New Delhi, Aug 31 (Inditop.com) Australian Deputy Prime Minister Julian Gillard’s condemnation of the alleged race attacks on Indian students drew mixed response from the students of the Delhi University with whom she interacted here Monday.
While many called the Australian government’s response to the attacks as sham, some said that it was more of a “media hype” and such incidents can take place in any part of the world.
Gillard, on a five-day visit to India, visited the Lady Shri Ram College to interact with the students and have a discussion on Women in Leadership.
However the spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia, over the past three months, generated a lot of interest.
Replying to a student’s query on what that country’s government was doing to prevent such racist attacks, Gillard said: “The Australian government clearly says that we have zero tolerance towards violence against any student or people living in Australia.”
The Australian deputy prime minister said that police force had been deployed at places where incidents have taken place in the past.
“The freshly formed government has put in more resources to ensure the safety of students. If a student faces a problem of racism today we would guarantee him or her a seat in another college or the entire fee will be refunded,” she said.
To this Jennifer Choudhury, a student doing her B.A. in the college, said: “Whatever the deputy prime minister said may be correct but this is not enough to reinforce that trust in us to go abroad and study in Australia.”
Ruchi Dayal, another student who was among 300 to have attended the discussion, added: “No significant steps were taken by the Australian government at the time of the incidents and I am sure all the measures listed by her will be operational after many years down the line.”
However, there were others who brushed aside the attacks as just a “media hype”.
“Such attacks or discrimination of foreign nationals happen everywhere. Doesn’t it happen in India as well? I am not undermining the attacks, but then I think that there has been too much of a media hype around them,” said Sabah Khan, a student of the college.
Rachita Mishra, another student, added: “I have many friends who are studying in Australia and they have never complained about being discriminated. These incidents of violence were restricted to some areas.”
