MELBOURNE: Police in Australia’s island state of Tasmania today said they have started investigating the incident of assault on a 33-year-old Indian immigrant from Kerala in the city of Hobart and will assess if the attack was a racially-motivated.
Li Max Joy, a nursing student and a part-time taxi driver, was assaulted and racially abused by five teenagers at McDonald’s restaurant in Australia’s Hobart city on Sunday. He had alleged that the group, which included four boys and a girl, hurled racial abuses such as “You bloody black Indians” and then attacked him in the car parking in North Hobart.
Mr Joy further alleged that the police made no serious efforts to take action against the attackers.
The police, in a statement, however, said that they have spoken to several witnesses and are investigating the entire episode. “The complainant will be kept informed of the status of the investigation as it progresses,” the police said.
“Tasmania police take all assaults seriously, and whether the assault was racially-based will be a component of the investigative facts,” they said.
Mr Joy was admitted to Royal Hobart Hospital and treated for bleeding wounds, following which a CAT scan and an X-Ray were carried out to check for internal injuries.
Mr Joy, who is from Puthuppally in Kottayam district of Kerala, has been living in Hobart for eight years. He has sought the intervention of India’s External Affairs Ministry over the attack.
“The racial mood is definitely changing. It is continuous now. Many other drivers have been abused but not everyone reports it to police,” Mr Joy told Australian media.
Online Source: The NDTV
