A 22-year-old Indian-origin nurse was allegedly assaulted in what is being described as a racially motivated attack outside a gym in Corio, a suburb of Geelong, Australia. Reported by NDTV.
Harmanpreet Singh said he was leaving the gym when three men began harassing him, despite him “minding his own business”. According to 9News, Singh claimed the harassment began while he was still working out, and the men waited for him outside the premises after he finished.
A video circulating online shows a heavily built man wearing a white t-shirt and beige pants standing close to Singh, calling him an “Indian dog” and using expletives.
Describing the moment of assault, Singh said:
"He got really close to my face and then just got really back and hit his head on my nose. And just started bleeding straight away,"
The attackers reportedly fled the scene in a grey sedan. Singh was taken to hospital and spent the night receiving treatment for a broken nose. According to Australia Today, he will need to consult a specialist and may require surgery. He is expected to be discharged after a week.
While Singh said he had previously faced racial abuse, this incident has deeply affected him.
"I try to keep myself strong, not care about such things, but it hurts," he said.
"I don't know if I'm going to go back to [the] gym or if I'm going to change my hours ... I'm not going to feel safe after this," he added.
His sister, Khushi Kaur, said the family was shaken by the incident.
The attack comes amid broader concerns around safety and rising hate-related incidents in Australia. In December last year, a mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney resulted in 15 deaths. One of the two accused gunmen was reportedly an Indian passport holder who had migrated to Australia decades earlier.
The Indian community is the second-largest migrant group in Australia. As of June 2023, approximately 845,800 people of Indian origin were living in the country.
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