Against racism faced by Indian citizens abroad

To:  Indian Government

This petition is against the racism that Indians have been facing in other countries.

Consider this, Four students from India who had gone to study in Australia were assaulted by a group of Australian teenagers this week. Among the victims was Shravan Kumar, 25, who is in a critical condition and fighting for his life in the hospital. "Doctors are still unsure if Kumar will survive and if he does, he will lose his vision or memory", Kumar's friend, Sinivas Gandhi, said.

The four Indians were first subject to racist comments and were told to go back to India, following which they were brutally attacked by the boys who used screwdriver as a weapon and were allegedly drunk. Three of the four Indians are now in a better condition but Kumar still faces the fear of death.


When Sinivas approached the Police for help, they were asked to take care of their own security. The Police also said that they "can't go on protecting each and everyone".

The attack, which was racially motivated, could have serious repercussions on the $3.5 million Australian education industry. Although the External Affairs minister of India, S M Krishna, has asked Australia to ensure the safety of Indian students, the behaviour of Australians towards Indians is at stake. Indians have been subject to racism in Australia more often in the past, but nothing this serious had happened earlier. Even on the cricket field, the Indian players have faced racial comments.

The incident did not stop here. The house of the victimized Indians was burgled, raising even more questions.

Violent attacks on Indians have been growing over the last few years and have raised serious concern for aspiring students who wish to study in Australia.

With advancing technology and development around the world, the global community is expected to think at a higher level. The fact that Indians are leaving their mark everywhere proves that Indians are a part of the active global community. When there are people like Barack Obama treating Indians and the Indian community in the USA as fellow citizens, there are people like the ones who assaulted Indians on the basis of race.

With such acts being committed in various parts of the world, Indians abroad are feeling threatened. Anti-racism, which is a part of India’s foreign policy, is being offended.

But the question still prevails, shall we keep mum at such acts or should the youth get together in protest against such acts. Indians, who are the third largest minority group in Australia, form an important part of its Gross Domestic Product, contributing to the corporate industries, travel as well as education. So, is the treatment of Indians in Australia justified, or do we need to raise our voices to make sure that the world hears us?

Is it time to get suppressed yet again, or are we to be treated as one amongst the league of equals?


Two Indians having lived, worked and/or studied in Australia and Israel confessed to Youth Ki Awaaz about the behavior they had faced.

"If you happen to scan through email trails, you would often come across Indian staff being referred to as bangers, bloody Indians, bastards, slumdog, etc. Over a period, you will probably learn to handle such things "professionally" and turn a blind eye to such derogatory remarks. Any work that you do would be subjected to endless reviews, a witch hunt would commence to expose every possible bug or flaw that might exist in your work, which would then be magnified and escalated to various levels. No matter how good a job you might have done, you will never be given recognition for your work. Your Aussie counterparts would take delight in taking potshots at you at every possible opportunity.

2. Being posted in AUS is perhaps the worst thing that can happen to you. I have spent almost two years in AUS and I am actually aware of the isolation and hostility that you have to put up with at your work place." said an Indian who had worked with an Australian company.

"Living in Sydney, I come across racism. And not only here, I have lived in Israel and even did my schooling there. I faced racism cause of some sissy girls! I felt so bad and inferior because of them. But I have lived up to it. I just don’t care anymore. I would be walking on the street and I would get bad comments from the teenage crowd. I ignore it. Even at university I have faced all this, I just ignore it. Simply because I know that I don't stand in a position to fight back." said another.

If we don't start now, then we will start never. Let's sign this petition against racism faced by Indian citizens abroad. Let's get our voices heard.

Sign now!

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Against racism faced by Indian citizens abroad Petition to Indian Government was created by Youth Ki Awaaz and written by Youth Ki Awaaz (anshultewari@youthkiawaaz.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.