Indians' attackers will be punished: Britain

People found guilty of attacking Indians in Britain will be brought to justice and punished, British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Jeremy Browne said here Monday.

Expressing concern over the recent spate of attacks on Indian students in London, Browne said Britain was a safe country and people of all nationalities lived in harmony. Perpetrators of violence and racial attacks will not be spared. “We have a high rate of prosecution and culprits behind such attacks will be dealt with sternly to deter others from taking law into  their hands,” Browne told reporters here.

Browne’s comments come in the wake of the latest attack on an Indian student (Praveen Reddy) late Friday in the East London borough of Newham, allegedly by three fellow Indians in their twenties.

According to Scotland Yard, Reddy, 26, who hails from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, and was studying at the London Business School for an MBA degree, was stabbed at his apartment in an attempted murder.

Reddy was the fourth Indian victim of violent attacks during the last two months, in which three turned fatal. Browne was on a day’s visit to the City as part of his India tour to celebrate sport in the run-up to the London Olympics to be held from July 27 to August 10. “The Olympic Games are not just about sport, but a festival celebrating human values,” Browne said.