VOIWORLD
An alleged hate crime resulted in the beating and injury of a 19-year-old Sikh in New York for donning a turban while on a bus, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). The attack took place on October 15 when the 19-year-old was riding a shuttle bus in Queens, a borough of New York City.
The suspect approached the victim and demanded that he take off his turban and mask, saying, “We don’t wear that in this country!” The perpetrator continued to strike the boy repeatedly, causing minor cuts on his face, back, and back of his skull. The victim’s turban was also attempted to be removed from his head by the suspect before he exited the bus and fled the area on foot, according to the complaint. Police asked for the public’s assistance in locating the culprit, who was described as “a guy, 25–35 years of age, dark complexion, skinny frame, roughly 5’9″ height, with brown eyes and black hair.”
According to reports, the event is being investigated by the hate crime section of the New York Police Department and is being classified as “a hate crime assault”. It stated that no arrests have been made in the case as of yet.
Community activist Japneet Singh told ABC7 news station that the victim “is currently very traumatised” and that “the family is very afraid for him.” Although he declined medical attention at the time, Singh claims the victim was seriously hurt and won’t be able to work for a few days.
The incident comes as the latest data from the FBI’s annual crime report shows an overall dip in US violent crime but a stark increase in hate crimes. The new statistics from the federal agency, released on Monday, show that in 2022, violent offences decreased to pre-pandemic levels. Over 11,634 hate crime incidents were reported in 2022, compared with 10,840 the previous year.
