Three Victorians to face racial vilification charges for abusing Indian student

Canberra, July 28 (ANI): For the first time, three men would face charges of serious racial vilification for allegedly abusing an Indian student on a bus in Victoria.

Premier John Brumby backed the decision saying, there is no place for racial abuse in the state.

"I'm pleased that these charges have been laid, I'm happy to know that if there are people in our state who incite racial violence, who vilify others, I'm happy to know that the laws are there, we've put them in place and that they are being applied," the Herald Sun quoted Premier John, as saying.

"There's never any excuse for racism, there's never any excuse for inciting racial hatred," he added.

Two of the men will face Frankston Magistrates Court on September 1 on charges of intentionally causing injury, unlawful assault, assault in company, offensive language and incite racial hatred. It is expected that the third man might also be summonsed to the court on the same day.

Police alleged that the three men both racially and physically abused a 24-year old student named Rajan Kumar on a bus heading towards Portsea on February 6, 2010.

Kumar went to Victoria in 2008 to pursue his course in Graphics. He alleged last week that the incident had forced him to defer his studies.

"The ordeal went on for 45 minutes and no one came to my rescue except for an old lady who was allegedly told to keep her mouth shut," he alleged then. (ANI)