Dublin: An Indian man was attacked by a gang in the Irish capital Dublin, stripped naked and dumped on the road.

He was attacked on the grounds that he had behaved indecently with children. After beating him, the assailants allegedly stripped him naked and dumped him on the road.

Preliminary investigation by the police suggests that it may have been a racist attack.

On the evening of July 19, a group of Irish youths brutally attacked an Indian man who had immigrated to Ireland only a few weeks ago, on Parkhill Road in Tallaght, Dublin 24.

He suffered serious injuries to his hands, legs and face as a result of the attack. The man was found abandoned on the road and admitted to the hospital by passersby.

As news of the incident spread on social media, opinions both in favour of and against Indians began to circulate.

The Irish police, known as the Gardai, have denied allegations that he had abused children, revealing that similar attacks have previously occurred in Tallaght.

Irish Justice Jim O'Callaghan said that attacks on immigrants were on the rise and that there was a deliberate attempt to portray them as troublemakers.

India's ambassador to Ireland, Akhilesh Mishra, has responded to the incident. He criticised the national media for reporting the story in a misleading manner before evidence was available. He expressed gratitude for the support of the Irish people in finding the truth and that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

Baby Pereppadan, the Fine Gael party Councillor for Tallaght South, told the Irish Independent newspaper that he had met the survivor, who couldn’t speak much since he was in shock. Calling for more police presence in the area, Pereppadan added that similar incidents have been frequently occurring in Tallaght.

“People need to understand that many Indian people moving to Ireland are here on work permits, to study and work in the healthcare sector or in IT and so on, providing critical skills,” he said.

According to a woman who witnessed the incident, a group of 13 people beat the Indian man and stole his bank cards, phone, shoes, and clothes. Upon finding him lying in a pool of blood, the woman provided him with first aid and admitted him to the hospital. She has warned about the attackers and demanded that the authorities take necessary action.

(with PTI inputs)