Rudd promises thorough probe

As police launched a major probe into the death of an Indian toddler here, 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,” Mr. 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.

Mr. 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 on Thursday.

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.”