Two Australians have been charged for allegedly assaulting and racially abusing an Indian taxi driver in the island state of Tasmania, media reports said on Monday. Pardeep Singh was hospitalised after the incident at the Sandy Bay McDonald’s drive-through in Tasmania on May 20.
Inspector Ian Whish-Wilson said the accused man and woman will appear at Hobart Magistrates Court on June 26. “It is alleged that the driver asked the passengers to leave his taxi after one of them was sick,” said Wilson said, adding that there was some payment-related argument. However, the police claimed the incident was not racially motivated. “It was alleged a racial comment was made during the assault but it does not appear that the incident was racially-motivated.”
Singh told local media that he had asked one of the passengers to step outside the cab because she was going to vomit. Singh also told her to pay for cleaning if she messed up the taxi. “They punched me too many times and kicked me,” said 25-year-old driver, according to PTI. “[They said] ‘You f.....g Indians deserve this.”
The duo allegedly beat up Singh and damaged his taxi. Singh alleged that the man punched him from behind and pushed him to the ground before kicking him repeatedly, according to NDTV. Singh, who is a hospitality student in Australia, was left unconscious.
This is the third attack on Indian taxi drivers in Australia in less than a year. In March this year, Indian taxi driver Li Max Joy was assaulted in Tasmania while another driver was thrashed by four men in June last year.
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