• I.S. Saluja

RICHMOND HILL, NY (TIP): “STOP THE HATE” was a call given by faith leaders and elected officials at a press conference to denounce hate at the Sikh Cultural Society Gurdwara (Sikh temple) at 118 Street, Richmond Hill on October 25. The press conference was called by an upcoming Sikh politician Japneet Singh who had earlier in 2022 contested election for NY State Senate to represent District 15 and lost in Democratic Primary in August 2022.

Present at the press conference were the wife and son of Jasmer Singh, 66, who was punched to death in a hate crime earlier this week. Also present was Mani Singh Sandhu a 19-year-old turbaned Sikh who was subjected to a hate attack on an MTA bus last week. “I don’t feel safe … when I come out from home,” said Mani Singh Sandhu. Subeg Multani, son of the deceased Jasmer Singh described how brutally his father was hit. “He just hit my father so intense, like so hard on his head. His two front teeth were taken out,” he said.
The NYPD came for a bitter criticism. While NYPD numbers show overall hate crimes in the city are lower than last year, Japneet Singh says hate crimes against Sikhs are rising.
“They (NYPD) are making as many excuses as possible to make sure it doesn’t get investigated as a hate crime. I don’t know why that is,” Japneet Singh said.

For a community who has been dealing with bias and hate since 9/11 because of their religious attire, the fear is back once again.

“This is the NYPD’s job to protect us. They failed to do so. They failed to do so,” said Subeg Multani. There was consensus that the incidents of hate, discrimination and bullying must stop , and that the faith leaders, the politicians and the community leaders should come together to educate people about the Sikhs and the Sikh faith to create a better understanding about the Sikh community.