18 October: Days after completing his necessary medical examinations for international travel and receiving his Australian visa, the younger brother of stabbed international student Shubham Garg is expected to arrive in Sydney today.
“[Rohit] has to set off soon as the hospitalised Shubham has no one by his side,” Shubham’s uncle Rajkumar Garg was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
28-year-old Shubham Garg, an international student at UNSW, has been in the hospital for the last week after he was stabbed more than ten times in an unprovoked attack. The news was widely reported by both Indian and Australian media outlets, with many concerned that this could be a racial attack.
“My 28-yr-old son went to Australia on Sept 1, 2022 and was lethally attacked on Oct 6… I don’t understand the reason behind the attack. He can’t have enmity with anyone,” Shubham’s father told ANI.
14 October: 28-year-old Shubham Garg has undergone multiple operations and is fighting off infections in the hospital after he was stabbed more than ten times in an unprovoked attack earlier this week.
The incident is being widely reported in India, with detailed interviews with family and friends raising the issue again that Australia might not be a safe place for Indian students.
According to police reports, Shubham suffered multiple stab wounds to the abdomen, face, and chest at around 10:30 PM on Sunday, 9 October when approached at knifepoint by an unknown man in Artarmon.
The man allegedly demanded cash and Shubham’s phone. When Shubham refused, he was stabbed multiple times while the assailant fled.
He was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital after he sought help from the occupants of a nearby house.
The assailant has since been identified as 27-year-old Daniel Norwood. He was arrested at the scene and charged with one count of attempted murder. He appeared at Hornsby Local Court on Monday 10 October, where he was refused bail. He will remain in custody till his next scheduled court appearance on 14 December.
My brother Shubham Garg, 28,from UP, was brutually attacked in Sydney, Australia 11 times with knife and he is in critical condition.We seek your immediate help in this matter and emergency visa to family member to look after him.@PMOIndia @myogiadityanath @DrSJaishankar
— Kavya Garg (@KGARG1205) October 12, 2022
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While police investigations are ongoing into whether this is a mugging gone wrong, Shubham’s family and friends believe the attack may have been racially motivated.
Shubham, an international student from Agra, had moved to Sydney just one month prior to the attack to pursue his PhD in mechanical engineering at UNSW.
Since the incident, his sister Kavya has taken to Twitter to share updates and has sought help from Indian authorities on emergency visas so that family members may travel to Australia to be with him.
“His condition is so critical that he will be bedridden for four months,” Shubham’s cousin Ravi told Times Now in India. “We’re hoping that his younger brother Rohit’s visa will be granted as soon as possible so that he can be there to assist him.”
When asked about racial motivations, Ravi added that it is highly likely as Shubham, having recently moved to Australia, “has no enemies or any other links” in Sydney.
Meanwhile, Agra DM Navneet Chahal has been quoted by the Indian media, saying the visa application of the victim’s brother is under process and the administration is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Chahal added that he has contacted embassy officials in Sydney for a visa.
Further details are awaited.
#Sydney Stabbing shocker: Kin of 28-year-old Shubham Garg claim the #Indian PhD student was subject to a heinous racial attack, stabbed eleven times- TIMES NOW in an exclusive conversation with the kin of the victim.@RishabhMPratap and @prathibhatweets shares details. pic.twitter.com/yUmc0VlIxJ
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) October 14, 2022
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