The demands were made by Indian men living in Sunshine who are fed up with being the target of violent crimes.

Last Monday week, a group of up to 15 men stormed the Indian Supermarket in City Place at about 6.40pm with metal poles and other weapons. The two men working at the supermarket were beaten, as were two customers. One shopper, Sukhraj Singh, was

so savagely beaten he remains in a serious condition in the Royal Melbourne Hospital with head injuries.

More than 100 Indian men congregrated outside the supermarket last Tuesday night to draw attention to the issue. They also went to Sunshine police station and met with officers.

Group spokesman Vinodh Bommrasipet said it took police more than 50 minutes to attend the incident.

"But it is not just this incident.

"Every day people are coming into the shop telling me about being beaten up on the way home from the train station, those sorts of things.

"We feel the police don't take these crimes seriously enough. Most of the Indians here are students and have no other way to get around but on foot and they do not feel safe at all."

``We are calling on the new Brimbank Council to come and meet with us and immediately install CCTV cameras. We want more police patrols, too,'' he said.

One 20-year-old student at the gathering spoke of his experience on his way home from Sunshine railway station about three months ago.``I was walking

home at night and a couple of guys bashed me over the head and stole my iPod. I reported it to the police and they said the best advice they could give would be for me to buy a car,'' he said.

``I can't do that. I don't have the money. I am always scared walking home, but I have no choice.''