Indian student stabbed to death in Australia; police search for two Indian-origin brothers
Melbourne/Chandigarh, May 6: A 22-year-old MTech student from India was stabbed to death in Australia during a fight between some Indian students and police are searching for two Indian-origin brothers in connection with the murder.
Navjeet Sandhu was fatally attacked with a knife by another student when he tried to intervene in a dispute between a few Indian students over some rent issue, according to the deceased victim's uncle Yashvir in Karnal, Haryana.
"Navjeet's friend (another Indian student) had asked him to accompany him to his house to pick up his belongings as he had a car. While his friend went inside, Navjeet heard some shouts and saw there was a scuffle. When Navjeet tried to intervene asking them not to fight, he was fatally stabbed in the chest with a knife," Yashvir, who'll retire from the Army in July, said.
He added that like Navjeet, the alleged accused also hails from Karnal.
Yashvir said the family got the information about the incident early Sunday morning.
Navjeet's friend, whom he was accompanying, also sustained injuries in the incident, the uncle of the deceased said.
Yashvir said the family is in a state of shock. "Navjeet was a brilliant student and was to join his family in July for vacations," he said.
According to Yashvir, Navjeet had moved to Australia on a study visa one-and-a-half years ago and his father, a farmer, had sold one-and-half acres of their land to fund his education.
"We urge the Government of India to help us to bring the body as soon as possible," he said.
Meanwhile, Victoria Police said their Homicide Squad detectives are releasing details and images of two men they are searching for following a stabbing in Ormond in Melbourne's south-east.
A search is currently underway for brothers Abhijeet Abhijeet and Robin Gartan, both of Indian descent, it said.
Abhijeet is 26 years old and described as being 170cm tall with a solid build and black hair.
Gartan is 27 years old and is also described as being 170cm tall with a solid build and black hair.
It’s believed they are travelling in a stolen 2014 white Toyota Camry sedan.
The pair was last seen in the Ormond area in the early hours of Sunday, shortly after the incident occurred.
Emergency services were called to a residential property at about 1 am on Sunday, following reports of a dispute, the statement said.
Upon arrival, two men were located with stab wounds.
Victoria Police, however, did not identify the victims.
It is understood two other men fled the scene following the incident and police are continuing to search for the pair.
It’s believed the parties involved in the incident were known to each other and police are still working to establish the cause of the dispute, the police statement said.
Investigators are keen to speak to anyone who knows the current whereabouts of the two men, it said.
Homicide Squad detectives are releasing details and images of two men they are searching for following a stabbing in Ormond yesterday where one man was killed and another was seriously injured.
— Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) May 6, 2024
More info: https://t.co/vm3FtbvzWQ pic.twitter.com/CmKlCtXz6r
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Ladakh leaders welcome Wangchuk's release, demand others' freedom
New Delhi (PTI): Leaders from Ladakh on Saturday welcomed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's release from Jodhpur jail and demanded the release of remaining detainees.
Wangchuk was released from prison on Saturday after the Union government revoked his detention with immediate effect.
Ladakh MP Mohamad Hanifa hailed his release and urged the government to accept their demands for statehood and protection under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
"We welcome the release of Sonam Wangchuk. But others also need to be released, and the government should also take back the cases filed against people who participated in the protests," Hanifa told PTI.
The Union Home Ministry, in its statement, commented on the law and order situation in the Union Territory.
"... prevailing atmosphere of bandhs and protests has been detrimental to the peace-loving character of the society and has adversely affected various sections of the community, including students, job aspirants, businesses, tour operators and tourists and overall economy," it said.
Hanifa, however, said protest is a Constitutional right, and urged the government to resolve the issue through dialogue.
"If our voice is not heard in any other way, then there is another way to protest. We have always protested peacefully from day one, and we believe in peaceful protests. This is to make our voice reach the government," he said.
"We have always said that we want a solution to these issues through dialogue," he said.
Kargil-based politician and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) member Sajjad Kargili, in a post on X, demanded the immediate release of Deldan Namgial and Smanla Dorjey, and appealed to the government to drop all charges against other detainees unconditionally.
"The revocation of NSA against Shri Sonam Wangchuk is a welcome move. However, our struggle of our legitimate rights continues," he said.
Wangchuk was detained on September 26, 2025, two days after protests over demands for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution rocked Leh.
More than 45 people, including 22 policemen, were injured in the protests.
