An Indian student was hospitalised with serious injuries after a suspected racially motivated assault in central Adelaide, Australia, sparking widespread outrage and fresh calls for better protection of international students, as per a report by ANI.
The victim, 23-year-old Charanpreet Singh, had stepped out with his wife on Saturday, July 19, to see the city’s light displays when the incident occurred around 9.22 pm near Kintore Avenue. As the couple parked their car, they were reportedly surrounded by a group of five men who exited another vehicle and launched an unprovoked attack.
According to eyewitnesses and local media outlet The Australia Today, the assailants appeared to use metal knuckles or sharp objects to strike Singh.
Footage shared on social media shows the attackers shouting slurs while punching and kicking him before fleeing the scene. Singh was left unconscious on the road, with brain trauma and multiple facial fractures.
Speaking to 9News from his hospital bed, Singh said the incident began as a parking dispute but escalated quickly. “They just said, ‘F*** off, Indian’, and after that they just started punching,” he said, calling it a hate crime.
Police arrested one suspect, a 20-year-old man from Enfield, a day after the incident. The other accused are still absconding. Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage from the area and have appealed to the public for information.
The attack has shaken Adelaide’s Indian community and heightened concerns over the safety of international students in Australia. Support for Singh has poured in online, with many demanding stronger action against racial violence.
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas condemned the assault, telling 9News, “Any time we see any evidence of any racial attack, it is completely unwelcome in our state and just not consistent with where the majority of our community are at.”
