Father of Indian student stabbed in Australia says son cannot have ‘enmity with anyone’

 

Shubham Garg, 28, was stabbed 11 times on October 6 when he was walking along the Pacific Highway in Australia on his way back to his place of residence.

The father of Indian student Shubham Garg who was stabbed 11 times in Australia on October 6 has said that his son cannot have “enmity with anyone”. The 28-year-old, hailing from Kirawali town of Uttar Pradesh's Agra district, is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. He is currently pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, on a scholarship. He had gone to Australia on September 1 this year for the higher studies.

His father said that he does not understand the “reason behind the attack”, news agency ANI reported.

After the news of the stabbing emerged on Friday, Kavya Garg, who claimed to be Shubham's sister, took to Twitter seeking emergency visa for their family members to visit Australia and see the student. Later, Shubham's younger brother was granted a visa by the Australian high commission in Delhi. However, the price of flight tickets has become a matter of concern for the injured student's family, and they have asked the government for help.

Shubham's uncle Rajkumar Garg told HT over phone that the student's brother has to “set off soon” as there is no one by his side in Australia. The IIT-Madras alumnus, the uncle added, is stable after undergoing another operation on Friday for wounds he sustained in his stomach due to the stabbing.

“There is a condition that the ticket is to be booked to and fro, which might cost around ₹4 to 5 lakh [and that] is a huge amount for us. We thus appeal to the government of India to help us meet the expenses,” Shubham's uncle said.

His family has alleged that the incident was a racial attack but people familiar with the matter said the claim was yet to be ascertained.