Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has turned down the Honorary Doctorate by an Australian university. Amidst recent racial attacks on Indians students in Australia, Amitabh has refused to accept the honorary doctorate conferred upon him by Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane. He was to be presented doctorate degree in July 09 for his contribution in the field of entertainment. The actor said his reaction was on the personal level and followed his heart.

"I have been witnessing with great dismay and shock, the recent violent attacks on Indian students in Australia, on the electronic media the entire day," Bachchan wrote on his blog.

"I mean no disrespect to the Institution that honours me, but under the present circumstances, where citizens of my own country are subjected to such acts of inhuman horror, my conscience does not permit me to accept this decoration from a country that perpetrates such indignity to my fellow countrymen," he added.

"It was a personal decision that I decided to make public through my blog. I did not feel like accepting the honour when so much dishonour against my countrymen was taking place," Bachchan told reporters during a press conference to promote the IIFA awards.

"Brisbane film festival retrospective was like a celebration and for me to be going for my own celebration to a region which witnessed such atrocity against my own countrymen. I don't think it was ethical and therefore I turned it down politely," the actor said.

Australia has recently seen a series of attacks on Indian students, the most serious being the assault of Shravan Kumar, a 25-year-old student from Andhra Pradesh who is battling for life in a hospital here after being stabbed by a screwdriver by a group of teens in a weekend attack that also left three of his friends injured.

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