INDIA’S Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over the death of an Indian-origin bus driver killed by an incendiary device thrown into his bus in Brisbane, Australia, last week.
Modi called Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull late last night (October 30) to discuss the death of Manmeet Alisher, 29, who was the only fatality in last Friday’s (28) attack at a bus stop.
“The matter, of course, is being closely investigated and I will keep him informed as the results of the investigation arise,” Turnbull told reporters today (October 31).
A 48-year-old man appeared in a Brisbane court on Saturday (29) and is facing charges related to murder, attempted murder and arson, Australian media reported.
State health minister Cameron Dick said that the accused man, Anthony Mark Edward O’Donohue, had undergone treatment at Queensland Health’s mental health services. The minister also announced launching an independent external inquiry into the treatment given to O’Donohue. It is expected to take eight weeks.
O’Donohue is due to appear in court again next month.
A taxi driver who helped passengers escape from the bus has been hailed as a hero in media reports. Aguek Nyok told the Nine Network he kicked in the back door of the bus after the attack.
“People were trying to get out and they couldn’t, so I went and I kicked the door. I did about three attempts to break it,” he said.
Some passengers suffered burns and were treated at the scene, media reports said.
More than 1,000 people, including taxi drivers and members of Brisbane’s Indian community, paid their respects to Alisher at a memorial on the weekend.
Meanwhile, Alisher’s parents were said to be unaware of the death of their son, a family friend said.
Alisher’s brother Amit arrived in Brisbane yesterday on a flight from India to take his brother’s body home.
“We haven’t told the parents that he’s no more, we just say it’s an accident, he’s in a coma,” said Winnerjit Goldy, a family friend.
“It is a really hard time for us. This is a bad day in the history of Australia. It is a country of justice and we feel we will get justice. Manmeet was not only a bus driver, he was a gem. He was the one, he was the main family member, all the family was dependent on that person,” he said.
Dhatt with sons Jasvinder and Parminder
Dhatt as a young soldier
Dhatt with the then Prince of Wales, and the late Queen
Dhatt gardening at home
Dhatt with his granddaughter Amrit