Two Sikh men assaulted in New York; Indian Consulate condemns the incident
New York, April 13: Two Sikh men were assaulted in an alleged hate crime incident in the Richmond Hills area of New York on Tuesday, informed the Consulate General of India in New York. The Indian consulate has condemned the assault and termed it "deplorable." They further stated that they were in touch with the police who are investigating this incident and a complaint has been filed. As per the New York Police Department Hate Crime Task Force, one suspect has been detained and the search is on for another one. The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday morning amid reports of a shooting at the Brooklyn subway station. Two suspects allegedly hit the men with a pole and removed their turbans, according to local media sources. The two men were allegedly assaulted in the same neighbourhood where a member of the group was attacked 10 days earlier, the same neighbourhood where Nirmal Singh, 70, was attacked in an unprovoked attack. After the attack on April 4th, images shared on social media showed an elderly Sikh with a bloodied turban, face, and clothes. Also Read | PM Modi pays tributes to martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James has condemned the attack and tweeted, "Another hateful attack against our Sikh community in Richmond Hill. Both individuals who were responsible must be brought to justice. Anyone with information about this should immediately contact @NYPDnews." NY State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, who is the first Punjabi American ever elected to New York State Office stated that there has been an "alarming 200% rise in hate crimes against the Sikh community in recent years".
"I spoke to the NYPD soon after both of this week's incidents against my Sikh American family. I am calling for both incidents to be investigated as hate crimes and that the perpetrators be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," she added. Also Read | CNG, PNG prices up in Mumbai; check new rates -PTC NewsMy statement on today’s assault of two Sikh-Americans in Richmond Hill pic.twitter.com/nzPz6hxxwT — Jenifer Rajkumar (@JeniferRajkumar) April 12, 2022