Indian-origin man brutally attacked with machete in Melbourne; second such assault in a week

MELBOURNE(Australia): In a shocking incident, a 33-year-old Indian-origin man was brutally attacked with a machete by a group of teenagers in Melbourne’s Altona Meadows, marking the second such violent assault that came to light against Indians in Australia within a week.

Saurabh Anand was ambushed by five teenagers around 7.30 pm on Saturday, July 19, while he was walking home after buying medicines from a pharmacy at the Central Square Shopping Centre, Australia Today reported.

Anand recalled that he was on a phone call when he noticed a flicker of movement beside him. “I didn’t hear a sound,” he said, Australia Today quoted The Age.

According to the report, one of the boys began searching his pockets, while another started punching him in the head until he collapsed. A third attacker pulled out a machete and held it to his throat.

“They didn’t stop there,” Anand told The Age, as quoted by Australia Today.

“My instinctive reaction was to bring my arm up to protect my face and wrist. While I was trying to protect myself, the machete just went through my wrist. The second attack went through my hand. The third went through the bone,” he said.

Anand suffered serious injuries, including a fractured spine, deep wounds on his shoulder and back, broken bones in his arm, and head trauma. “I was just trying to survive,” he said.

“All I remember is the pain and my hand was … hanging by a thread, ” he added.

Despite being severely injured and bleeding, he managed to stumble outside the shopping centre and shout for help. “I saw someone and I just yelled out, ‘I’ve been attacked. Please help me.”

Bystanders came to his aid and called emergency services. He was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in critical condition. Initially, doctors feared they would have to amputate his left hand. However, after hours of emergency surgery, which included inserting screws into his wrist and hand, surgeons were able to reattach it successfully, as per Australia Today.

This is the second violent assault involving an Indian-origin person in Australia to come to light within a week.

In Adelaide, a 23-year-old Indian man named Charanpreet Singh was reportedly attacked and left unconscious after a racist assault linked to a car parking dispute. The incident occurred near Kintore Avenue in central Adelaide on Saturday, July 23 (local time).

Singh told 9News that a group of men approached him, hurled racist slurs, and then attacked him without provocation. “They just said ‘f— off, Indian’, and after that they just started punching,” he said. “I tried to fight back, but they beat me until I was unconscious.”

He suffered brain trauma and multiple facial fractures and was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

In yet another disturbing case, the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Boronia, a suburb of Melbourne, was vandalised with racial slurs. As per Australia Today, hateful graffiti reading “Go Home Brown C**t” was spray-painted on the temple walls and nearby Asian-run restaurants.

Makrand Bhagwat, President of the Hindu Council of Australia (Victoria chapter), expressed deep concern and shock over the temple attack. These repeated incidents have raised serious concerns among the Indian diaspora in Australia.

Local police are investigating all incidents, and efforts are underway to identify the attackers. (ANI)