Indian stabvictim to stay

By Melissa Meehan
CHISHOLM TAFE stabbing victim Nardeep Kumar has confirmed he will remain in Australia to continue his studies at Chisholm, a decision welcomed by the institute.
Mr Kumar will complete his English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) studies before starting his nursing course.
“If my parents are happy for me to remain in Australia, then I would like to continue studying at Chisholm Institute,” he said.
He said he did not believe the attack was racially motivated and that the individuals were not students from Chisholm.
Chisholm’s chief executive Virginia Simmons reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to the welfare and safety of students and announced that security on all campuses would be reviewed.
“At Chisholm we celebrate the richness of the many cultures in our student population as a key tenet of our operations,” Ms Simmons said.
“We take security very seriously and we will be reviewing our processes to ensure our standards are maintained.”
Saleh Parkar, spokesman for the Endeavour Hills Indian Subcontinent Cultural and Community Welfare Association, said that attacks on Indian students in and around Melbourne were a matter of serious concern to the Indian community and his organisation.
“Recently, there has been one such case in Dandenong. Newspapers have touched upon their plight and stories,” he said.
“Our members may not have participated in the city protest but we sympathise with their cause and the problems faced by them in these attacks.”
He said the race-related attacks must be stopped and “immediate action must be taken by all three levels of government”.