A 22-year-old Sikh nurse has been left traumatized and had her nose broken after an alleged racially motivated attack outside a gym in Corio, Geelong, Australia.Harmanpreet Singh said the attack happened late Tuesday night after he had finished working out at a local gym. According to Singh, the harassment started while he was still training and escalated when he walked out of the training ground, where three men were allegedly waiting for him.Speaking to Australian broadcaster 9News, Mr Singh recounted the horrific moment one of the men headbutted him.“He got really close to my face and then he came back and hit me in the nose with his head. And then it started bleeding,” Singer said.
Insults before attack
Video accessed by the channel reportedly showed one of the men shouting: “Do you want to shut up, you Indian dog?” He was also allegedly told to “go back to where you came from” during the confrontation.Singh said the trio fled the scene in a sedan soon after the attack, which left him bleeding profusely. He was taken to hospital and remained under medical supervision overnight. Doctors said he may need specialist consultation and possibly surgery.“Nobody wants to hear it…especially when you’re only minding your own business,” he told Nine News. “Anyone can be hurt. I’m still traumatized.”The 22-year-old nurse said it was not the first time he had faced racial abuse in Australia but said the latest incident was deeply distressing. The attack made him question his sense of security.“I don’t know if I’m going to go back to the gym…I won’t feel safe after this,” he said.The incident comes amid fears of a rise in racist attacks against Australia’s Indian community. Australia has one of the largest immigrant groups in the country, with a population of more than 840,000 as of mid-2023.Last year, Australia experienced a series of alleged racial attacks against Indians. In July 2025, 23-year-old Indian student Amanpreet Singh was hospitalized after suffering an allegedly racially motivated violent attack in central Adelaide. Five men armed with metal knuckles or sharp objects reportedly attacked him without warning.He was left unconscious with severe injuries, including facial fractures and traumatic brain injury, Australia Today reported.There have also been incidents of vandalism targeting places of worship, including the Shri Swaminarayan Hindu Temple in Melbourne, further fueling anxiety among some in the Indian diaspora.Community members said the attacks escalated after anti-immigration protests took place in parts of Australia last year, raising new concerns about the safety of migrants in the country.
