Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in Dublin in apparent hate crime

Hindustan Times

19 hours ago

An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault. A 'Stand Against Racism' protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a 'vicious racist attack' and to express solidarity with migrants.
Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin. Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: 'Go back to your own country'.
'In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen,' Singh said. 'I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared,' he said. A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening.
'Gardaí are investigating the assault,' the spokesperson said. The incident followed an Indian Embassy advisory, also issued on Friday, expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions.
'There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,' states the advisory. 'The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned in Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours,' the statement reads, adding emergency embassy contact details as 0899423734 and [e-mail].
It came in the wake of a brutal attack on a 40-year-old Indian man at Parkhill Road in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on July 19, described as 'mindless, racist violence' by locals.The Gardai had opened an investigation into the case and Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was among those who took to social media to express shock over the attack.
A 'Stand Against Racism' protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a 'vicious racist attack' and to express solidarity with migrants.
Last week, Dr Santosh Yadav took to LinkedIn to post details of a 'brutal, unprovoked racist attack'. The entrepreneur and AI expert stressed that it was not an isolated incident and called for 'concrete measures' from the governments of Ireland and India to ensure Indians feel safe to walk the streets of Dublin. His post revealed that a group of six teenagers attacked him from behind as he walked to his apartment in Dublin.