Indian-origin Sikh taxi driver assaulted
Highlights
- A video of the assault was uploaded by Navjot Pal Kaur on micro-blogging site Twitter
- She said the video was shot by a bystander at the airport
- In the video, the accused could be seen repeatedly hitting and punching the Sikh taxi driver
In 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 in New York, 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.
Meanwhile, terming the incident as "deeply disturbing", India's Consulate General said that it has taken up the matter with the US authorities and urged them to investigate the incident.
“The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate this violent incident,” the Consulate General of India in New York tweeted on Saturday.
The video has led to angry reactions by the community members.
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 the US state of Washington in a suspected hate crime. The driver told the police that he believes his race promoted the attack.
In 2017, a 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was assaulted and his turban knocked off by drunk passengers.
US State Dept says ‘deeply disturbed’ by attack on Sikh cab driver
The US State Department too has condemned any form of hate-based violence, saying perpetrators of hate crimes should be held accountable for their actions, no matter where such crimes occur.
State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), in a tweet on Saturday, said: “We are deeply disturbed by reports of an apparent attack on a Sikh cab driver at J.F.K. airport, captured on video last week. Our diversity makes the U.S. stronger, & we condemn any form of hate-based violence. We all have a responsibility to hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable for their actions, no matter where such crimes occur”.
Meanwhile, the National Sikh Campaign said that “we are only a few days into the new year and there has already been a hate crime committed against a Sikh. A bystander recorded an unidentified man attacking a Sikh taxi driver, ultimately knocking off the driver’s turban.
“No additional details have been released outside of the video, but we know this story too well. A Sikh person goes about their daily lives only to be senselessly attacked by someone. Common road rage between people can escalate when someone who is ignorant of who we are takes their disdain for our turbans and becomes violent,” it said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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