Australia must match action with words, says Sibal

New Delhi, Jan 7 : Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Thursday said the Australian government has assured him it would take action against attackers of Indian students, but "their actions must match words".

"They have spoken to me. They told me that they take this issue seriously. But what we want is that their action must match words," Sibal told reporters here.

There are several cases of Indian students being attacked in Australia in 2009. In the most recent case last week, Nitin Garg was stabbed to death in Melbourne.

Garg, 21, an accounting graduate, was knifed in West Footscray suburb of Melbourne while on way to work last Saturday. He staggered to Hungry Jack's restaurant -- where he worked -- and pleaded for help before collapsing. He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital where he died. Garg hailed from Punjab.

Earlier in the day, rebuffing Australia's claim of "hysteria" in India, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna asked Canberra to ensure that Indian citizens are safe in that country.