Indian-origin Sikh cab driver harassed in US, State dept condemns

An unidentified man assaulted an Indian-origin Sikh man earlier this week at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in a suspected hate crime. After a video of the occasion was shared on Twitter on Tuesday, it went viral on social media.
On January 4, Navjot Pal Kaur shared an undated 26-second video to the microblogging website Twitter, depicting a person attacking a Sikh Indian-origin cab driver exterior the airport. A bystander on the airport, she mentioned, captured the footage.
The assailant may be heard reportedly abusing the sufferer with vulgarities. The assailant was seen frequently placing and punching him, inflicting his turban to fall off.
“This video was taken by a bystander at John F. Kennedy International Airport. I do not own the rights to this video. But I just wanted to highlight the fact that hatred continues to remain in our society and unfortunately, I’ve seen Sikh cab drivers get assaulted again and again,” Ms Kaur Tweeted.
It’s not sufficient to say that we have to battle AAPI hate. We really want our elected officers to become involved with penalties for individuals who commit acts of violence towards our neighborhood. @GregMeeksNYC @NYCMayor @AdrienneToYou @yuhline @rontkim pic.twitter.com/Dkk23lQw0g— Navjot Pal Kaur (@navjotpkaur) January 4, 2022
There have been no additional info concerning the driving force or the rationale of the accident accessible on the time of writing of this report.
Twitter customers reacted angrily to the video. Many individuals have been outraged by the prevalence and requested that it’s investigated completely.
“Another Sikh cab driver assaulted. This one at JFK Airport in NYC. So upsetting to see. But it’s crucial that we don’t look away… What I am sure of is how painful it is to watch our fathers and elders get assaulted while they’re just trying to live an honest life.”
“For those who aren’t Sikh, I can’t put into words what it means to have your turban knocked off — or to see someone else’s turban knocked off. It’s visceral and gut-wrenching and just so disheartening to witness,” Simran Jeet Singh tweeted.
Another Sikh cab driver assaulted. This one at JFK Airport in NYC.So upsetting to see. But it’s essential that we don’t look away.pic.twitter.com/43s0jXMLSt— Simran Jeet Singh (@simran) January 5, 2022
“That humble man is on defensive because he is on a foreign land and he doesn’t know if he will have community support. You try this here!” tweeted Partho Chakravarty.
That humble man is on defensive as a result of he’s on a international land and he doesn’t know if he could have neighborhood assist. You do that right here!— Partho Chakravarty (@ComPartho) January 5, 2022
Executive response to the incident
The occasion has been termed as “deeply disturbing” by India’s Consulate General in New York, that raised it with US authorities and urged them to analyze.
On Saturday, the Indian Consulate General in New York tweeted, “The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate this violent incident.”
The assault towards a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to analyze this violent incident.@PMOIndia @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @IndianEmbassyUS @NYCMayor @NYCMayorsOffice— India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) January 8, 2022
1/2 We are deeply disturbed by stories of an obvious assault on a Sikh cab driver at J.F.Okay. airport, captured on video final week. Our variety makes the U.S. stronger, & we condemn any type of hate-based violence.— State_SCA (@State_SCA) January 9, 2022
The assault on the Sikh cab driver at JFK International Airport was termed as “very disturbing” by the Department of State’s South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau, which condemned all types of hate-based violence.
Similar incidents of assault on Indian-origin Sikh drivers in previous
This shouldn’t be the primary time a Sikh cab driver within the United States has been assaulted. In a suspected hate crime, an Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was overwhelmed and racially harassed within the US state of Washington in 2019. The driver knowledgeable cops that he believed his race led to the assault.
A 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was overwhelmed and had his turban ripped off by intoxicated passengers in 2017.