Ranjeev Puri, state representative and the Michigan House majority whip proposes to expand the definition of hate crime
Our Bureau
Lansing, MI
An Indian American legislator in the US state of Michigan has proposed to expand the definition of hate crime by including vandalization of a place of worship in it. A bill to this effect was introduced by Ranjeev Puri, a second-term state representative, and the Michigan House majority whip. He has been advancing social issues and commands an influential position in the state.
“I have introduced a bill to make Diwali, Baisakhi, and Eid-ul-Fitr holidays in Michigan. I have another bill that would expand the definition of hate crimes. So, the original hate crime bill in Michigan was written in 1988 and has not been updated since. It has been 35 years and so we are updating the definitions to be more inclusive,” Puri said.
“If a religious institution such as a temple, mosque, or a gurdwara is vandalized or desecrated, it is now going to be much easier to prosecute those people. There are a whole host of issues that we are tackling,” he said.
Michigan state representative Ranjeev Puri’s parents migrated to the US from Amritsar in the 1970s and his father was instrumental in establishing the first Sikh gurdwara in Wisconsin.
