A 42-year-old Indian-origin man, Gaurav Kundi, is in a coma with critical brain injuries after police allegedly knelt on his neck during an arrest in Adelaide, Australia.
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00:00A shocking case of anti-India hate that has come to light from Australia.
00:05A 42-year-old man of Indian origin in Adelaide suffered critical brain injuries
00:10and is in coma after police allegedly knelt on his neck during an attempted arrest.
00:18The video of the incident that shows the victim, whose name is Gaurav Kundi,
00:23he was being forced onto a road in Adelaide's eastern suburbs
00:26while he and the policeman knelt on his neck,
00:31even as his partner Amritpal Kaur loudly protested his innocence.
00:36The wife has recounted the details of the alleged arrest
00:38and she said that the police assaulted him
00:41and even banged his head against the police vehicle during the arrest.
00:46She further claimed that her plea to take him to the hospital was ignored
00:50and that Kundu was now in coma after sustaining severe brain damage.
00:55The Australian authorities, however, have claimed that Kundi
00:58allegedly violently resisted arrest when the police intervened
01:03after witnessing an altercation between him and his partner
01:07and they've initiated a commissioner-level inquiry into the incident.
01:11But that's not what the wife has claimed.
01:13The wife has claimed that she kept pleading to the cops
01:16to take him for medical help but all her pleas were ignored.
01:25My brief has been that he is in a very serious condition.
01:31Obviously, we hope the best for the individual
01:33but we need to be prepared for the situation.
01:37It might result in being passed away.
01:41In the event that we have an incident like this
01:44where a person goes by as a result of interaction with police
01:47it's to classify as a death in custody
01:49and all deaths in custody require a commissioner's inquiry.
01:54Given the significant injuries this man has suffered already
01:58and the potential for an adverse outcome
02:01I've made the decision to conduct a commissioner's inquiry now rather than now.
02:06And while this incident is a scathing reminder
02:10of what had happened with George Floyd in the United States
02:14it is shameful because this is not the first time
02:17that an incident like this has been reported in Australia.
02:20There have been several anti-India hate incidents
02:23that have come to light.
02:24You would remember in November 2023 in Sydney
02:27when an Indian origin student was assaulted
02:29he suffered brain hemorrhage after what had happened
02:32in July 2023 in Sydney again
02:35when a 23-year-old Indian student
02:37who was beaten with rods
02:39four or five assailants had attacked
02:41while he was en route to work.
02:43In October 2023 itself
02:45a man by the name of Shubham Garg
02:47he was 28 years of age
02:49he was stabbed multiple times
02:51in the face, in his chest, in his abdomen
02:54during a robbery.
02:57And why is it
02:59that we've seen such kind of racist attacks
03:01anti-India hate attacks
03:03that have happened in Australia time
03:06and again
03:06I want to bring in Jitar Jai Bhardwaj
03:09he's the founder and editor-in-chief
03:11of The Australia Today
03:12he joins us on the broadcast
03:13Jitar thank you
03:14for speaking to us
03:16it is just shameful to what has happened
03:18with God of Kundi
03:18and just to imagine
03:20what the wife must have gone through
03:21at that time
03:22because she kept pleading to the cops
03:23that it was their internal matter
03:25and he was not being violent
03:27in any which way
03:28but the cops just charged on him
03:30and even now
03:30they continue to defend themselves
03:32they say that
03:33he resisted their force
03:34and that is why
03:35they had to resort to an action like this
03:37see I can tell you
03:41that it's a very unfortunate incident
03:44yes
03:45the way police officers have handled it
03:49it should have been handled better way
03:51but definitely
03:52I would like to say
03:54that it doesn't seem to be a racist
03:56motivated incident
03:59by the South of Syria police
04:02see the police was there on patrol
04:06we have to understand the sequences here
04:09police was there
04:10the police car was patrolling the streets of Adelaide City
04:14and they found a man and a woman on the street
04:18and the man shoving and pushing the women
04:21so they intervened and tried to talk to this gentleman
04:25without any aspirations
04:28that he was an Indian or Australian or something
04:31they tried to help the women
04:33domestic violence is an issue in Australia
04:36we lose almost one woman
04:40every week in Australia
04:42for two domestic violence incidents
04:45so the police in right manner intervened
04:49however after that what happened
04:51cannot be justified in any which way
04:54so when they arrested him
04:57this gentleman
04:58as per the wife's statement
05:01which she has told us
05:03that he was drunk
05:05and he had some precondition
05:07could be any mental health issues
05:09or other issues
05:11which he was having
05:12so he registered his arrest
05:14tried to explain that
05:16this is my matter
05:17or whatever he did
05:18and as we see in the footage
05:21his head was banged into the van
05:25police van
05:26and then he was put down on the floor
05:28the way he was
05:30which in my opinion
05:32was excessive
05:34a police should have taken care of
05:36and the way the knee was put on his neck
05:39that was ultimately not acceptable
05:41at least in salient police manuals
05:46but I have two points here
05:48I have two points here
05:49firstly in this particular case
05:51the wife kept on urging to the cops
05:53that she was not in trouble
05:55even when they tried to separate him from her
05:58she kept on saying
05:59that they should not
06:00come on so harshly on him
06:02after that
06:04when he pressed his knee
06:06against his neck
06:07against Gaurav's neck
06:08the wife kept saying
06:09please take him to the hospital
06:10but that was ignored
06:12and secondly
06:14there have been incidents
06:15where Indians have been targeted
06:17in Australia
06:18even when the George Floyd case
06:20had happened
06:21the world has seen
06:22the kind of movement
06:23that had taken place
06:24and how there were so many questions
06:26about the police
06:27using excessive force
06:29especially when it comes to
06:31an individual
06:33from another nationality
06:35how was the police
06:37not exercising restraint?
06:40okay
06:41let me answer both the questions
06:44let's take the first one first
06:45yes
06:47there is
06:48a kind of understanding
06:51that men
06:53the violence of men
06:55against women
06:56is an issue
06:57and they coerce females
06:59their partners
07:00in most of the cases
07:02so that
07:03even though
07:04the females
07:05women
07:06have been beaten
07:07in domestic violence
07:08situation
07:08they kind of
07:10favor the partners
07:12when police arrive
07:13and say
07:14nothing has happened
07:15he's alright
07:16please leave him alone
07:17and that's how
07:19I see this case
07:20also
07:21when the women
07:22was pleading to the police
07:24that leave him alone
07:25is none of his fault
07:26that's how
07:27if I can give you
07:29some perspective
07:30that's how police
07:31would have seen it
07:32now
07:32come to the second point
07:34the premier of the
07:37South Australia
07:37came in
07:38support of police department
07:40the commissioner
07:42two days back
07:43on Saturday
07:43said that
07:44he has full faith
07:45in his police force
07:47officers
07:47and all that stuff
07:48however
07:49let's fast forward
07:51it to
07:52Monday
07:53when the new footage
07:54came into light
07:55then the same
07:57police commissioner
07:58has initiated
07:59an inquiry
08:00internal inquiry
08:01that what has
08:02happened
08:03and he told the media
08:04that
08:05the earlier version
08:07of his understanding
08:08was based on
08:09the body cam
08:10cameras
08:10which he has seen
08:12and nothing
08:12untowards
08:13was seen
08:14in those cameras
08:15however
08:16when we see
08:17a bird's eye view
08:18from the outside
08:19camera
08:20which was shot
08:21by the lady
08:21then we can
08:23simply see
08:24that police action
08:25was aggressive
08:25inquiry will be held
08:28and I can tell you
08:29Indian Australian
08:30community
08:31in South Australia
08:32is really really
08:33angry about it
08:34and they are
08:35planning a protest
08:36there
08:36I have talked
08:38to a number
08:38of community leaders
08:41they have told
08:41that they have
08:42made a group
08:43to kind of
08:44help this lady
08:46and take
08:47this matter
08:48further on
08:49so that
08:49this kind of
08:50incident
08:50doesn't happen
08:51the second question
08:54which you asked
08:54me was
08:55a number
08:56of previous
08:57incidences
08:57which have
08:58happened in
08:58Celia
08:59I can tell you
09:01all of them
09:02have been covered
09:03by the Celia
09:04today
09:04however
09:06except for
09:08two of them
09:09no other case
09:10was racially
09:11motivated
09:12they were
09:13Turks
09:14who had
09:15these people
09:16were at the
09:16wrong time
09:17at the wrong
09:17place
09:18and they were
09:18a victim
09:19of crime
09:20on the street
09:21however
09:22I will not say
09:24that racially
09:25motivated
09:25actions
09:26doesn't happen
09:27in the Celia
09:27they do happen
09:28there are
09:30systems
09:30here
09:31and
09:32action
09:33hard
09:34really
09:35difficult
09:36stupid
09:37people
09:37are there
09:38we have to
09:39save ourselves
09:40from them
09:41but the
09:42action is taken
09:43police
09:43and authorities
09:44do act
09:45against them
09:46it's not that
09:47if
09:47Indian Australians
09:49are left
09:49high and dry
09:50that is not the
09:51case
09:51I can assure you
09:52but in this case
09:54we all were
09:55very surprised
09:56that
09:56premier came
09:57in support
09:57of the police
09:58officer
09:58probably has to
09:59bite his own
10:00words now
10:01after seeing
10:02this footage
10:03which has come up
10:03but this is
10:04exactly my point
10:05even if this
10:06particular incident
10:07wasn't racially
10:08motivated
10:09how can excessive
10:10force by the
10:11cops possibly
10:12be justified
10:12in this particular
10:14case his wife
10:15is speaking
10:15for the husband
10:16so it's not
10:17like she was
10:18at the receiving
10:19end
10:19and also
10:21given the fact
10:22that action
10:23needs to be
10:24taken against
10:24the cops
10:25because I read
10:25some reports
10:26that also say
10:27that the man's
10:29life is in
10:29danger
10:30some doctors
10:31have also said
10:32that there is a
10:32possibility
10:33that his brain
10:34injuries
10:34he may not
10:35recover
10:36he has two
10:36children
10:37he may not
10:38get normal
10:38he is in
10:41critical condition
10:41that's what we
10:42have been told
10:43and yes
10:45the situation
10:46is not very
10:47good for this
10:48family
10:48and they are
10:49going through
10:50a lot
10:50that's what
10:52we understand
10:52right now
10:53and as far
10:55as the action
10:56is concerned
10:56and I can
10:58assure you
10:58there have
11:01been a number
11:02of cases
11:02where police
11:03excessive force
11:04has been
11:05used
11:05and
11:06strict action
11:08has been
11:08taken
11:08in one of
11:09the cases
11:09police officer
11:10has gone to
11:11jail
11:11so if the
11:13inquiry
11:13finds out
11:14that police
11:16access
11:16force was
11:18not justified
11:19then I can
11:21assure you
11:21there will
11:22be a really
11:24really hard
11:24action on
11:25him
11:25but right
11:26now
11:26on community
11:27Indian
11:28Australian
11:28communities
11:29behalf
11:29they are
11:30reeling
11:30they are
11:31angry
11:31they are
11:32upset
11:32and they
11:33want support
11:34for this
11:34family
11:34that's what
11:35they are
11:36trying to
11:37right now
11:40it's 10 o'clock
11:40in the night
11:41I can tell you
11:42just half an
11:43hour back
11:43also
11:43there were
11:44a number
11:45of people
11:45who have
11:46gathered
11:46close to
11:47where the
11:48incident has
11:49happened
11:49and they are
11:50working out
11:51strategies
11:52to find out
11:53some sort
11:54of solution
11:56if we can
11:56call it
11:57all right
11:58Jitarth I want to
11:58thank you for
11:59speaking to us
12:00of course we are
12:00hoping for
12:01stronger action
12:02from the
12:03Australian
12:03authorities
12:04from the
12:04Australian
12:05police
12:05and not
12:06mere words
12:07because this
12:08aggression by
12:09the cops
12:09against what
12:10has happened
12:11to Gaurab
12:11Kundi
12:11cannot
12:12be justified
12:13I want to
12:13thank you
12:13one
12:13second