Racist email scandal hits Australian police

SYDNEY - Police officers in Australia’s Victoria state have been caught joking about the electrocution of a train passenger in India in a racist email, a media report said.

The officers circulated video footage of the man being killed and suggested it could be a way to fix Melbourne’s Indian students’ problem, The Herald Sun reported Saturday.

The footage showed the death of a man who was travelling on the roof of a crowded train in India.

The newspaper said that some of the force’s highest-ranked officers have been implicated in the scandal, which also involves pornographic material.

Three superintendents were nabbed during an investigation into the circulation of inappropriate emails through the police computer system. Several inspectors have also been caught.

Chief Commissioner Simon Overland said the emails were “disturbing, offensive and gross”.

One of the offending emails contained video footage that showed the death of a man who was travelling on the roof of a crowded train in India.

When the train stopped at a station the man stood up and touched an overhead power cable. Onlookers screamed as he was electrocuted.

The email containing the shocking video began circulating in the Victoria Police computer system and racist comments were added, suggesting “this might be a way to fix the Indian student problem”.

Premier John Brumby Friday criticised the circulation of the racist material.

“This is completely offensive and contrary to the views and values at the heart of the Victorian community - tolerance and respect,” he was quoted as saying.

A police spokesman said the emails were offensive.

“These are matters which demanded we took action. Some of the content was extremely offensive and we can’t tolerate that within the ranks of Victoria Police,” he said.

Federation of Indian Students spokesman Gautam Gupta said: “It is outrageous that police officers would joke about the death of anyone. I am really shocked. This is humour in very, very bad taste.”