Two Sikh men were assaulted in New York in the latest attack on the community in the city that has triggered massive condemnation. It is reported that a person has been arrested amid calls for actions against the hate crimes. Earlier, an elderly Sikh man was attacked in the Queens borough where the latest incident also took place.

In a statement, the New York embassy said that the assault on “two Sikh gentlemen in Richmond Hills, New York, is deplorable”,adding: “We have approached the local authorities and New York City Police Department in the matter. Understand police complaint filed and one person arrested. We are in touch with community members and ready to offer all assistance to victims.”

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Sharing a video of the incident, the BJP’s Manjinder Singh Sirsa wrote, “2nd attack on 2 Sikhs within 10 days exactly at the same location in Richmond Hill. Apparently, targeted hate attacks against Sikhs happening in continuation. We condemn this in strong words. These shd be investigated & perpetrators must be held accountable @IndiainNewYork @USAndIndia (sic).”

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Meanwhile, a Sikh-American advocacy group, the Sikh coalition said, “We recognize that this news comes amidst reports of a separate mass shooting and additional violence at a Brooklyn subway station this morning. The entire local community is in our thoughts as that other investigation moves forward.”

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“We also remind everyone that no one community is deserving of –or responsible for–hate crimes. In these difficult moments, anti-Black racism is directly harmful to our shared efforts to stop the hate violence that endangers us all,” it said in a series of tweets.

Hate crimes in the United States have often been a matter of concern for people of different races.

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The Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism has reported that large US cities reported a surge of 189 per cent in Anti-Asian hate crimes in the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the same period the previous year.