Sikh man attacked in suspected racial incident near Melbourne
February 19, 2026: Months after anti-immigration protests in Australia, attacks targeting members of the Indian community continue to surface. In the latest incident, a 22-year-old Sikh nurse, Harmanpreet Singh, was allegedly assaulted at a gym in Corio, a suburb of Geelong near Melbourne, on the night of February 17. The incident is being described as a racial attack.
According to Harmanpreet, three men approached him around 11 pm while he was training and began verbally abusing him. When he later stepped outside, he saw the same men waiting. He alleged they called him a “dog” and told him to “go back to where you came from” before one of them suddenly headbutted him, striking his nose and causing heavy bleeding. Speaking to Australian broadcaster 9News, he said the attacker moved close to his face before smashing his head into his nose. The three men reportedly fled the scene soon after.
Local residents assisted the injured nurse and took him to hospital. Harmanpreet said he remains shaken by the incident and the racial abuse, admitting he now feels unsafe returning to the gym. His sister, Khushi Kaur, said the family is devastated and struggling to come to terms with the attack, which has left a deep psychological impact on him.