Amid a string of violent attacks on Indians in Ireland, a 51-year-old Indian-origin man was brutally assaulted and robbed on his way to work earlier this week.
According to an Irish Mirror report, the victim, Laxman Das, has lived in Ireland for 22 years and is an Irish citizen. Das, a father of two, is a sous chef at the Anantara The Marker hotel in Dublin.
He was reportedly travelling to work on his e-bike on Wednesday, August 6, morning when he was targeted by a gang of three men, who allegedly wrestled him off his bike.
The gang, Das told Dublin Live, were “relentless” and started beating him, causing his helmet to break. He said that his phone, credit card, cash and electric bike were also stolen during the incident.
Laxman Das was taken to the hospital following the assault with injuries to his legs, eye socket, shoulder and arm. He was discharged later in the evening.
He is currently on sick leave to recover from the attack.
Racial attacks on a rise in Ireland
Earlier in the week, Anupa Achuthan, originally from Kerala and now an Irish citizen, spoke about her Ireland-born six-year-old daughter Nia Naveen being assaulted outside her home in the city of Waterford, south-east Ireland, and told to “go back to India”.
Violent assaults involving Lakhvir Singh, a taxi driver in his 40s, and entrepreneur and AI expert Dr Santosh Yadav followed an Indian Embassy advisory urging Indian citizens to take “safety precautions and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours”.
The advisory followed 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 people of Ireland stand with the Indian community and will continue to stand firmly against racism in all its forms,” the Irish Embassy in New Delhi said in a social media statement this week.
The Irish India Council welcomed the “strong statement”, adding: “Racism and xenophobia have no place in our society. The Indian community’s contributions continue to enrich Ireland, and our shared bonds remain strong.”
On Saturday, the diversity unit of Ireland’s police force, the Garda National Diversity Unit, said investigations into reports of assault on people of Indian heritage remain ongoing.
