Black assailant attacks Sikh man with a hammer in the United States shouting racial slurs

In what is being viewed as a hate crime, a Sikh man was attacked in the United States at a hotel in Brooklyn with the assailant shouting “I don’t like you” and “You’re not the same skin”. The incident prompted a notable New-York based advocacy group to launch an investigation in order to examine if the attack was a hate crime episode. According to a report on New York Daily News website, the victim of the assault, Sumit Ahluwalia, aged 32, of Astoria claims that the assailant was inflamed by racial hatred. He said that the attacker, who is a person of colour, assaulted him at his workplace, the Quality Inn in Brownsville, on April 26. Disclosing details about the incident, Ahluwalia said that at around 8 am, the assailant came into the lobby of the hotel and started shouting after which the lady at the front desk asked if he needed any help. He said after he stepped into the lobby to talk to the man and seek help from the security guards, the assailant started running towards him "very fast" and put his hand in his pocket. "I thought, He’s pulling out a gun", Ahluwalia said, according to the report, later revealing it was actually a hammer. After witnessing the attacker's rage, he quickly said, “What happened? You’re my brother,” to which the man responded, “You’re not the same skin.” "He banged on my head with the hammer so hard," said Ahluwalia. According to the report, the attacker further screamed, “I don’t like you,” and ran away. The victim, Ahluwalia, said "I couldn’t feel what happened with me," and was immediately rushed to an emergency room. “I couldn’t sleep. I had a big bump on my head. “I was feeling dizziness, and the next morning I went to the doctor,” he said, adding that five days later, he was still feeling anxious and fearful. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t deserve this. I’m a hardworking guy, wake up in the morning 6 am and go home at 7 pm,” he said. The US police have released pictures of the suspect, who they are on the lookout for. According to the Advocacy group, The Sikh Coalition, their legal team is providing free-of-cost legal services to Ahluwalia. “We have already been in direct communication with law enforcement and demanded that investigators examine the real possibility that bias was a motive,” it said, adding that anyone with information about the incident should contact the New York Police Department. The gruesome act comes as the United States recently has been a witness to a wave of anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis claimed the lives of at least eight people which included four Sikhs. Last Year in March, a man stabbed two Asian-American children, aged 2 and 6, and their father at Sam’s Club in Texas because “he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with the coronavirus.” Last year in May, a group of Democratic Senators said that amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the hate crimes against Asian-Americans have increased notably and had urged the Trump administration to take strong measures. Inputs from PTI

Advertisement

Black assailant attacks Sikh man with a hammer in the United States shouting racial slurs

In what is being viewed as a hate crime, a Sikh man was attacked in the United States at a hotel in Brooklyn with the assailant shouting “I don’t like you".

Advertisement