LONDON: The Indian community in Ireland has expressed relief after the first arrests were made in connection with a series of racist attacks that targeted Indians over the summer.
On Friday morning, the Gardaí—Ireland’s national police force—announced the arrest of a man in his 30s and a male juvenile for the July 19 assault on an Indian Amazon employee in Tallaght, Dublin, the first incident to draw widespread attention in India. “Both individuals are currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at Garda stations in South Dublin. Investigations are ongoing,” the Garda told TOI.
The victim, a highly skilled Indian national in his 40s, had arrived in Ireland just a week earlier while his wife and 11-month-old child remained in India. He was stripped, stabbed, and left for dead near a roundabout in Kilnamanagh, Tallaght. Jennifer Murray, the local resident who found him, said, “They gashed his forehead, punched him in the head, threw him to the ground—he suffered massive head injuries. They took his trousers, underwear, phone, bank card, shoes, everything. They could easily have killed him.”
Several more attacks on people of Indian origin followed in the weeks after, though no arrests have been made in those cases. Most of the attacks, largely carried out by children and teenagers, subsided once schools reopened in September and daylight hours shortened.
Aditya Mandal, an AI professional from West Bengal working in Dublin, welcomed the latest development. “The Indian community appreciates the efforts of the Irish government, An Garda Síochána, and the Indian embassy. We are confident justice will be served and the culprits held accountable.”
Anand Kumar Pandey of the Ireland-India Council added that Ireland’s legal procedures contribute to slower progress. “The system is very bureaucratic. Making an arrest involves multiple legal steps, unlike the UK. But the community is pleased. The process is slow, yet it appears our efforts helped apply pressure.”
