In an apparent hate crime in the British Columbia province of Canada, a 21-year-old Sikh student of Indian origin was brutally assaulted by a group of unknown men. Gagandeep Singh, the Sikh student, was assaulted on Friday night (local time) when he was heading home after grocery shopping.
The local councillor Mohini Singh rushed to meet Gagandeep shortly after the assault and shared his ordeal with the local news channel, CTV news.
Mohini Singh told the news channel that Gagandeep told her that he was heading home around 10:30 pm after grocery shopping when he encountered a group of between 12 and 15 other young people on the bus. It was St. Patrick’s Day and the rowdy group on the bus was throwing a wig around.
The councillor added that the group was harassing him and they threw the wig at him. When Gagandeep told them not to bother him or he would call the police, they continued to harass him.
Following that, Gagandeep got off the bus but the group got down after him, and once the bus left, they swarmed him and beat him up. As per the councillor, he was hit in his face, in his ribs, arms, and legs. The group then proceeded to grab his turban, pulled his hair and dragged him, the councillor Mohini Singh narrated.
After the brutal attack, Gagandeep was left in a pile of snow on the side of the road. After regaining consciousness, he called one of his friends who came to meet him and then they called 911.
Mohini Singh said that Gagandeep’s fellow international students have been left shaken by the attack, and they are now feeling less safe in their community. She added that Gangandeep being Sikh, and from India, were undoubtedly factors in the assault.
She added, “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.”