Sikhs attacked with baseball bats, hammers in Sydney, car smashed

WERE TARGETED AMID GROWING DISAGREEMENT WITHIN INDIAN COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA OVER FARMING LAWS, SAYS REPORT

MELBOURNE : A group of Indian Sikhs said that they were attacked with baseball bats and hammers by some unidentified compatriots in Sydney amid growing tensions within the Indian community in Australia over farming laws in India, according to a media report.

In Sydney’s Harris Park on Sunday night, a group of unidentified men pulled out hammers, baseball bats and wooden sticks, stopping a car and attacking the vehicle as the terrified men inside tried to get away, the 7NEWS channel reported.

“They bashed the car from all sides,” a victim was quoted as saying by the channel. “Anyone could’ve got killed.”

The man believes he and his friends were targeted because of their turbans, the report said.

The incident was captured in security cameras, showing the four men fleeing a gang who smashed up their car with bats and hammers while they were still inside.

The victims escaped but were chased and attacked again, the channel said.

The attack left the car with more than 10,000 Australian dollars in damages, with a windscreen smashed in multiple places and also deep gouges into the car’s panelling, it added.

“What’s concerning though is that these men alleged they were targeted because of their beliefs,” the channel said.

According to the channel, increased police patrols and threats of deportation are on the table as authorities work to stamp out fighting between Indian groups on the streets of Sydney.

“Disagreements over farming laws in India have seen a rising violence here with one side now claiming they were targeted by a gang wielding bats and hammers,” the channel said.

Last month, the ministry of external affairs said that the agri laws were passed by India’s Parliament after debate and discussion and were aimed at reforming the country’s agriculture sector.