<div><p> By Rebecca Keenan and Robert Fenner </p><p> [Bloomberg] -- The government in New Delhi condemned the killing of an Indian student in Melbourne and called on Australian authorities to ensure those responsible are swiftly brought to justice. </p><p> Indian diplomats and consular officials have been directed to work closely with Australian authorities following the "brutal attack" on Nitin Garg at the weekend, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. </p><p> The 21-year-old was stabbed on his way to work at a fast-food outlet in the suburb of West Footscray on Jan. 2, the Age newspaper reported. There is no evidence the attack was racially motivated, the newspaper said, citing Senior Sergeant Dave Snare from the homicide unit of Victoria state police. </p><p> Violence against Indian students dominated headlines in May and June last year after several attacks in Melbourne and prompted federal and state ministers to travel to New Delhi in an effort to ease concerns. State Premier John Brumby visited India in September to assure the government that Victoria is safe for overseas students. </p><p> Gautam Gupta, spokesman for the Federation of Indian Students of Australia, said the Australian government and police needed to provide some reassurance after the latest attack, the Age reported. </p><p> Indian Students</p><p> India is Australia's second-largest source of international students behind China, representing 19 percent of the 610,000 full-time enrolments, according to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. More than half of the Indian students study in Victoria. </p><p> Australia earns A$15.5 billion [$13.9 billion] annually from teaching overseas students, the nation's third-largest source of foreign income. </p><p> Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who lives near the site of the attack in Melbourne's western suburbs, condemned the killing, saying the federal government will continue to work with its state counterparts to ease concerns about racism. </p><p> "The message we have to get through on behalf of this nation and on behalf of Australians generally is we are an accepting, tolerant, multicultural nation," Gillard told reporters in Sydney today. "We now have to allow the police to complete their investigation. They obviously want to catch who is responsible and we wish them well with that." </p><p> To contact the reporters on this story: Rebecca Keenan in Melbourne at rkeenan5@bloomberg.net; Robert Fenner in Melbourne rfenner@bloomberg.net. </p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=66856037&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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