Trigger Warning: Graphic description of violence, hate crimes.
In an alleged hate crime, a Sikh student from India was attacked by unknown men in Canada's British Columbia, who ripped his turban and shoved him across the sidewalk by his hair.
21-year-old Gagandeep Singh was heading home for the night on Friday, 17 March, which was also St Patrick's Day, after grocery shopping when a group of men swarmed and assaulted him. While on a bus home, Singh stumbled across a "rowdy" group of 12 to 15 people who were throwing a wig around the bus.
Councillor Mohini Singh, who said that she heard of the attack shortly after and visited Singh, said that his religion and the fact that he was from India "undoubtedly" played a role in the assault.
The Kelowna City Councillor said, "I entirely believe this is racism, and it should be treated as that. It should be looked at through the lens of being a hate crime. This is so wrong on so many levels. This is not something that is acceptable anywhere -- not in Kelowna, not anywhere."
‘Grabbed His Turban, Pulled His Hair’
The councillor said that the group on the bus were "harassing him" and that "they threw the wig at him."
"He told them not to bother him, or he'd call the police, and they continued to harass him," she said.
Even after Gagandeep Singh got off the bus, the councillor said that the group followed, waited for the bus to leave and initiated an assault against him.
"...then they swarmed him, they beat him in his face, in his ribs, arms, and legs and then proceeded to grab his turban, pull his hair and drag him," Mohini Singh said.
The councillor further said that the group took Singh's turban "as a trophy," leaving him in a mound of snow on the side of the road. Once Singh regained consciousness, he managed to call a friend, who arrived and called emergency services.
In a statement, the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that they are investigating an incident where someone was "hit from behind and assaulted" by a group at a bus stop on Friday evening.
While the police provided no details about Singh's injuries, authorities said that responding officers found the victim "laying on the ground," adding that paramedics then took him to a hospital.
Spokesperson Constable Mike Della-Paolera said, "The Kelowna RCMP take this very seriously and are concerned that this type of crime has happened in our city,"
Councillor Singh said the incident has left Gagandeep's friends and other international students shaken and scared. During a gathering at the bus stop on Sunday, these students expressed their fear about the lack of safety they feel in their community.
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