Indian attacked in Australia: Police probe if incident was 'racially-based'

The Australian High Commission on Monday said an investigation into whether the attack on an Indian- origin taxi driver in Australia was "racially-based" is underway, and asserted that the police takes all assaults seriously.

Expressing regret over the incident, an Australian High Commission spokesperson said the government attaches great importance to the safety and security of everyone who resides in Australia.

"We regret the attack on taxi driver of Indian origin in Hobart which occurred over the weekend. We understand he suffered minor injuries and has been discharged from Royal Hobart Hospital. "We place great importance on the safety and security of everyone who resides in Australia, including our Indian community," the statement said.

"The matter is current and under investigation by Tasmania Police. Tasmania Police takes all assaults seriously," the statement added. "We understand that whether the assault was racially-based will be a component of the investigation facts."

An Indian man named Li Max Joy, was attacked by a group of teenagers, including a girl, who hurled racial abuses at him at a restaurant in Australia's Tasmania state, a week after a Catholic priest of Indian heritage was stabbed in the neck at a church in Melbourne.

Li Max Joy, who is pursuing a nursing course and working as a part time taxi driver in Australia, has alleged that five people, including a girl, hurled racial abuses like "you bloody black Indians" at him and assaulted him at the McDonald's restaurant at North Hobart.

33-year-old Joy, who hails from Puthuppally in Kerala's Kottayam district said that the incident took place when he went to the restaurant for a coffee after returning from a trip.