Deported from Australia for Hate Crimes, Vishal Jood, gets hero's welcome

Image Courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

25-year-old Vishal Jood, who hails from Haryana, had gone to Australia, purportedly to get an education. But he ended up committing a spate of hate crimes, attacking members of the Sikh community. For this he was convicted and jailed.

“Attempts to undermine Australia’s social cohesion will not be tolerated,” tweeted Alex Hawke, Australia’s Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, adding, “I thank community leaders who have worked to build cross-community unity and resilience against attempts by a small minority to incite discord and disharmony, demonstrating the importance and benefit of our nation’s strong social cohesion.”

Attempts to undermine Australia’s social cohesion will not be tolerated. https://t.co/uQKM3bMGeX
— Alex Hawke MP (@AlexHawkeMP) October 16, 2021

Hawke further said, “The man was an unlawful non-citizen at the time of his arrest. The Morrison Government takes very seriously its responsibility to protect Australians from non-citizens who engage in criminal conduct. We will always act decisively to protect our community.”

Recently, after completion of his sentence, Jood was deported back to India. One would think this would be seen as deeply shameful and regrettable, but Jood received a hero’s welcome! Sood was greeted with “Welcome Back Hero” hashtags and was honoured with a car procession as if he had returned home with an international award. The right-wing cheered him on social media.

Welcome Back Hero#VishalJood
pic.twitter.com/eH96g5NIy2
— Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) October 17, 2021

#Australia की अदालत ने इस अराजक #VishalJood को सिखों पर हमले का ना सिर्फ़ दोषी माना बल्कि कई महीने जेल में रखा
और जेल से बाहर निकलते ही ऑस्ट्रेलिया से deport करके भारत भेज दिया।
भारत में इस अराजकता का ऐसे स्वागत हुआ ।ये देश तबाही के रास्ते पर है। pic.twitter.com/kbUUHvdUeq
— Vinod Kapri (@vinodkapri) October 18, 2021

According to a report in IndianLink, an Australian portal for the diaspora, Australia’s Migration Act says, “Non-citizens who have committed serious crimes can be deported at the end of their jail sentence” adding that “Vishal Jood was arrested by NSW police in April after an investigation revealed his alleged connection to a series of targeted attacks on members of the Sikh community. A number of charges were levelled against him but in a plea bargain, NSW’s Department of Public Prosecutors dropped eight charges that included racial hate crime, while Jood pleaded guilty to three charges for which he was sentenced to six months in jail.” The Australian portal added that “it is believed that there was lobbying undertaken at very senior levels in the Indian government to secure the release of Vishal Jood due to political pressure from the ruling BJP in the state from which he hails.”

Jood hails from Haryana, and the state’s Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had in June asked the Australian authorities to release him, reported NDTV. Jood, had been convicted for assaulting Sikhs in September last year and February this year. Khattar had reportedly asked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, to intervene and secure Jood’s release from a prison in Australia.

However it is bizzare to see the caravan of SUVs taking Jood out in a victory procession. Or maybe this is what the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar meant in the video on social media where he was encouraging his volunteers “to pick up lathis and attack farmers” adding “If they go to jail, on their return they would be big leaders”.