Canada: Sikh school student kicked, pepper-sprayed in suspected hate crime
A 17-year-old Sikh high school student was assaulted at a bus stop in British Columbia, Canada, in an apparent hate crime. The incident occurred in Kelowna on Monday when the student was allegedly "kicked, punched and pepper-sprayed" after an altercation with another teenager while they were on a public transit bus. The accused first accosted the victim aboard a bus and assaulted him after they were kicked out of the bus for causing a nuisance.
Why does this story matter?
This marks the second instance of violence against a Sikh youth riding public transit in the city this year. Earlier in March, a 21-year-old Sikh student from India, Gagandeep Singh, was attacked by a group of men who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair after exiting a city bus. In September last year, the Indian government warned its citizens in Canada to exercise caution, citing "a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes."
RCMP probing incident
In a statement, the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) alleged that the bus driver didn't intervene and instead kicked them out of the bus. The student, on his way home, was later pepper-sprayed by another teenage male after exiting the bus. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed there was "an altercation" aboard a bus, which resulted in those involved being kicked off. The RCMP said it is "taking steps to determine the motivation of this crime."
Sikh outfit alleges teen was assaulted in bus
"Two individuals approached the student and first barred his entry onto the bus and then, once allowing him to board, began to threaten him with a lighter and photograph and record him from a close distance with their phones," the WSO's statement further read. "When the Sikh student turned away, the attackers' phone fell from their hands and they began to kick and punch the Sikh student in front of the bus driver," it added.
