Hundreds of people gathered at Federation Square today in Melbourne to pay tribute to Manmeet Alisher.
The candlelight vigil was organised by local Punjabi community to celebrate the life of Manmeet Alisher, the bus driver who was tragically killed in Brisbane last week.
Local community leaders including Green Party Member Alex Bhattal, Cr Intaz Khan delivered their speech demanding justice for the family of Manmeet Alisher.
While addressing, Alex Bhathal asked some serious questions about the recent media coverage and police statements.
Alex Bhathal addressing at Melbourne vigil Source: Supplied
“This is very sad event. When we see these attacks on people from the south Asian Australian community they really touch our sole. I believe this attack has touched so many Australians.”
“We also see heroism of a Sudanese Australian man who managed to take rest of the people to the safety.”
“Our hearts and prayers are with the family of Manmeet Alisher.”
“It makes me reflect on the fact, that we as a community have to wonder when these types of attacks occur if was there a racial element.”
“I am not making any comment on actual incidence, which is a matter of criminal investigation.”
“But also there is broader context, to what happened to Manmeet Alisher, a wonderful young man whose life was cut short by this awful violent attack.”
“Regarding the media coverage, I feel biases towards understanding all the context behind this brutal attack.”
“Very quickly Qld police spokesperson made the statement that there’s no racial element.”
“I wonder how they can make such a statement before it has been brought to a court of law and before they have heard from the murderer.”
“So how can they make this kind of statement?”
“And why did the [Police] feel the need to come and make a statement and claim around what occurred in this incident so quickly?”
“They are open questions to our community.”
“Regarding the media coverage of the person who committed this heinous crime, he is being referred in papers as an erratic loner. The incidence was portrayed as incident as random that was carried out by someone who was divided and separated from the broader Australian community. But we know no person lives on their own in an island.”
“Perhaps he has terrible mental health problems, which may come up in criminal investigations.”
“Regardless, he lives in a broader social context, and that context is one in which we do have racially motivated attacks against people of colour against Aboriginal Australian across this country.”
“So it is an open question for our community. We need to be able to know that police will not make blanket claims about this incident.”
“You know that if it would have been an Indian man who had thrown an incendiary device into the bus there would have been no statement about the fact that it was a random, a solitary attack.”
“We know that it would have been tagged in to broader context of terrorism regardless of the facts”
“We need to have a media analysis, and media coverage, we need to have statements from police that does not jump to conclusion before the criminal investigation,” said Alex Bhathal.
The vigil was organised following the outpouring of grief at the loss of the young man, Manmeet Alisher.
Source: Supplied
The vigil provided an opportunity for people to come together and show their support in the wake of the senseless tragedy.
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Source: Supplied
