Preneet Kaur discourages Indian students from going to Australia

New Delhi, Jan 29 (ANI): Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, who was at the Delhi airport when the body of Ranjodh Singh was brought back to the country, said something positive is expected from the investigations and issued a second advisory to Indian students discouraging them from going to Australia for studies.

"In a manner of speaking this has been addressed as the advisory which we have put out to the Indians is to be careful and not to go for the moment to Australia for further studies," said Kaur.

Kaur further said, "We are hopeful that something will come out from the investigations that are taking place on the attacks on Indians in Australia."

Kaur had on Thursday said, "We have learnt with dismay today, of fresh incidents of violence against Indians residing in Australia, with the latest reports coming from Brisbane where four Indians, including three taxi drivers were attacked in two separate incidents on Thursday.

External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Thursday met Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on the margins of the Conference on Afghanistan in London, wherein he conveyed that these attacks were particularly worrisome as the Indian community individuals appear to be singled out and it was becoming increasingly difficult to accept these attacks as mere opportunistic crime devoid of any racial motives.

Krishna impressed upon the Australian Foreign Minister that there has been no visible progress so far into most of the investigations into previous attacks including in the fatal murder of Nitin Garg earlier in the month.

It was the responsibility of the Australian authorities to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to book at the earliest and immediately put effective measures into practice, to prevent any further attacks.

The Australian Foreign Minister has informed S M Krishna that a high-level Working Group had been set up under his overall charge to deal with this issue on an urgent basis.

Meanwhile, the Indian High Commissioner in Australia is expected to meet community leaders and members of the Queensland Police authorities to discuss and deal with the recent attacks, and to ensure that remedial measures are urgently undertaken.

The body of 25-year-old Ranjodh Singh was brought in a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok and was received at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport by his younger brother Satnam Singh and the other family members.

As reported, the mortal remains of Ranjodh Singh would be taken to his native place Nabha in Punjab for performance of last rites. (ANI)