An Indian data scientist who was set upon and beaten by a group of teenagers in Dublin has warned other members of his community not to go out alone, and be cautious at all times.
Speaking to RTÉ's This Week programme, Dr Santosh Yadav, appealed to members of the Indian community to be vigilant, after the unprovoked attack, which left him with a fractured cheekbone and other injuries all over his body.
He feels the only reason for the attack was the colour of his skin.
Dr Yadav, who has been here for over four years, said he knows of at least 50 such attacks on Indians around Dublin in the past year.
He said: "Since the attack, I’ve been contacted by at least 50 others from my community reporting how they had been viciously assaulted as well.
"My advice to other Indians is neve to go out alone, always walk in a group and be cautious at all times and never make eye contact with these groups of teenagers."
Read more from RTÉ Clarity: Assault victim links attack to racism and rise in misinformation
Dr Yadav is hopeful the culprits will be brought to justice.
"I hope they will, but the law does not allow for much to be done by way of punishment against these gangs. They seem to know that no action will be taken against them," he added.
Dr Yadav was walking after dinner with a friend near Clondalkin when a gang of up to six teenagers set on him.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"They approached me from behind and smashed my glasses and began hitting me all over and then ran away. But, when I began to video the incident, they came back and threw away my phone and hit me on my face, back, legs and everywhere.
"I was on the pavement bleeding badly but managed to call the gardai. A bone close to my nose is fractured and I’ve a lot of swelling on my body," Dr Yadav said.
After the assault he was taken by ambulance to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown where he received a CT scan on his head and a full body X-Ray.
Dr Yadav said that he is still in shock after the attack and suffering from trauma.
"Definitely, an incident like this makes you feel scared about going out, because I know there has been other such attacks.
"I will be taking precautions when I go out again," he added.
Despite the horrific attack, Dr Yadav, said he would remain here and work in Ireland where he has many friends and colleagues.
"The Irish people are the best, I’ve amazing colleagues, but these teenagers are creating issues for us all," he added.
In a statement, the Indian embassy in Dublin said there had been an increase in attacks on Indian citizens in Ireland recently and it has been in touch with the relevant authorities.
"All Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal safety and avoid deserted areas, especially in odd hours," it said.
On its social media platforms, the Embassy of India urged all Indian citizens in the country to avoid going to deserted places and exercise heightened caution.
The Embassy also provides emergency details for concerned or affected citizens to contact. Census figures show that there are up to 46,000 Indian citizens living in Ireland.
