Sikh teen assaulted in New York for wearing turban, told to 'take that off'

The attacker then punched the teen in his face, back, and the back of his head, causing minor cuts, the police said.

In a suspected hate crime, a 19-year-old Sikh was assaulted and injured in New York for wearing a turban while travelling in a bus, the police said. The attack took place on Sunday when the Sikh teen was riding a shuttle bus in Queens, CBS News channel reported. The suspect approached the victim, asking him to remove his turban and said, "We don't wear that in this country and take that mask off!".

The suspect approached the victim, asking him to remove his turban. (Representational)

The attacker then punched the teen in his face, back, and the back of his head, causing minor cuts, the police said. He also tried to remove the victim's turban from his head before getting off the bus and leaving, the report said. Police described the suspect as "a male, 25-35 years of age, dark complexion, slim build, approximately 5'9" tall, with brown eyes and black hair."

The New York Police Department hate crime unit is investigating the incident and it called the incident “a hate crime assault”, it was reported. No arrests have been made in the case yet, it added.

"Right now, the victim is very traumatised," community activist Japneet Singh told ABC7 television station, adding, “The family is very scared for him.”

Sikh Coalition, an organisation representing the community, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “We are in contact with the survivor and working with him to provide support as needed; he has requested anonymity for the time being. Our current understanding is that NYPD is, appropriately, investigating this incident as a hate crime. As we stand alongside our allies from all communities, we will continue to insist that no one should have to fear for their personal safety while simply existing in public.”