Police have launched an investigation after footage of a Sikh man being beaten up in the street emerged online.

Officers are probing claims that the violence was religiously motivated and have urged the victim to come forward.

The footage was posted via a link on the Facebook page Daily Sikh Updates and shows a man attempting to cover his face while another punches and kicks him.

In the video a crowd has gathered but no one appears to try and help the victim.

The sustained assault is carried out by one man but others can be seen attempting to join in.

The footage briefly shows another figure slumped in a doorway.

The footage is believed to have been captured on a mobile phone

Other men appear to try and join in

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “We are aware of a video posted on the internet which appears to show a man being assaulted on Broad Street in Birmingham on 29 March.

“It has been suggested the attack was religiously motivated. We would like to reassure people we take such reports extremely seriously and the matter will be fully investigated.

“We are currently making inquiries to establish exactly what has happened but at this stage, nobody has come forward to tell us they’ve been assaulted.