The arrest of a 42-year-old Indian man who is now fighting for his life in an Adelaide hospital has become the subject of intense international scrutiny.
Gaurav Kundi was hospitalised after becoming unresponsive during an arrest by South Australian police on Payneham Road last week.
Some Indian media outlets have described the Adelaide incident as “Australia’s George Floyd Moment”.
The comparisons to the 2020 murder that ignited the global Black Lives Matter movement stem from claims made by Kundi’s partner that a knee was used on his neck during the arrest, similar to George Floyd’s death.
Those claims have been denied by South Australian police.
“At this stage there is nothing to support any allegations that a knee was placed on the person’s neck during the incident,” Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said.
He added that “there is nothing to indicate this is racially motivated”.
Preeti Naladi has written to the South Australian police minister on behalf of Adelaide’s Indian community to demand answers.
“It just has shocked the entire community,” Naladi said.
“There is a lot of anxiety and anger together.”
The letter from the Indian community calls for an independent investigation into the arrest, the suspension of the officer or officers involved pending the outcome of the investigation, and the release of any body-worn camera footage to the family and their legal representatives.
“Could they have avoided the incident itself, that is the big question which I am raising as a member of the Indian community,” Naladi said.
However, Stevens has said the public should await the outcome of the internal police inquiry.
“I just want to reassure people who have concerns about police investigating police, this is a standard process, it is one which would be applied in any jurisdiction across Australia,” Stevens said.
Police Minister Stephen Mullighan acknowledged the Indian community’s concerns.
“We are really grateful for that correspondence because it really highlights to me just how impactful this incident has been broadly in the community,” Mullighan said.
“I don’t think it’s reasonable for anyone to be drawing any conclusions on this incident until we have the benefit of having the investigation being undertaken.”
Sections of the Australian-Indian community are demanding further action and are planning a protest for later next week.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
