Sikh Man Dies After Being Assaulted Post Minor Car Accident In US, Family Seeks Hate Crime Probe

The family of a Sikh man, who died after being attacked in New York, has sought hate crime charges and a probe against the accused.

A 66-year-old Sikh man died of head injuries after he was assaulted following a minor car accident in the United States. Jasmer Singh was attacked by 30-year-old Gilbert Augustin after their vehicles collided in Queens, New York on Thursday, reported PTI. Now his family is seeking a probe into the accident demanding hate crime charges against the accused. According to PTI, this is the second attack against a Sikh person within a week in New York.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams took to X, formerly Twitter, and condemned the incident and vowed to protect the community.

"Jasmer Singh loved his city and deserved so much more than his tragic death. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want our Sikh community to know you have more than our condolences. You have our sacred vow that we reject the hatred that took this innocent life and we will protect you," Adams said in a post on X.

"Our team will be meeting with Sikh leaders this week to discuss the needs of this critical community in this challenging moment," the mayor added.

According to CBS New York, the man's family has called for hate crime charges against the suspect. Jasmeer's son, Multani said that his father was a very nobel and simple person.

"He was distinguished looking, with turban and all that," Multani said.

Last week, a 19-year-old Sikh boy was assaulted while riding a bus in Richmond Hill when he was headed to a Gurudwara. 26-year-old Christopher Philippeaux punched the teenager in the back of the head, tried to knock off his turban and told him "We don’t wear that in this country."

 

What Actually Happened

According to the report, Singh was driving his wife home from a doctor's appointment in preparation for a trip to India this coming week. Then suddenly he bumped his car into another driver on the Van Wyck Expressway. 

The driver reportedly went on a rampage against him. His son said, "My father's skull was broken. Two front teeth was gone."

Singh succumbed to his injury a day later. "The guy was addressing my father with his costumes, with his turbans," Multani said, as quoted by CBS New York.

"There was no reason for someone to go in that intensity. My father was targeted and it is a possible hate crime," he added.