Fresh from surviving a murderous attack, a 25-year-old Indian student on Saturday appealed to fellow countrymen aspiring to pursue higher education that they should not travel to Australia.
"My advice to every Indian student now who wants to come to Australia is -- please don't come and there's no life here," said Baljinder Singh, who was attacked by two youths in Melbourne recently.
Singh also expressed concern over the condition of another Indian student Shravan Kumar, who was attacked by a screwdriver by a group of teens in a separate incident. Kumar's condition remained "very, very serious," he said.
Kumar is in a state of coma in the intensive care unit of the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he was visited by Indian High Commissioner Sujata Singh and Consul General in Melbourne Anita Nayar on Thursday.
Singh said one of his friends from Karnal has got a visa to Australia, but he is "very scared" now in the wake of the attacks on Indians.
Recalling the ordeal he faced, Singh said that he was at a train station on Monday night after finishing his work when two knife-wielding boys approached him.
"I was very scared to see the knives. They asked me if I had any money. I told them to hang on as I looked for my purse in my bag which was very messy... In the first five seconds, one of the guys stabbed me in my stomach. I just fell down on the floor," he said.