Melbourne: Arun Mittal calls his housemates to pick him up from the railway station while returning from his part-time job every night. Arun's house is barely a 10-minute walk, but he is too scared to venture out alone. Four of his friends arrive with hockey sticks and bats: even in a group, they dare not risk walking unarmed at night.
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Despite assurances given by the Australian Prime Minister on Monday, there seems to be no end to hate crimes in Victoria. A Gurudwara was vandalized in Shepparton on Monday night and an Indian student was knifed in Melbourne's suburbs.
The sense of unease among Indians in Melbourne is palpable. "Violent attacks against Indians are fast turning Melbourne into Hellbourne," says RMIT University graduate Sarleen Kaur.
Dr Yadu Sing, head of the committee formed by the Indian Consulate to address welfare concerns of Indian students in Australia, says there have been at least 20 cases in Sydney alone in the last one month where Indian students were bashed up. The numbers are bigger and injuries more severe in Melbourne. A new racist slang is fast gaining coinage -- Curry Bashing.
In the wake of such attacks, people of Indian origin are taking extra precautions. Venkat, who works for IBM Australia, says, "If there is a party at a friend's place, they insist on dropping me back."
Chirag Singh, who works with a telecom company, has moved to a new house despite having to pay higher rent. Why? "My new house is closer to railway station. Can't risk a long walk back home," he confesses.
But students doing odd jobs and finishing work late at night don't have such options. Devashish, who studies at Latrobe University, has taken a break from his evening call-centre job. He says, "Exams are coming. If you get bashed up, not only do you miss your exam, but you end up paying the tuition fee again. I am praying for a long-term solution. Renewed pressure from India should help."
Others refuse to take things lying down. Prashant always carries a screwdriver in his bag. He has been involved in two fights. In the first instance, those who attacked Prashant were let off with a warning by the cops. To add insult to injury, Prashant got a warning too -- the policemen threatened to report him to the Department of Immigration, a move that could see him served with a deportation notice! The second time when he was attacked, Prashant and his friend ended up with a broken nose and bruised ribs. Although the attackers were booked, a year has gone by without a conviction.
Even girls have started carrying capsicum sprays in their bags. "I would carry a knife if I could, but for now I am just happy being armed with a spray," says Puja Khanna, who works for a charity.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) has offered few solutions. Their best advice so far -- Indians should avoid talking loudly in their native language or display signs of wealth like mobile, laptops or iPods.
"It is shocking that the victim is being blamed for the crime. It's like holding a rape victim's character or clothes responsible for the crime. Even today's attack is being dismissed as opportunistic," says Amol Amor Gill a student of Swinburn University.
"These attacks on the Indian community have been going on for years now, and police inaction has only made matters worse. Things have now reached a stage where even 15-16 year-olds think they can beat and rob an Indian student and getaway with it," says Karamvir Singh Sahota.
(Saurabh Azad is a former Indian journalist who now resides in Australia)