Indian-origin Sikh taxi driver assaulted at airport in the US

NEW YORK: In a yet another case of suspected hate crime, an Indian-origin Sikh taxi driver in the US has been assaulted by an unidentified man, who knocked off his turban and also used expletives against him outside the JFK International Airport, according to a video on social media.

The undated 26-second video was uploaded by Navjot Pal Kaur on micro-blogging site Twitter on January 4, showing a man assaulting the Sikh taxi driver outside the airport. She said the video was shot by a bystander at the airport. The person can be heard allegedly using expletives against the victim. He repeatedly hits and punches him and knocks off his turban.

“This video was taken by a bystander at John F Kennedy International Airport. I do not own the rights to this video. But I just wanted to highlight the fact that hatred continues to remain in our society and unfortunately I’ve seen Sikh cab drivers get assaulted again and again,” Kaur tweeted.

Further details about the driver or the cause of the incident were not available. The video led to angry reactions from community members.

“For those who aren’t Sikh, I can’t put into words what it means to have your turban knocked off — or to see someone else’s turban knocked off. It’s visceral and gut-wrenching and just so disheartening to witness,” Simran Jeet Singh, author and director for the Aspen Institute’s Inclusive America Project, tweeted.

This is not the first time a Sikh taxi driver has been assaulted in the US. An Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was in 2019 assaulted and racially abused in Washington. In 2017, a 25-yearold Sikh cab driver in New York was assaulted and had his turban knocked off by drunk passengers.