Modi raises India-origin man's death in Australia with Turnbull

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, in a telephonic conversation with his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull, expressed concern over the death of an Indian-origin man who worked as a bus driver in Australia.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi, telephoned Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia, today to wish him Diwali greetings," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"Prime Minister Modi also conveyed a sense of concern being felt in India over the recent brutal killing of Manmeet Alisher, a person of Indian origin, in Australia," it said.

Alisher, who was well-known among the Indian diaspora in Australia, died after an "incendiary device" was thrown at him while he was letting passengers on at Moorooka area in Brisbane, capital of the Australian state of Queensland, on Friday morning.

Australia is home to over a 450,000-strong Indians and Alisher's death has come as a shock to the community.

According to the External Affairs Ministry statement, during Sunday's conversation with Modi, Turnbull "expressed shock at the killing and conveyed that the matter is being investigated".

Modi also reiterated his invitation to Turnbull for a visit to India in 2017, the statement added.

--IANS

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