Sikh man assaulted in US state, told to go back to his country
50-year-old Sikh man was beaten up by two white men who hurled racial slurs on him in the US state of California, with the assault being investigated as a hate crime, authorities said.
The incident took place last week as the man was placing campaign signs for local candidates along a rural stretch on the outskirts of Keyes, the police were quoted by The Sacramento Bee. He was struck multiple times as the assailants screamed, “You’re not welcome here!” and “Go back to your country!” They then spray-painted his truck.
Sheriff sergeant Tom Letras said two white men wearing black hooded sweatshirts ambushed him and beat him to the ground.
“This is a random despicable criminal act against a member of the Sikh community,” Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said. The victim required medical attention so an ambulance was called. He was treated on the spot for cuts and other wounds.
According to a Facebook post, the man was hit on the head with a rod but he escaped major injury due to his turban, the report added.
The image of the spray painted truck is a well-known white supremacist symbol, according to the Anti-Defamation League which tracks anti-Semitic and other hate crimes across the country. The department is looking for help identifying the suspects or witnesses to the crime.
The victim’s identity was not revealed as of now, an official said. Hate crimes against the Sikh community have raised alarm in the Central Valley over the years. After 9/11, a spate of crimes against Sikhs was attributed to misplaced anti-Muslim bigotry.
The Central Valley has one of the largest and oldest Sikh populations in the US. The first Sikh temple, or gurdwara, in America opened in Stockton in 1912. There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the US and 25 million worldwide making it the fifth most popular religion.