After the students, it is now the turn of the Indian community as a whole. An Indian grocery shop worker is in hospital after getting blasted through the front window in an explosion triggered when three armed robbers set fire to the premises.

Police say three young males armed with knives entered the shop about 2100 hrs last night at Quakers Hill, in Sydney’s northwest.

They threatened Rajan Singh, the 33-year-old male employee and stole cash before setting the shop on fire and fleeing. The build-up of smoke and heat caused an explosion, blasting the employee out the front entrance and on to the footpath.

Although there are no racial overtones to the incident, but another employee lamented there are shops belonging to other communities but they are not attacked. He said the Indians are being targeted. The police officer investigating the incident speaking to a TV channel also ruled out any racial colour to the attack.

He sustained minor burns and smoke inhalation and was taken to Blacktown Hospital in a stable condition. Fire crews extinguished the blaze.