Elderly Sikh man assaulted in New York
An elderly Sikh man was reportedly assaulted here over the weekend, as authorities said they are in touch with local police for further information on the incident, the second such since January this year.
Images shared on social media showed the elderly Sikh person – whose name was not yet released – with a bloodied turban, face and clothes.
Community-based civil and human rights organisation ‘The Sikh Coalition’ said it is aware of the reported assault on the elderly Sikh man in Queens, New York Sunday morning.
“We are working quickly to engage the Richmond Hill sangat (group) to learn more facts and details and assess what resources and support could be useful,” the organisation said.
“We are extremely durbed the violent and heartbreaking images that are being shared on social media platforms. As we continue learning more about what happened and any potential motivating factors, we encourage everyone to pause on sharing the name/image of the community member involved until somebody with direct access to the individual confirms consent and corroborates reported details,” it added.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards also tweeted that his office is aware of the “incident in Richmond Hill” and is contacting the New York City Police Department to learn more details about this reported attack.
“Our thoughts are with him and we wish for nothing less than a full recovery,” he said.
In January this year, a Sikh taxi driver was assaulted at the JFK International Airport here, with the attacker allegedly calling him “turbaned people” and to “go back to your country”.
