurred around 10.20pm (AEDT) on Monday.

A police spokeswoman said the group allegedly made racist comments before attacking them.

One of the victims, an 18-year-old Indian student, suffered a wound to his left ear from what appeared to be an edged weapon, and had a micro-surgery in St Vincents Hospital.he other student, a 22-year-old, was punched to the ground and suffered minor abrasions to the forearm.

It is expected that all of the men will be released on Tuesday, pending further inquiries.

Gautam Gupta, spokesman for the Federation of Indian Students of Australia, said he would investigate rumours the students were attacked with a knife and determine whether it was a racial attack.

“I hope this attack will be a reminder of the difficult times we are living in and that something needs to be done,” The Australian quoted Gupta, as saying.

Dr Yadu Singh, an advocate for Indian students, said rather than focusing on whether the crime was racially motivated, the public should be concerned about crime in general.

“Of course there are some incidents which have racial undertones, but for me rather than harping on about the race angle which may or may not be true, we should be looking at the crime angle,” Dr Singh said.

The attack comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Indian community following a string of attacks on them. (ANI)