New Delhi  - The Indian government has asked its diplomats in Australia to investigate an attack on three of its nationals in Melbourne that has raised questions about the safety of Indians in the country, news reports said Wednesday.

India's Ministry of External Affairs asked its consulate in Melbourne to report on the incident in which the men were allegedly beaten in the racist attack, state-run news channel Doordarshan said in a report.

Indians have become a target of violence in Australia, the report said. A string of attacks on Indian students since May have caused an uproar in the South Asian country.

According to the PTI news agency, 26-year old Sukhdip Singh, his brother Gurdeep and uncle Mukhtair Singh were attacked by a group of Australians in Epping, a suburb of the Victorian capital last weekend.

According to media reports, the victims alleged that the attackers told them: "You Indians, just go back to your country."

Even as police launched investigations, state premier John Brumby, who is due to travel to India next week said he would not comment on the latest incident, but "any violence, racially motivated or not was unacceptable."

"Some of the events of the past few months have damaged our brand and the Australian brand in India and I can only repeat that overall we remain one of the safest places in the world," Brumby was quoted by the PTI as saying.

Officials told the Doordarshan news channel that New Delhi was concerned over the attacks and pointed out that more measures needed to be taken to prevent such attacks.

India has been assured by Canberra that it will ensure safety and security of the students since the attacks threaten both the billion-dollar education industry and bilateral ties. An estimated 90,000 Indians study in Australia.

Australia had already taken steps like increasing police patrolling, to prevent the attacks. Julia Gillard, Australian deputy prime minister and minister for education, visited India earlier this month and pledged better protection for the students. (dpa)