Peter Varghese welcomes action against Victoria police officers involved in racist e-mail

NEW DELHI - Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese has welcomed the strong action taken by the Victoria Police in dismissing four officers following disciplinary hearings in relation to the circulation of inappropriate and offensive emails on Victoria Police computers in 2009.

It has been reported that the Victoria Police has dismissed four officers, while seven officers have been fined for circulating racist emails, including one that contained video showing a man being electrocuted at an Indian railway station.

“The Australian High Commissioner, Mr Peter Varghese, today welcomed the strong action taken by the Victoria Police in dismissing four officers following disciplinary hearings in relation to the circulation of inappropriate and offensive emails on Victoria Police computers in 2009,” said a press statement issued by the Australian High Commission today.

“Of the four policemen dismissed, one was involved in the circulation of an email with offensive footage of an Indian man being electrocuted. The only other police officer involved in the circulation of this email is on extended sick leave,” the press statement added.

Peter Varghese said the dismissal reflected the seriousness with which the Victoria Police had taken the matter and reinforced that sending the email was unacceptable.

The other three officers have been dismissed for circulating pornographic material unrelated to this email.

“The dismissals are part of Operation Barrot, which was established in June this year to investigate a series of emails which had been circulated on the Victoria Police system,” the press statement says.

India summoned the Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese on October 10 to convey its outrage over offensive comments appended by Victoria State police officers to a video showing a man being electrocuted at an Indian railway station.

The video showed a man on the roof of a train spurning pleas to climb down to safety. As people watched, he stood up and was instantly electrocuted when he touched the overhead traction wires.

The video ended with shots of his smouldering body lying on the roof of the train.

The Australian media had reported that the mail with the racist comments was circulating in the police computer system. (ANI)