NEW DELHI: In recent months, Australia has witnessed a surge of anti-immigration rallies, many of which were virulently directed at the Indian community. In Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, demonstrators have brandished placards and shouted incendiary slogans, portraying Indian students and workers as the culprits behind rising job insecurity, housing shortages, and pressure on civic services.
Data presented in the Indian Parliament earlier this year discloses that at least 91 attacks on Indian students abroad were officially recorded, culminating in 30 deaths.
For Australia, these episodes strike a painful chord of memory. In 2009 and 2010, a spate of racially motivated assaults on Indian students in Melbourne soured bilateral relations. The attacks eventually ebbed, but the scars never truly healed. The recent rallies have reopened the wounds.
Today, more than 13 lakh Indian students are scattered across the world’s lecture halls and laboratories, one of the largest mobile student populations globally.
Canada embodies the contradictions of this migration story. Ottawa has eagerly courted Indian students, casting them as central to its education economy. Yet relations between India and Canada have soured in recent years, and that disenchantment has trickled down to daily life. In Toronto, Brampton and Vancouver students describe themselves as caught in the crossfire.
In the US, the 2017 killing of engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas remains etched in the diaspora’s memory, a chilling reminder of how quickly xenophobia can turn fatal.
Britain, with its 185,000 Indian students, presents a more elliptical picture. While no recent large-scale assaults have been reported, racism simmers beneath the veneer of multiculturalism.
At least 91 attacks on Indian students, with consequent 30 deaths
At least 91 attacks on Indian students abroad were officially recorded, culminating in 30 deaths. For Australia, these episodes strike a painful chord of memory. Images of battered young men dominated nightly broadcasts, sparking outrage in India and forcing Canberra into reassurances.