'You Dirty Hindu': Indian-American Racially Abused By Compatriot In California, Accused Charged With Hate Crime

In a video which is nearly eight minutes long, Tejinder can be seen and heard directing religious slurs and derogatory comments to the person holding the camera

New Delhi: An Indian-American man was racially abused by a compatriot who hurled a slew of racist slurs and anti-Hindu remarks in the US state of California. This comes days after a Mexico-American woman racially abused Indian-American women in Dallas, Texas. Krishnan Jayaraman was verbally attacked by 37-year-old Tejinder Singh in the Taco Bell in Fremont, California on August 21, according to ANI. 

In a video which is nearly eight minutes long, Tejinder can be seen and heard directing religious slurs and derogatory comments to the person holding the camera.He is also seen spitting on the floor on multiple instances. 

"You're disgusting, dog. You look nasty. Don't come out in public like this again.," Tejinder, says in the video. "You disgusting with your H-1B visa. ...Nobody comes in the public like this, you dirty Hindu," he further said in his vile tirade.

In the foul-mouthed rant, Tejinder called him a "dirty Hindu," repeatedly used the N-word, insinuated that Krishnan Jayaraman didn't eat meat and yelled "beef!" in his face, PTI reported.

Warning: The video has some graphic and racist language.

The Fremont Police Department confirmed the incident after they were called by the restaurant employees and Jayaraman. Both parties were interviewed and it was confirmed that Singh used extremely offensive and hurtful language toward Jayaraman. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged Tejinder Singh with a hate crime violation of civil rights and disturbing peace with offensive language. 

According to PTI, Krishnan Jayaraman said he was frightened by the incident and was even more upset when he found out that the perpetrator was also an Indian.

"I was scared, to be honest with you. I was infuriated on the one hand, but I was scared that what if this guy becomes too belligerent and then comes after me?" Sais Jayaraman to NBC Bay Area, as reported by PTI

"I'm not here to pick a fight with you," Krishnan Jayaraman said. "What do you want? He said you know you Hindus are a shame, disgusting. Then he spat on me," the KTLA.com website reported.

The police chief later addressed the community on social media.

Police Chief Sean Washington wrote, "We take hate incidents and hate crimes seriously, and understand the significant impact they have on our community. These incidents are despicable. We are here to protect all community members, regardless of their gender, race, nationality, religion, and other differences."

"We would like to urge the community to be respectful of each other and to immediately report any circumstances such as this that, upon investigation, may rise to the level of a crime. In the event of a hate crime, we will devote all available resources to follow up and investigate. Fremont is one of the nation's most diverse communities, and we are thankful for the contributions of community members from different cultures and backgrounds," the statement said.

On Friday, four Indian-American women were racially abused and smacked by a Mexican-American woman in the US state of Texas who hurled racist slurs at them.

The incident took place on Wednesday night in a parking lot in Dallas, Texas. The woman, identified as Esmeralda Upton, has been arrested.

(With PTI and ANI inputs)