‘Shaken, angered’: Sikh teen assaulted in suspected hate crime in US

“I am shaken and angered by this attack. I believe that no one should be assaulted or harassed because of how they look, and everyone should be able to go about their business in public in peace,” the young man said in a statement issued by advocacy and rights group The Sikh Coalition.

He said while he wished to keep his privacy at this time, he thanked “everyone from different communities who has spoken out in support of me as well as the authorities who are taking this hate crime seriously.”

“His turban was specifically targeted, and the perpetrator used xenophobic language throughout the incident,” the statement said.

He was attacked in a shuttle bus

The attack took place early on Sunday when the Sikh teen was riding a shuttle bus in Queens, a borough of New York City, CBS News channel reported.

According to the police, the suspect approached the victim, asking him to remove his turban and said, "We don't wear that in this country and take that mask off!"

The attacker then repeatedly punched the teen in his face, back, and the back of his head, causing minor cuts. He also tried to remove the victim's turban from his head before getting off the bus and leaving the scene on foot, the report said.

Police described the suspect as "a male, 25-35 years of age, dark complexion, slim build, approximately 5'9" tall, with brown eyes and black hair," and sought the public's help to find him.

“The New York Police Department (NYPD) hate crime unit is investigating the incident, and the police department is calling it a hate crime assault,” NBC New York TV channel reported.

“No arrests have been made in the case yet,” The Messenger news portal reported.

The victim, who was not named, refused further medical treatment at the scene, police said in the statement sent to The Messenger.

"Right now, the victim is very traumatised," community activist Japneet Singh was quoted as saying by ABC7 television station. "The family is very scared for him," Singh added.

Though he refused treatment at the scene, Singh says the victim was injured badly enough that he won't be able to work for the next few days.

Police treating incident as hate crime

The Sikh Coalition said it has since connected with the young man to offer legal aid and other support. The organisation remains in conversation with both the young man and the NYPD about the ongoing investigation into his attacker.

"We are in contact with the survivor and working with him to provide support as needed; he has requested anonymity for the time being. Our current understanding is that NYPD is, appropriately, investigating this incident as a hate crime," Sikh Coalition, a national organisation representing the minority community, said in a post on X.

"As we stand alongside our allies from all communities, we will continue to insist that no one should have to fear for their personal safety while simply existing in public," the post added.

In a statement, Sikh Coalition Staff Attorney Amreen Partap Singh Bhasin said: “Given that this young Singh’s turban was insulted and targeted during the attack, we are heartened that this incident is being investigated as a hate crime”.

Bhasin added that there was no doubt that national and international events are contributing to a climate of anxiety among Sikh and other communities, as she cited the murder in Illinois of six-year-old Palestinian American boy Wadea Al-Fayoume, who was stabbed 26 times at his home by Joseph Czuba, 71, amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine tensions.

“We do not at this time see a direct connection between this attack and external events. Nonetheless, the fact remains that Sikhs remain disproportionately at risk for attacks like this one, as evidenced by the FBI’s latest hate crime data released just this week,” she said.

FBI report shows hate crimes at its highest since 2001

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had released its annual report of hate crimes statistics, reflecting information about hate crimes for 2022. The data notes that religiously-motivated hate crime victimisations were at their highest since 2001, with an increase of 17 per cent since 2021.

It said anti-Sikh hate crime victimisations were recorded by the FBI as the highest number ever at 198, and Sikhs still remain the second-most targeted group in the nation for religiously-motivated hate crime incidents.

Victimisations were also on the rise for numerous other faith communities, with 1,217 anti-Jewish hate crimes, 200 anti-Islamic hate crimes, and 29 anti-Hindu hate crimes, the group noted.

(With agency inputs)