The heart of Melbourne became an unlikely battleground for Indian ethnic violence when Sikh separatists chanting ‘death to India’ rushed pro-India supporters and attacked them with flag poles.

Confronting footage shows about 100 people brawling after a group of nationalist Hindus arrived at Federation Square – voting site for a non-binding referendum on the creation of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan – on Sunday about 4.30pm.

One man had to be treated for a serious laceration to the head while another suffered a hand injury in the chaos.

Police later confirmed they used pepper-spray on 10 people involved in the melee with one man taken away in handcuffs.

Sikhs carrying their religious kesari flag thrashed Hindus carrying tricolour in Melbourne, Australia
One sikh guy even snatched the tricolour and broke it
Hindus have forgotten their religion and replaced it with nationalism
Now getting thrashed everywhere pic.twitter.com/UiwrNOzkTf

— Ritu #सत्यसाधक (@RituRathaur) January 30, 2023

‘To witness a clash from the other side of the street is horrific,’ one man posted to Twitter.

‘To see the police unable to quell the tension is a concern. A very scary afternoon to be an Indian in Melbourne.’

Victoria Police also noted there was an earlier altercation near the voting site, at around 12.30pm.

‘As a result of each incident a 34-year-old man and a 39-year-old man were arrested, and each issued with a penalty notice for riotous behaviour,’ police said.

‘Melbourne East Neighbourhood Policing Team are continuing to investigate after it was identified two men, one with a laceration to their head and another with a hand injury, were injured.

‘The pair were treated at the scene by ambulance paramedics for what was believed to be minor injuries.’

Some eye-witness accounts claimed a Sikh man was also seen ‘armed with a sword’.

Khalistan, which would take in the Punjab regions of northern India and Pakistan, as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, has been proposed by the US-based group Sikhs For Justice.

Those voting on the referendum were asked to answer a yes or no question: Should Indian-governed Punjab be an independent country?

The vast majority of Hindu Indians fiercely oppose such a move.