Deeply disturbed by attack on Sikh driver, says US State Dept
The US State Department is “deeply disturbed” by reports of an attack on an Indian-origin Sikh cab driver at the JFK International Airport and condemned any form of hate-based violence, saying perpetrators of hate crimes should be held accountable for their actions, no matter where such crimes occur.
The Sikh taxi driver was assaulted by an unidentified man, who knocked off his turban and also used expletives against him outside the JFK International Airport here, according to a video on social media. The undated 26-second video was uploaded by a Twitter user, Navjot Pal Kaur, on January 4. She said the video was shot by a bystander at the airport.
State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), in a tweet on Saturday, said: “We are deeply disturbed by reports of an apparent attack on a Sikh cab driver at JFK. airport, captured on video last week. Our diversity makes the US stronger, & we condemn any form of hate-based violence.
“We all have a responsibility to hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable for their actions, no matter where such crimes occur”.
The State Department’s reaction came after the Indian Consulate General in New York termed the assault on the Sikh taxi driver as “deeply disturbing” and said it has taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate the incident.
“The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate this violent incident,” Consulate General of India in New York tweeted on Saturday.
This is not the first time when a Sikh taxi driver has been assaulted in the US.
An Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was in 2019 assaulted and racially abused in the US state of Washington in a suspected hate crime. The driver told the police that he believes his race prompted the attack.
In 2017, a 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was assaulted and his turban knocked off by drunk passengers.