NY teens attack Sikh, mother in ‘ hate crime’

New York, Aug. 9: Just days after a Sikh man was hit and dragged by a truck, another Sikh man and his mother were attacked here by a group of teenagers who called them “Osama bin Laden” in an apparent hate crime, sparking fresh outrage among the community members. The Sikh man, a physician scientist, said in a statement that he and his mother were attacked in a Queens neighbourhood on the night of August 7.

He said that in accordance with Sikh religious beliefs, both he and his mother wear turbans and maintain uncut hair. They were confronted by about 10 teenagers who called them “Osama bin Laden and told us to go back to your country.”

The teenagers also used derogatory language against the man’s mother and made fun of her facial hair. The Sikh man told them to stop, but the teenagers surrounded him and punched him in the face and neck. They also tried to throw a bottle at the Sikh man and then fled. The man, who chose to remain anonymous, said he tried to pursue them but could not as he was in a lot of pain. He then called the police and was treated at a hospital. “I want the New York Police Department to investigate this attack as a hate crime and arrest the people who attacked me before they hurt someone else. I want witnesses to come forward and contact the police immediately,” the man said, adding that his mother was visiting him from India. The group included a white male, three females while the rest were black men.