WASHINGTON: A 14 year old Sikh boy was punched and knocked down by his classmate, less than a block outside of the city's Kentridge High School. The assault was recorded and posted on Snapchat. The video shows the classmate follow the victim and suddenly punch him, knocking him to the ground. The boy endures several more punches as he attempts to protect his head an crawl away. While the victim's father said his turban-wearing son was targeted because of his descent, the school district said the event was not rooted in hate, and was in fact a continuation of an earlier classroom dispute.
Declined to be identified, the victim's father said, “I am feeling so, so bad because this happened with my son. He never interacted with this guy. He never know his name, I don't want to see this happen again with my son or anyone else. I don't want to see this.” Communications Director for the Kent School District, Chris Loftis said the student who attacked the boy and the student who filmed the encounter will be appropriately punished.
Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has taken notice of the incident and asked the Indian Embassy in the USA to report. She tweeted, “I have seen news reports about the beating of a Sikh boy in US. I have asked @IndianEmbassy to send me a report on the incident.” The news prompted outrage, with people from the region demanding justice. The teen's father said it wants peace for them and everyone. “I don't want to see this happen again with my son or anyone else. I don't want to see this,” he said.
