Toronto: In an apparent hate crime, a 21-year-old Sikh student from India was attacked in Canada’s British Columbia province by a group of unknown men who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair, according to a media report.
Gagandeep Singh was assaulted when he was heading home in Kelowna on Friday night, CTV news reported. Kelowna City councillor Mohini Singh said she visited Gagandeep and was horrified when she saw him. “He couldn’t open his mouth,” she said.
She said the man’s eyes were swollen shut and that he was obviously in significant pain. She said she was told that Gagandeep was heading home around 10. 30 pm (local time) after grocery shopping when he encountered a group of between 12 and 15 other young people on the bus. “They started harassing him and threw a wig at him,” she said.
Gagandeep then got off the bus. “They got off after him, waited for the bus to leave and then they swarmed him, beat him in his face, in his ribs, arms, and legs and then grabed his turban, pull his hair and dragged him,” Mohini said, adding the group took the turban with them when they left.
Mohini said the fact that Gangandeep is Sikh and from India was “undoubtedly” a factor in the assault. “I believe this is racism. It should be looked at through the lens of being a hate crime,” she said. Police said they are investigating after someone was “assaulted” by a group of people. But they did not provide nay details about the injuries.
