UNITED SIKHS to meet authorities seeking a solution to curb hate crime incidents against Sikhs in NY

UNITED SIKHS is troubled by what we believe is hate/bias motivated crime against Mr. Balwinder Singh, who is a member of Sikh community in New York. On August 13, 2022 around 4:30pm, Mr. Balwinder was on his way from New York to New Jersey via the route northwest corner W. Fordham Rd. and major Deegan Expressway Bronx, NY. He was in his Peterbilt truck.

“A stranger made eye contact while I was driving. Then, he suddenly changed lanes and pulled in his gray vehicle in front of my truck. He walked towards my door and with a loud voice asked me to get out of my vehicle. I assumed he wanted help with direction or a map. Mr. Balwinder got out of his car to talk to the person. It is at that point that the stranger started physically attacking me causing me a serious body injury. While physically attacking me, the suspect was also engaged in verbal attacks where he referred to me as “you are Bin Laden”; “go back to your country.”  The suspect kept beating me and broke my jaw with front teeth injured. I was helpless; I was bleeding continuously from my mouth until the NYPD arrived and transported me to the nearest hospital,” said Mr. Balwinder

Anti-Sikh hate crime in the last few years has been on the rise. FBI data shows that anti-Sikh hate crime incidents increased by 82%, from 49 to 89, from 2019 to 2020. The increase in violence against the Sikhs is hurting our community across the US. On September 7, 2022, an 82 years old Sikh man was repeatedly beaten in New York while on his routine evening walk. We believe that such violence is driven by anti-Asian discrimination that has a long-standing history in this country.

While progress has been seen in legislative fronts in the last one year, we are afraid that a deeply ingrained cultural and psychological bias against people who don’t look like or dress like the others is something that requires a proactive policy, intercultural interactions, formal and informal training at different levels.

On 9/9/2022, the UNITED SIKHS staff visited Mr. Balwinder at his home. We witnessed multiple physical injuries and traumatic

disorders. They are devastated by the senseless attack against him. They are seeking proper administration of justice on the case. Specifically, they are seeking from the authorities to investigate the matter under hate crime as the crime is perpetrated under what appears to be a hate motive.

As the largest Sikhs advocacy organization, we remain committed to advocating for those who are victims of hate crime including Mr. Balwinder until appropriate remedies are served.

To this end, we are meeting with the authorities on the following:

1. Evidence indicates that this particular incident is a hate crime based on the nationality or appearance of Mr. Balwinder. Therefore, we are seeking from the authorities to investigate and prosecute the case as such.
2. We are also seeking from the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force to commit to finding a proactive solution to the problem of the rising pattern of incidents of hate crime and biases against the Sikhs community in New York.

Finally, we would like to reiterate that such a trend of targeted hate crime against Sikh Americans is leaving many people to feel fearful once again. The Sikh American contributions to American culture, economy and politics are vast and we deserve a proportional attention in a way that effectively and meaningfully addresses the increasing hate crimes against members of the Sikh community.

Manvinder Singh

Advocacy Director

International Civil & Human Rights Advocacy – ICHRA

Recognize the Human Race as One