From machete assaults to racial abuse during parking disputes, Indian-origin residents in Australia are facing a surge in targeted attacks. Community leaders are demanding urgent action as fear spreads among immigrants and students.
BY PC Bureau
July 27, 2025 – A horrifying machete attack on an Indian-origin man in Melbourne has spotlighted a disturbing surge in racially motivated crimes targeting the Indian diaspora in Australia. The latest incident, which occurred on July 19 in Altona Meadows, left 33-year-old Saurabh Anand with life-threatening injuries, including a nearly severed hand.
Anand had just picked up medication from the Central Square Shopping Centre and was walking home when he was ambushed by five teenagers. According to eyewitness accounts and media reports, one attacker rifled through his pockets while another beat him until he collapsed. A third then pulled out a machete and held it to his throat.
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In a desperate attempt to protect himself, Anand raised his hand—only to suffer three savage blows from the blade. “The machete just went through my wrist… through my hand… and through the bone,” Anand told The Age, recounting the terrifying seconds that left his hand hanging by a thread. He also sustained a stab wound to the shoulder and a fractured spine from multiple strikes.
Indian-origin man brutally attacked with machete in Melbourne, hand reattached after surgery
Saurabh Anand, 33, was ambushed by five teens while walking home from a pharmacy in Altona Meadows. The savage attack left him seriously injured — his hand had to be surgically… pic.twitter.com/yOcjRjgaB4
— The Australia Today (@TheAusToday) July 26, 2025
Despite his severe injuries, Anand managed to escape and call for help. Emergency responders rushed him to a hospital, where surgeons initially feared they would have to amputate. Thankfully, they succeeded in reattaching his hand.
Australian authorities have arrested four of the five teenage assailants. Investigations are ongoing, but growing voices in the Indian community believe racial hate played a role in the targeted brutality.
Not an Isolated Case
Just days earlier, another Indian-origin man, Charanpreet Singh, was racially abused and violently assaulted in a separate incident during a parking dispute near Kintore Avenue, while he and his wife were out to view local light displays. Singh, a student, was reportedly attacked by a group of unidentified men who hurled racial slurs before physically assaulting him.
Though these incidents occurred in different parts of the city, both show alarming patterns of racially charged hostility, with Indians—particularly students and immigrants—becoming soft targets.
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Community groups and Indian diaspora organisations have raised red flags over what they say is a worrying rise in anti-India sentiment in parts of Australia. “It’s not just street crime—it’s racial profiling, abuse in workplaces, and assaults in public spaces,” said one Melbourne-based Indian community leader who requested anonymity for safety reasons.
Social media is now flooded with videos and personal accounts from Indian-origin residents, many of whom say they no longer feel safe walking alone in certain areas after dusk.
Aus media: ‘F— off, Indian’
23-year-old Indian student Charanpreet Singh brutally assaulted in Adelaide by five men wielding metal knuckles and hurling racial slurs.
He suffered brain trauma and multiple facial fractures.
Racism is not just hate — it destroys lives.Australia… pic.twitter.com/7CQ560ywue
— Satyaagrah (@satyaagrahindia) July 23, 2025
With diplomatic ties between India and Australia growing closer in recent years, these attacks could pose a challenge for bilateral relations. Indian officials have reportedly taken up the matter with their Australian counterparts, demanding swift justice and better protection for Indian nationals.
A statement from the Indian High Commission in Canberra expressed “grave concern” and urged Australian authorities to ensure the safety of all Indian-origin residents. “We expect accountability, timely justice, and preventive action,” the statement read.
Australia has long marketed itself as a multicultural success story, but such hate-fueled crimes expose fractures in that narrative. While local law enforcement continues to investigate these incidents, many are calling for more proactive steps—from increased patrolling in high-risk areas to public awareness campaigns targeting hate crimes.
Until then, Indian families like Saurabh Anand’s live in fear, wondering if they or their loved ones will be the next victims.
