Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called up his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull to express concern over the brutal killing of an Indian-origin man who worked as a bus driver in Australia.
29-year-old Indian-origin bus driver Manmeet Alisher was burned to death when a man poured some flammable liquid on him in Brisbane.
"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.
Prime Minister Turnbull expressed shock at the killing and conveyed that the matter is being investigated, it added.
Prime Minister Modi reiterated his invitation to Premier Turnbull for a visit to India in 2017, the statement said.
Alisher, a well-known singer in the Punjabi community, was driving a Brisbane City Council bus on Friday when he was targeted by the man who threw an "incendiary device" at him which sparked a fire.
Alisher died on the spot while several passengers on board the bus at the time managed to escape through the rear door.
Police had earlier said that there was "no apparent motive" including terror or race related in the killing of the Indian-origin man.
A 48-year-old man had been taken into custody over the incident.
