Two countries, two brutal attacks: Why violence against Indians abroad is on a rise again

People waving Indian national flags take part in a rally along the Kartavya Path near India Gate, expressing solidarity with the armed forces in New Delhi on May 13, 2025, following a ceasefire between Pakistan and India. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

Two brutal assaults on Indians, one in Ireland and another in Australia, on the same day have reignited concerns about the safety of Indians overseas. From tech workers to international students, Indians are increasingly becoming targets of racial abuse and violence abroad. Recent data from India’s Ministry of External Affairs reveals a sharp rise in such attacks in recent years, with dozens of fatalities. The latest incidents in Dublin and Adelaide highlight a disturbing trend that shows no signs of slowing.

Indian tech worker assaulted in Dublin

On July 19, a married Indian father of one, who had moved to Dublin just weeks earlier for a tech job, was brutally assaulted, robbed, and stripped of his clothes in Tallaght, a suburb of the Irish capital, The Irish Times reported.

The man was attacked by a gang of teenagers who accused him of acting inappropriately around children, a claim later amplified online by far-right and anti-immigrant accounts. The Irish police, Garda, confirmed there was “no truth” to the allegations.

A friend of the victim told The Irish Times that it began when he set off on foot to the Vinayaka Hindu Temple in Kingswood, following Google Maps. “He tried explaining he’d been hired by a tech company to fill a skills gap here in Ireland. And then they hit him badly on the head. For 10 to 12 seconds he didn’t know where he was and then he realised blood was oozing from his forehead.”

The attackers stripped him of his pants, leaving him wandering through the residential area in a dazed state. “He was trying to take cover and seek help; he was so ashamed. A couple of cars passed him and one man hurled abuse at him. There’s a video of that.”

Local resident Jennifer Murray, who found him bloodied, gave him a blanket and waited for an ambulance. Breaking down as she recounted the scene, Murray said the man “kept thanking her repeatedly.”

This isn’t an isolated case. Another Indian student, pursuing a master’s degree at Dublin Business School, was also attacked in Sean Walsh Park by a gang. “They started hurling verbal abuse at him and then they punched him in the face and all over his body,” said Vikram Jain, an Irish citizen and landlord to the victim.

Indian student brutally beaten in Adelaide

Around the same time, in Australia’s Adelaide, a 23-year-old Indian student, Charanpreet Singh, was ambushed by five men after a parking dispute escalated into racial abuse, 9News reported.

“They just said ‘f**k off, Indian’, and after that they just started punching,” Singh told 9News from his hospital bed. “I tried to fight back, but they beat me until I was unconscious.”

Singh suffered brain trauma and multiple facial fractures and remains under treatment. Police arrested one 20-year-old suspect but are still hunting the others.

This incident has sparked outrage among the Indian community in Adelaide, reviving memories of previous assaults, including the October 2022 stabbing of Shubham Garg, a 28-year-old PhD student in Sydney.

Attacks on Indians abroad are rising

These violent episodes are part of a worrying trend. Data from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shows 91 attacks on Indian students abroad in the last five years, with 30 fatalities.

The numbers are grim: 40 attacks in 2024, up from 28 in 2023. Canada topped the list with 27 violent incidents, followed by Russia (15), the UK (12), Germany (11), and the US (9) -- all resulting in fatalities.

Separately, 86 Indians were attacked overseas in 2023, up from 57 in 2022 and 29 in 2021, according to MEA data. The US, UK, Saudi Arabia, and Canada accounted for the highest cases.

An RTI filed by activist Dr Vivek Pandey revealed that 28,458 Indians died abroad in the past three years, with 136 deaths linked to violence and murder.