Indian-origin priest stabbed

After a string of alleged hate crimes against India nationals in the US, an Indian-origin Catholic priest was stabbed with a knife by a man in Melbourne. The priest, Tomy Kalathoor Mathew, 48, was preparing to deliver the Sunday mass at St. Matthew's Parish at Fawkner suburb, when a man stabbed him with a knife, reportedly saying that he is not qualified to lead the service as, being Indian origin, he must be a Hindu or a Muslim. Mathew was stabbed in the left side of neck, before he was taken to Northern Hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

The local churchgoers expressed shock. "There was some shouting and a lot of movement at the back of the church and then I saw Father Tommy coming to approach me. He waved me over and asked me if I could look at his neck because he said 'I've just been stabbed'," one of the parishioners, Melina, was quoted by local media.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj on Monday said that Australian Police have arrested the attacker of the Indian priest, who was stabbed in Melbourne, and charged him with attempt to murder.