It had taken close to a month for the body to come to India after being found in late December. Although MEA claimed to have 'facilitated' the operation, it was obvious that the only efforts were to pass some travel bills of ministry officials, who had no role to play.

Ranjodh's death in Australia came on the back of numerous attacks over the last two years on Indians by rowdy elements. The victims were usually intercepted, bashed up and robbed by young thugs. The assaulters were however presumed to be local toughies and, in some cases, immigrants from Arab countries.

Even in the only fatal assault so far, when a 21-year-old Nitin Garg was stabbed to death as he walked to work in Melbourne, the culprits have remained untraceable. In the case of Ranjodh's murder, however, the police could zero in on a husband and wife team, both Indian nationals.

Young Indians flock to Australia every year braving increasingly tough restrictions about language proficiency, financial capacity etc. Their plight at the hands of ruffians in the alien land while attempting to make an honest living deserves sympathy. The misfortune has however been worsened by the Indian Media which mounted a hysterical campaign to create a big sensation. Incitement of gullible Indians to condemn everything Australian led to vicious violence.

New Delhi's foreign affairs establishment too has failed to address the issue appropriately. In fact, ever since the first Prime Minister fancied himself to be a statesman of international stature and set up an unwieldy foreign office, it has acted tactlessly. There was a time when every newly independent nation accepted India's preeminent position and sought its guidance. Soon, many of them did much better than India while India squandered its healthy gold reserves and slipped into virtual bankruptcy. Even as India's clout has been plummeting, the pundits have managed to keep the Nehruvian officialdom bloating.