MELBOURNE—Cricketing legends Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting have been urged to speak out against violence against Indian students.
Gautam Gupta, a spokesman for the Federation of Indian Students in Australia, says the two cricket stars have huge followings in India and it is about time they voiced their concerns.
Mr Gupta's call follows the stabbing murder of 21-year-old accounting graduate Nitin Garg, who was on his way to his job at a Hungry Jacks fast food outlet in West Footscray on Saturday night when he was attacked.
"There is a lot of frustration within the Indian community with the way this is being handled," Mr Gupta told AAP.
"People are losing confidence with every passing day."
He said it was time Ponting and Warne spoke up because they have millions of fans in India.
"They should jump in and defend Indian students in Australia," Mr Gupta said.
"Shane Warne is an icon in India - he has millions of fans."
Australia's bilateral relationship with the emerging economic power is also being threatened after the murder of Mr Garg.
The Indian government has condemned the senseless killing and warned that it could affect bilateral ties.
Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said the murder was "a heinous crime on humanity" carried out on an innocent Indian who had gone to study in Australia.
He said the Australian government should take note of the deep anger the latest attack on an Indian national has caused in his homeland.
"It certainly will have some bearing on the bilateral ties between our two countries," Mr Krishna told the ABC.
One of Mr Garg's relatives is expected in Australia this week to collect his body and return it to the family's home state of Punjab in northern India.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said he hoped investigations into the murder would start to make some headway.
"We have had a tragic incident in relation to Mr Garg," Mr Walshe said.
"We're hopeful we can get some traction on the investigation," he told the ABC.
He said detectives were anxious to talk with anybody who may have been in the area at the time.
