Ireland-India group receiving daily reports of attacks

Louise Walsh

The chairperson of a leading Ireland India group says he is receiving reports of daily attacks on the Indian community in the greater Dublin area and has called on the government for an 'immediate and co-ordinated state response."

The Ireland India Council wrote to Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan in the wake of an unprovoked assault on an Indian man in Tallaght and believes the same group of assailants may also be responsible for four other attacks on the Indian community in recent weeks.

Among measures it is calling for is the formal recognition of the hate crime status, a cross-departmental task force on hate crime and youth violence and legislation to hold parents responsible both 'financially and criminally' for repeated violent actions of minors in their care.

The Ireland India Council is an independent, non-aligned prominent organisation dedicated to strengthening Ireland-India relations across public, private, academic and cultural domains, and was established in 2002 by the late Irish economist Professor Louis Smith and current chairman Prashant Shukla.

Mr Shukla said he is receiving at least two calls or emails each day about racial attacks on members of the Indian community living in the greater Dublin area.

"Incidents of assault, intimidation or harassment targeting Indian residents in Dublin are happening on the street, on the buses or in residential areas," he said.

"People are now afraid to step outside during daylight hours.  In one particular egregious case, a man's eyesight was affected.  These cases cannot be dismissed or ignored."

He strongly condemned what he described as 'mischievous propaganda campaign' that falsely portrays Indian nationals as contributing to Ireland's housing crisis.

"This is a deeply misleading and divisive perception.  Indians are purchasing homes at full market value and contributing positively to the Irish economy through lawful means.

Their property purchases have no bearing on the housing shortage and suggesting otherwise is both irresponsible and inflammatory and fuels the very resentment that leads to these attacks."

Mr Shukla also highlighted the role Indian professionals play in Ireland particularly in healthcare and multinational industries and warned that any threat to their safety would have an economic consequence.

He believes that both ultra-left and ultra-right ideologies are 'fuelling harmful narratives and polarisation that risk undermining Ireland's social cohesion and international reputation.

"Ireland has always been respected as a nation of fairness, compassion and lawful order and that image is at stake if we do not decisively address this rising tide of intolerance."

However, Mr Shukla reiterated the importance of balancing integration with the preservation of the Irish identity.

"The Ireland India Council is committed to supporting a well-managed immigration system. This system should support, not replace Irish demography and ethos. Ghettoisation must be actively prevented and integration must be genuine and inclusive - a two way street where everyone contributes to a safe and harmonious society.

In a letter to Tánaiste Simon Harris, the council expresses its 'grave concerns following a violent, racially motivated assault that took place on the evening of Saturday July 19th, 2025 In kilnamanagh, Tallaght, Dublin 24.

"The victim's life was narrowly saved due to the extraordinary courage of two Irish women who intervened at personal risk.

"We have credible reason to believe that this was not an isolated occurrence. Eyewitness accounts and reports from local residents indicate that the same group may be responsible for at least four prior assaults against members of the Indian Community in recent weeks.

"These disturbing patterns point to an organised and escalating trend of racially motivated violence "

Shakla calls on Minister O'Callaghan for a formal recognition of hate crime status, a full investigation and prosecution of offenders in the Tallaght attack and enhanced garda deployment and community policing.

It also calls for new legislation to hold parents responsible for the action of minors both 'criminally and financially'

In seeking an urgent meeting with the government, Shakla states: "This incident has sent shockwaves to our communities. Fear has replaced trust. Parents are terrified to let their children walk alone. Immigrants who contribute daily to the social and economic fabric of Ireland feel under siege.

"We must act now. Failing to respond decisively risks normalising violence, eroding public trust and irreparably damaging Ireland's international standing as a nation of fairness, compassion and lawful order."