As police launched a major probe into the death of an Indian toddler in Melbourne , Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Friday vowed to get to the bottom of the "horrible" incident. "This is a really horrible story. I've seen the reports this morning, I heard about it late last night," Rudd was quoted by AAP as saying.
"The death of any little child causes everyone in this country to stop, pause, think, reflect. If this is a case of murder, there is nothing worse than the brutal murder of a little child. The authorities are investigating it and we have every confidence the authorities will get to the bottom of it," he said.
Rudd said Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, who is currently in India to discuss the relationship between the two countries, had been informed of the death of three-year-old Gurshan Singh Channa, whose body was found on the side of a road in Melbourne's northern suburbs six hours after he disappeared from the family home yesterday.
Asked if there had been any reaction from the Indian government, he replied, "as of now those matters lie with the Foreign Minister. What I'm concerned about is this little boy, this little child." "Let's get the facts around this ... Let's sort out this case, this person, this human tragedy first, and as for foreign policy, let's deal with that in its due time."
Meanwhile, Victorian Premier John Brumby has briefed Indian High Commissioner Sujatha Singh about the "deeply distressing" death of the toddler. Brumby told Singh that no stone would be left unturned in the investigation into the death. The Premier said he was briefed about the matter last night, adding that he and his family found the case deeply distressing.
"Any death of a child is a terrible, terrible tragedy. The death of a child so young is a terrible, unthinkable tragedy," he said. "We hope this crime can be solved and resolved as soon as possible." Brumby said it was important that people do not jump to conclusion about the death at this time. The Premier said he had been kept regularly briefed by police, who have decided to treat the case as a homicide.
"Every possible police resource is being devoted," Brumby said. "There are no visible signs of the cause of death at this stage ... but I think it's very important that no one jumps to conclusions."
"The most important thing is that we find the cause of death and bring those responsible to justice and I can only repeat from the point of view of the government and the police force in Victoria, every single resource is being devoted to this effort." PTI
