Two Sikh men were assaulted in the Richmond Hills area of New York, US, on Tuesday, 12 April. This is the second such case of an attack on a member of the community in the last ten days.
The two men were attacked when they were on an early morning walk. According to local media reports, two suspects hit the men with a pole and removed their turbans.
The Consulate General of India in New York condemned the incident, calling it deplorable and further said that one person had been arrested in connection with the crime.
The Consulate also said they were in touch with the local authority and the New York City Police Department.
The attack reportedly took place at the same location where a 70-year-old Sikh man, Nirmal Singh, was attacked and was left with a broken nose and other bruises.
NY Attorney General, State Assembly Condemn Incident
Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James took to social media and condemned the incident.
"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, said 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 said in a statement.
"We will educate all on Sikh culture so that everyone knows as I do the generosity and kindness embedded in the Sikh American community," she added.
Delhi-based Sikh leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa shared a video of the two Sikh men and called for an investigation.
"2nd attack on 2 Sikhs within 10 days exactly at same location in Richmond Hill Apparently, targeted hate attacks against Sikhs happening in continuation. We condemn this in strong words. These shd be investigated & perpetrators must be held accountable (sic)," he tweeted.
Incidents of Hate Crimes Against Sikh Community on the Rise
This comes just ten days after Nirmal Singh was attacked. Nirmal Singh, too, was on his early morning walk when the incident took place.
Singh, in his native language Punjabi, had spoken to Eyewitness News of ABC7 New York, and informed that he was punched from behind when he was out on his morning walk around 7 am in Richmond Hill. Nirmal Singh had been in the United States for only two weeks when the attack happened.
Earlier this year, in January, a Sikh taxi driver was assaulted at JFK International Airport. The attacker allegedly called him "turbaned people" and asked him to "go back to your country".
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