US: Sikh man stabbed to death in New Jersey
A Sikh man has been stabbed to death at his store in the US state of New Jersey, the third incident targeting the minority Sikh community in the country in three weeks. Terlok Singh was discovered dead by his cousin yesterday in his store with an apparent stab wound in the chest. The Essex County Prosecutor's office is calling it a homicide. Here's more.
Singh owned the store to support family in India
Singh, described as a very kind person, is survived by his wife and children who live in India. He owned the store to support his family. His family closed the store as a deeply-saddened community watched in horror. Singh ran his store for at least six years and a neighbor said he shouldn't have had to worry about being attacked in his workplace.
A Sikh community member tweets about Singh's tragic death
Another Sikh was attacked this month by police chief's son
The motive behind the Terlok Singh's killing wasn't immediately known. On August 6 in Manteca, California, 71-year-old Sahib Singh was brutally attacked by Tyrone McAllister and a juvenile when the elderly man went on a morning walk. McAllister, who is the son of the Union City police chief, and the juvenile were charged with attempted robbery, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon.
In another attack, perpetrators yelled, 'Go back to your country!'
On July 31, 50-year-old Surjit Malhi was attacked while putting up campaign signs supporting incumbent Republican Congressman Jeff Denham. While beating Malhi, the attackers yelled, "Go back to your country!" and spraypainted the same message, along with hate symbols, on his truck.
Sikh community urges members to report cases of bigotry
Civil rights organization, The Sikh Coalition, had urged the community members to know their rights, remain vigilant, and report cases of bigotry and backlash in the wake of the attacks. "We're deeply troubled by these attacks and strongly encourage increased vigilance nationwide as we work to support the Central Valley, California community during this difficult time," Sikh Coalition Legal Director Amrith Kaur had said.
