Indian brawl erupts at Melbourne’s Fed Square with Sikh attacking Hindu nationalists
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Bizarre moment Melbourne’s Fed Square becomes a battleground for ethnic violence as Sikh separatists attack Hindu protesters with sticks while chanting “death to India”
- Fights in Melbourne near the polling station for the Indian referendum
- It was over when an independent Sikh state could be created.
- Tensions between ‘Khalistanis’ and Pro-India group
The heart of Melbourne became an unlikely battleground for ethnic Indian violence when Sikh separatists chanting “death to India” rushed at Indian supporters and attacked them with flagpoles.
Confrontation footage shows around 100 people fighting after a group of Hindu nationalists arrived at Federation Square, a polling place for a non-binding referendum on the creation of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan, at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. p.m
One man had to be treated for a severe head laceration, while another sustained a hand injury amid the chaos.
Police later confirmed that they used pepper spray on 10 people involved in the melee and took a man away in handcuffs.
The heart of Melbourne became an unlikely battleground for ethnic Indian violence as Sikh separatists chanting “death to India” rushed at Indian supporters and attacked them with flagpoles.
“Witnessing a confrontation from across the street is horrible,” one man posted on Twitter.
“Seeing the police unable to quell the tension is worrying. A very scary afternoon to be an Indian in Melbourne.
Victoria Police also noted that there had been an earlier disturbance near the polling site, around 12:30pm.
“As a result of each incident, a 34-year-old man and a 39-year-old man were arrested, and each received a notice of sanction for rampant behavior,” police said.
Melbourne East Neighborhood Police team continue to investigate after two men, one with a head laceration and one with a hand injury, were identified as injured.
“The couple were treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics for what were believed to be minor injuries.”
Several people fell to the ground during two scuffles near a Melbourne polling facility for a referendum in a separate Indian state.
Confrontation footage shows around 100 people fighting after a group of Hindu nationalists arrived at Federation Square, a polling place for a non-binding referendum on the creation of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan, at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. p.m
Some eyewitness accounts claimed that a Sikh man ‘armed with a sword’ was also seen.
Khalistan, which would encompass the Punjab regions of northern India and Pakistan, as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, has been proposed by the US group Sikhs For Justice.
Those who voted in the referendum were asked to answer a yes or no question: Should the Indian-ruled Punjab be an independent country?
The vast majority of Hindu Indians are fiercely opposed to such a move.