The Commission says it has taken cognizance of representation from Sikh organisations from Punjab regarding the attack on a Sikh at Richmond Hill, New York, US, on April 3
The National Commission for Minorities on Friday, April 29, urged the Ministry of External Affairs to raise with the US the issue of attacks on Sikhs there and ensure that appropriate steps are taken to prevent and combat hate crimes in America, a report in The Tribune, .Chandigarh, says
The Commission said in a statementit has taken cognizance of representation from Sikh organisations from Punjab regarding the attack on a Sikh at Richmond Hill, New York, US, on April 3.
A Sikh was attacked while walking in Richmond Hill, a neighbourhood also known as Little Punjab for its sizeable population of Sikhs and Indian immigrants, the statement said.
He had been visiting New York from Punjab and has since returned to be with his family.
The NCM said that with reports of such instances having increased recently, chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura has expressed his concern over it.
Accordingly, the Ministry of External Affairs has been requested to take up the matter with their counterparts in the US so that these incidents are not repeated and appropriate steps are taken to prevent and combat hate and secure the safety of Sikhs in the US.
Earlier this month, the Consulate General of India in New York condemned the assault on the elderly Sikh, terming it as deeply disturbing.
Nirmal Singh, believed to be in his 70s, was reportedly punched in the unprovoked assault on Sunday morning in Richmond Hill in Queens.
In January this year, a Sikh taxi driver was assaulted at JFK International Airport in New York, with the attacker allegedly calling him “turbaned people” and asking him to “go back to your country”.
Meanwhile, the NCM has also urged the Ministry of Minority Affairs to take up with the MEA the issue of the reported attack on a few Sikh persons in Pakistan.
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