New Delhi: Incidents of persons of Indian origin being targeted in Ireland are on the rise.
In the third case in the last two weeks, an Indian cab driver was attacked in Ballymun, a suburb of capital city Dublin.
Lakhvir Singh, residing in Ireland for 23 years and working as a cab driver for 10 years, was violently assaulted on Friday night. Two men got into his taxi pretending to be customers, and hit him on the head with a bottle.
The two youths, estimated to be around 20 or 21, asked Lakhvir to drop them off at a place called Poppintree.
Once they reached the destination, the men turned violent. They opened Lakhvir’s door and attacked him.
The duo racially abused Lakhvir, and told him to “Go back to your own country.”
Shaken by the unexpected assault, a bloodied Lakhvir tried ringing nearby doorbells for help, but no one responded. He then called 999, and Gardai (Irish police) and emergency services reached the spot.
He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Though he did not suffer serious physical injuries, the incident has left Lakhvir deeply traumatised and scared.
“In 10 years, I’ve never seen anything like this happen… 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 told Dublin Live.
Police said that an investigation is underway.
“Gardai are investigating an assault reported to have occurred in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11 at around 11.45 pm on August 1. A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to Beaumont Hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury. Investigations are ongoing,” said a Gardai spokesperson.
