Hysteria may spawn more violence against Indians, says Aussie cop

MELBOURNE - The “hysterical commentary” on the attacks on Indian students can “spawn more violence as attitudes polarise and harden”, a top Australian police official warned Thursday.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland said that the level of violence directed at Indians was unacceptable.

“(But) I fear that the hysterical commentary will only spawn more violence as attitudes polarise and harden, leading to more hardcore racist intentions and violence,” Overland said in Geelong city.

“We need to be very careful as this is a path to be avoided at all costs,” the Herald Sun quoted Overland as saying.

A spate of attacks on Indians studying and working in Australia has caused an outcry in India, putting strains on bilateral relations.

Overland said there was no doubt that some of the recent robberies and other acts of violence directed at Indian students were racist.

“Of course we have racism in this country - we are like any country. But it is a mistake to oversimplify these crimes and point to a racial motivation in all or a majority of them.”

He said many victims had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Overland had said Wednesday that Indians were over-represented in robbery statistics and there was a racist element to some attacks.

“There is no question, regardless of the motives, Indian students have to a degree been targeted in robberies and that is not okay,” The Australian had quoted him as saying.

New Delhi warned Wednesday that people-to-people ties with Australia may be hit if the violence against Indians did not halt.

Two of the Indians attacked in December and January have died.