Sikh Man Assaulted In New York For Wearing Turban In Suspected Hate Crime

In a suspected incident of hate crime, a 19-year-old Sikh man was allegedly assaulted in New York City, for wearing a turban while travelling on a shuttle bus. The attack took place early on Sunday when the Sikh man was riding a shuttle bus in Queens, a borough of New York City, NBC News reported. 

New York Police said that the suspect was riding on an MTA bus Sunday morning when he approached a male passenger who was wearing a turban and said, "We don't wear that in this country and take that mask off!"

The suspect then punched the victim in his face, back, and in the back of his head, causing cuts and pain, according to police. He also tried to remove the victim's turban from his head before getting off the bus and leaving the scene on foot. 

The victim, who suffered a minor cut and pain, refused medical attention at the scene, police said.

The Sikh Coalition, a national Sikh faith organization based in New York, said it was in contact with the victim and offering him support. They also shared a post on Facebook, which read, ''The Sikh Coalition is aware of and deeply disturbed by an apparent hate-motivated attack on a Sikh teen on a NYC bus yesterday. Per reporting, the assailant insulted and attempted to tear off the young man's turban and punched him repeatedly. We are in contact with the survivor and working with him to provide support as needed; he has requested anonymity for the time being. Our current understanding is that NYPD is, appropriately, investigating this incident as a hate crime.''

Here's the post:

Sikh community activist Japneet Singh said that the victim was ''traumatised'' and that his family was also scared for him, according to ABC7 television station.

The incident is currently under investigation by the New York Police Department's hate crime unit.

New York police on Monday released surveillance images of the suspect. The suspect was described by police ''as a male, 25-35 years of age, dark complexion, slim build, approximately 5'9″ tall, with brown eyes and black hair''.

If anybody knows this man from New York please call police. He attacked a 19 year old Sikh for wearing a turban stating that “we don't wear these in our country.” Yes we do. It's called freedom. pic.twitter.com/YVOWiez6ay

— Ether Reall (@XandraCarre) October 17, 2023

The police are seeking the public's help to identify the accused man.