New Delhi: Two Sikh men were assaulted and robbed on the streets of New York on Tuesday in an alleged hate crime incident in the Richmond Hills area of New York, US. This is the second attack on Sikhs in the same area in the last 10 days.
The Consulate General of India in New York has condemned the assault, terming it "deplorable," and said they were in touch with the police who are investigating this incident.
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The Indian consulate approached the local authorities and New York police after which a case was filed and one person was arrested.
The Consulate said that it is in touch with community members and "ready to offer all assistance to the victims.
Community-based civil and human rights organisation 'The Sikh Coalition' said that the two Sikh individuals were attacked and robbed in Richmond Hill, Queens Tuesday.
The attack happened very close to the area where septuagenarian Nirmal Singh was punched in an unprovoked assault on April 3.
The attack on the two individuals came on the same day as the shooting on a Brooklyn subway that injured 16 people, 10 of whom received gun shot wounds and left five other in critical but stable condition.
The Sikh Coalition said it is in direct touch with the New York Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force, who has shared that one suspect is in custody while the search is on for another attacker.
Law enforcement believes both men were targeted for being Sikh, and the attacks are being investigated as anti-Sikh hate crimes, the Sikh Coalition said.
The Sikh Coalition said that out of respect for their privacy, it was not sharing the names or images of the two Sikh individuals, who are responsive and getting medical care.
However, video footage shared on social media showed the two individuals surrounded by and being attended to by locals and police personnel. One of the injured is seeing sitting on the side of the road, while another is standing next to him, covering his injury near his eye with a cloth. In the video, the two Sikh men are seen without turbans on their head.
Delhi-based Sikh leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, sharing a video of the two Sikh men, called for an investigation into the alleged hate crime.
(Here's a reported video of the incident. Trigger warning: The video can make you uncomfortable.)
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards commented on the latest attack and said that it is another difficult day in the Richmond Hill area, as we learn of a second attack on a Sikh neighbour days after Singh's assault.
He said his office has been in contact with police authorities to ensure that justice is served here. Queens' Sikh community deserve nothing less, reported PTI.
New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif, who represents Brooklyn, tweeted that Our thoughts with the entire City this morning. From the senseless shooting in Sunset Park to the horrifying attack against our Sikh neighbours in Richmond Hill, our communities are hurting. Please look out for each other today we keep one another safe.
NY State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar said that as the first Punjabi American ever elected to New York State Office, she in unequivocal terms stresses that there is zero tolerance for hate crimes against the Sikh American community in New York State.
She said that she had spoken to the NYPD after both the attack incidents and is calling for both incidents to be investigated as hate crimes and the perpetrators brought to justice.
She noted that there has been an alarming 200% rise in hate crimes against the Sikh community in recent years. She passed a historic resolution whereby New York State recognises April as Punjabi month.
"We will educate all on Sikh culture so that everyone knows as I do, the generosity and kindness embedded in the Sikh American community, and together with my partners in Congress and the Mayor, we will give law enforcement the tools they need to fully investigate and prosecute these crimes of bias.
Early this month, Nirmal Singh was punched in the unprovoked assault, and images shared on social media showed him with a bloodied turban, face and clothes.
Singh was a tourist visiting from India and he was able to walk back after the assault to the cultural center where he has been staying since he arrived in New York City. Singh was transported to a local hospital where he has been treated for pain and a laceration to the face. The Sikh Coalition said Monday that Singh returned to India where he can be in the care of his family.
(With PTI inputs)