An Indian was among 19 people injured when a speeding SUV ran down pedestrians at a busy intersection in downtown Melbourne on Thursday, an incident described by Australia as “act of evil and an act of cowardice”. A white Suzuki Grand Vitara with two men inside drove into the crowd at the intersection just after 4.30 pm local time, injuring 19 people including Rohit Kaul, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir.
According to eyewitnesses, the car driver was waiting for the traffic signal to turn red before he drove his vehicle hitting pedestrians crossing the road. However, the Victorian police maintained that it was not a terror attack, but would continue to investigate. Quoting eyewitnesses, the local media said that people were thrown through the air after being hit by the vehicle. The attack was an “act of evil and an act of cowardice”, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters here.
He said the condition of four people hit was critical. Fifteen others were stable. The 45-year-old Kaul was talking to his son while crossing the intersection when he was hit by the car. “My husband was talking to my son Avi and crossing the intersection. Suddenly, my husband's phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before the line went dead,” Kaul’s wife said.
