‘Go back to India': Six-year-old brutally assaulted by kids, hit in private parts in Ireland's Waterford

Indian Express

3 days ago

A six-year-old Indian-origin girl was brutally assaulted in Ireland by a group of children outside her home in Waterford earlier this week.
The girl was punched in the face and hit in the private parts as the attackers yelled 'go back to India', according to The Irish Mirror.
Recounting the harrowing incident, the girl's mother, Anupa Achuthan, said that the attack took place when her daughter was playing outside her home in the Kilbarry area of Waterford City, on Monday evening.
She noted that the gang of kids, who assaulted the six-year-old, included a girl aged around eight and several boys between 12 and 14.
'She told me five of them punched her in the face. One of the boys pushed the bicycle wheel onto her private parts, and it was really sore. They said the F word and 'Dirty Indian, go back to India. She told me today (Wednesday) they punched her neck and twisted her hair,' the mother told The Irish Mirror.
Achuthan said that the incident took place when she stepped inside to feed her 10-month-old toddler son.
'It was around 7.30 pm and she was playing inside the house. She wanted to play outside and go cycling. I let her outside for a few seconds. My husband was at work on night duty. He was off to work, and I was alone with my 10-month-old and my six-year-old. She went out with her friends. I was supervising them just in front of the house. They were playing together and I knew they were safe,' she said.
'My youngest one started crying because it was his feeding time, so I just let Nia know that I would be popping inside the house and she could play with her friend,s and I would be back in a second after feeding the baby,' Achuthan added.
'She couldn't even talk'
Achuthan, who recently became an Irish citizen, said that her daughter entered the house feeling scared and upset and 'couldn't even talk'.
'I had never seen my daughter like that. I just asked her friends what happened, and they were all so upset, they couldn't talk. One of her friends said a gang of boys older than them hit her on the private parts with a cycle and five of them punched her on her face,' she told the Dublin-based news outlet.
The Indian-origin-woman, who has been living and working in Ireland for around eight years, has filed a complaint with the Garda police.
Despite the brutal assault on her daughter, Achuthan is not seeking punishment for the kids but instead wants them to be given counselling.
Ireland has witnessed a surge in the number of racist attacks targeting Indians.
Previously, an Indian-origin senior data scientist was brutally assaulted in Ireland by a group of teenagers.
Santosh Yadav, in a post on his LinkedIn profile, said that he was attacked by six teenagers and relentlessly beaten across his head, face, neck, chest, hands, and legs near his apartment in Dublin.
'After having dinner, I was walking near my apartment when a group of six teenagers attacked me from behind. They snatched my glasses, breaking them, and then beat me relentlessly across my head, face, neck, chest, hands, and legs—leaving me bleeding on the pavement. I managed to call the Gardaí, and an ambulance took me to Blanchardstown Hospital. The medical team confirmed my cheekbone is fractured, and I have now been referred for specialist care,' he wrote.
Another incident was reported in Tallaght, where an Indian man in his 40s was hospitalised following what was dubbed as 'mindless, racist violence'.
'Gardaí in Tallaght were alerted to an incident at Parkhill Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24 on the evening of Saturday 19th July, 2025, at approximately 6 pm,' the local police said in a statement.
'Gardaí attended the scene and a male, aged in his 40s, was taken to Tallaght University Hospital with injuries,' the statement added.
The rise in the number of such attacks prompted the Indian embassy in Dublin to issue an advisory urging Indian nationals to remain vigilant.