A concerned external affairs minister SM Krishna met Indian student Shravan Kumar, who is yet to fully recover from a brutal assault by a group of teenagers.
A concerned external affairs minister SM Krishna today met Indian student Shravan Kumar, who is yet to fully recover from a brutal assault by a group of teenagers here in May, and enquired about his health.
The 25-year-old student from Andhra Pradesh, one of the first victims of the racial strikes in Australia, was attacked by a screwdriver by the local teens, who also assaulted his three Indian friends.
Krishna, who conveyed the Indian government's concerns to the Australian leadership on the student issue, met Kumar at his residence here and offered him Rs one lakh from his personal account.
During the 15-minute meeting, the minister spoke to the victim's father about his health and extended his sympathies.
Krishna brought flowers and fruits for Kumar, who had slipped into coma following the attack and was discharged recently from hospital after his health condition improved.
Kumar's father T Chidambara Rao said the Indian government is taking all necessary steps to provide relief to them.
All medical expenditure has been taken care of by both the Victorian state and Indian governments, he said.
Kumar is yet to recover fully from the attack due to which he suffered the loss of memory, vision and hearing.
Earlier in the day, Krishna, who is in Australia on a five-day visit, met Victorian Premier John Brumby and discussed issues related to the attacks on the Indian students.
The minister along with senior police officials also took a round of the western suburbs, including Sunshine, where the crime rate is high.
He assessed the situation there, including the patrolling system and the CCTVs which were installed in the wake of the attacks on the students.
At least 23 Indians fell victim to the racial attacks in various cities in Australia in the past three months.
On Friday, Krishna met Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd and his counterpart Stephen Smith in Cairns.
He received assurances at the highest levels in the Australian government that every Indian student in this country would be protected.
The external affairs minister earlier told reporters he did not think all the assaults were racist.
Krishna had also met the Indian community members, including some other students who were subjected to racial attacks, here yesterday.
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