iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
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 racial slurs.
He was attacked with a hammer by a Black assailant who shouted at him “I don’t like you” and “you’re not the same skin”, prompting a prominent New-York based advocacy group to call on investigators to examine if the assault was a hate crime incident.
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 color, 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.
“At that point, the assailant started running towards me very fast and he put his hand in the pocket. I thought he was pulling out a gun,” said the victim.
The attacker said to Ahluwalia, “You’re not the same skin,” and then banged on his head with the 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.
