Sandeep Singh remains in serious condition after last week’s alleged hit-and-run.
Photos courtesy the Sikh Coalition
As if the horrific hit-and-run incident in Ozone Park last week was not bad enough, members of the Sikh community have since argued it was a crime motivated by hate.
Sandeep Singh, 29, was thrown into the center of a heated investigation last Wednesday when the driver of an unidentified white Chevrolet pickup truck allegedly called him a terrorist and told him to “go back to your country” before hitting him with the vehicle and dragging his body several feet, police said. Family members and more than 100 others from the southern Queens community rallied together Tuesday near the intersection at 99th Street and 101st Avenue in Ozone Park to call on the city Police Department and federal agencies to investigate the act as a hate crime.
“I am in a great deal of pain, but I will survive,” said Sandeep Singh, in a statement. “I was attacked because I am a Sikh and because I look like a Sikh. Justice should be served so that no one else goes through what I have been through. We need to create a world without hate.”
Sikh was still at Jamaica Hospital in serious condition after undergoing surgery in his stomach because of internal bleeding, cops said. The NYPD also said the driver has yet to be identified and the department’s hate crime task force was investigating whether or not bias was a motivator in the crime.
The Richmond Hill Sikh Cultural Society teamed up with the national Sikh Coalition advocacy group this week to push hard on Singh’s behalf for a full-fledged investigation of the crime, arguing that hate-infused sentiments were still extremely prevalent in the post-Sept. 11 world.
Video footage shows the white truck in question in reference to last week’s incident.
Photos courtesy the Sikh Coalition
“Sandeep is very fortunate to be alive, but we want more law enforcement resources devoted to finding the hate attacker,” said Amardeep Singh, program director for the Sikh Coalition. “Given that this attack was preceded by racial and religious slurs, it is an attack not only on Sandeep but also on the whole Sikh community. We call on the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI to work with the NYPD to investigate it as a hate crime.”
The group said Sikh Americans have been targeted in countless lethal attacks since the tragic events of Sept. 11, including an incident in August 2012, when six worshippers were gunned down at the Oak Creek Gurdwara in Wisconsin. They said Singh’s story was only the latest chapter in an ongoing string of hateful and biased attacks.
And members of the Sikh community also had elected officials from throughout the borough on their side to advocate for the cause.
State Assemblywoman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) has been a consistent advocate for the Sikh community, with a large faction of his district including one of the borough’s most Sikh neighborhoods in Richmond Hill. He stood beside those same constituents at a rally Tuesday and called for a full investigation from the NYPD. State Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) represents the area in which Singh was allegedly attacked and also decried the incident.
U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said the U.S. Department of Justice should join with the FBI to up their efforts in tracking hate crimes against Sikhs. In a statement, the congressman said Sikh-Americans were too often targeted for hate crimes because of their identity and common misperceptions related to their attire or appearance.
Residents rally in support of Sandeep Singh, who was hit by a truck driver who allegedly uttered hateful slurs at him. Photo courtesy Ajit Singh/Sikh Coalition
“Two years after the massacre in Oak Creek, it is clear that the Sikh community is still facing the threat of violence, and this kind of continued hate and these attacks against Sikh Americans must come to an end,” Crowley said. “I hope the Department of Justice and FBI can offer assistance in this case, including using the updated system for specifically tracking hate crimes against Sikhs. The intolerance and ignorance that contributed to the attack on Mr. Singh is unacceptable, and we must continue to work to end these hate crimes.”
By Phil Corso
