July 28: In a first, two of the three men arrested for attacking an Indian student on a moving bus in Australia’s Victoria state were on Wednesday charged with inciting racial hatred. They are set to face the Frankston magistrates court on September 1 on the serious racial vilification charges.
The three suspects were arrested after 22-year-old Rajan Kumar Katkam was assaulted on a bus travelling towards Portsea on February 6. The accused also threw chicken pieces at him. Mr Katkam, who arrived here in 2008 to pursue a course in Graphics, had filed a case with the office of victims of crime following the incident which forced him to defer his studies.
Two of the suspects have received summons to appear before the court on September 1, while the third man is expected to be charged over the incident “in the near future,” the police said. The two have been charged with intentionally causing injury, unlawful assault, assault in company, offensive language and inciting racial hatred.
Mr Katkam expressed happiness over the handling of the case by the Victorian police. “I’m happy at the outcome and I hope my case will send some message to the racists elements in the country. It’s not good to be racist as we come with lot of expectations and want to contribute to this country,” he said at a media conference. The “racist elements” should not do such a thing in a multi-cultural society like Australia, Mr Katkam said.
A Victoria police spokeswoman said she hoped the charges “would send a strong message to the community that this behaviour will not be tolerated”. “This is the first time that charges of this nature have been put before the courts,” she said.