An Australian teenager who fatally stabbed an Indian graduate, during a spate of attacks that fuelled a bitter diplomatic row with New Delhi over racist violence, was Thursday jailed for 13 years. The youth - whose identity has been suppressed - was just 15 when he attacked Nitin Garg, 21, as he walked through Melbourne parkland to work on January 2, 2010, stabbing him during an attempt to steal his mobile phone.
Garg, an accounting graduate, managed to stagger to his workplace, a nearby burger restaurant, before collapsing with fatal stab wounds to the abdomen. He died early the next day in hospital. The highest-profile in a string of attacks on Indian students in Australia, Garg's murder made international headlines and outraged public opinion in India, leading to accusations of widespread racism against migrants. Australia's reputation as a safe and welcoming destination for international students was badly damaged, leading to a drop-off in enrolments and sparking a government review of the tertiary education sector.