In a concerning development, 2 Sikh men were attacked in New York in an alleged hate crime incident, making it the second such attack in the last 10 days. The incident occurred earlier on Tuesday and was reported from Richmond Hills area of New York, US.
The incident happened when two Sikh men, who were out on a walk, were allegedly hit by a pole by the suspects. The suspects also allegedly removed the Sikh men’s turbans. Incidentally, the incident took place “very close” to the area where a Sikh man was punched in another hate crime incident on April 3.
Visuals making round on the internet show one Sikh victim sitting on a pavement after being attacked, presumably shell-shocked. Another victim can be seen being handed some water. Locals, including members of Sikh community can be seen gathered around the two victims.
The attack against the two Sikhs in New York happened the same day as the Brooklyn subway shooting that has put 16 people in hospital with 10 people getting treatment for gun-shot wounds.
The Facts of the Matter
While USA continues to toot its horn on being one of the world’s biggest superpowers, the country’s most popular city New York has witnessed a spate of hate-crimes against various communities. According to the NYPD (New York Police Department) as many as 524 hate crimes were reported in 2021, which was nearly double of what the numbers were in 2020. Further, the hate-crimes in 2021 were the most in the last five years.
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Sikh Men Hit by Pole, Turban Removed
On Tuesday morning (local time), two Sikh men in New York were allegedly attacked unprovoked by multiple suspects in a hate-crime related incident. The victims were out for their early morning walk when they were attacked at Richmond Hills area of New York. The attackers allegedly hit the Sikh men with pole and also removed their turban.
2nd attack on 2 Sikhs within 10 days exactly at same location in Richmond Hill
Apparently, targeted hate attacks against Sikhs happening in continuation. We condemn this in strong words. These shd be investigated & perpetrators must be held accountable @IndiainNewYork @USAndIndia pic.twitter.com/Ld0RIxIeNn— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) April 12, 2022
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Consulate Calls Incident “Deplorable”
Following the incident, Consulate General of India in New York issued a statement which read – “Assault on two Sikh gentlemen in Richmond Hils, New York is deplorable. We have approached the local authorities & New York Police Department in the matter. Understand police complaint filed & one person arrested. We are in touch with community members. Ready to offer all assistance to the victims”.
Attorney General Letitia James also took to Twitter and condemned the attack with a tweet that read – “Another hateful attack against our Sikh community in Richmond Hill. Both individuals who were responsible must be brought to justice. Anyone with information about this should immediately contact @NYPDnews.”
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“200% Rise in Hate Crimes”: Punjabi America Assembly woman Jennifer Rajkumar
The incident also triggered a response from the New York State Assemblywoman Jennifer Rajkumar who’s the first ever Punjabi American to have been elected to the state office. In her statement, Rajkumar noted that there has been a “200% rise in hate crimes against the Sikh community in recent years”.
In her statement she further noted that she spoke to the police department and has called for the incidents to be investigated as hate crimes.
“We will educate all on Sikh culture so that everyone know as I do the generosity and kindness embedded in the Sikh American community,” Rajkumar’s statement further read.
Second Such Incident in 10 Days
It should be noted that this is the second such incident against Sikh community to have occurred in the last 10 days. Incidentally, the incident on Tuesday occurred “very close” to the place where earlier on April 3, an elderly Sikh man was punched unprovoked.
The victim, Nirmal Singh (70), was attacked while he was returning from a Gurudwara. The incident was reported to be under the New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force.
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