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New York, US
A 19-year-old Sikh was assaulted and attacked in New York on Sunday (Oct 15) when he was travelling in a shuttle bus, according to the police.
The boy was allegedly assaulted for wearing a turban in Queens, a borough of New York City. Police describe the attacker as “a male, 25-35 years of age, dark complexion, slim build, approximately 5’9″ tall, with brown eyes and black hair,” and seek the public’s help in finding him.
No arrest has been made in the case so far, with authorities investigating the incident as a hate crime.
What happened?
According to the police, the suspect was angry with the Sikh boy over the turban and asked him to remove it several times.
“We don’t wear that in this country and take that mask off,” said the attacker reportedly. Then, he punched the Sikh boy in the face, back and the back of his head. He also tried to forcibly remove his turban, before getting off the bus and leaving the scene on foot.
The 19-year-old boy sustained minor injuries as a result of the attack.
Victim ‘traumatised’
“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.
Watch: US: Illinois man charged with a hate crime for stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy to death
Singh claimed that the boy was injured badly and that he won’t be able to work for several days.
“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.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) hate crime cell is investigating the case.
(With inputs from agencies)
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