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Hoboken, NJ
Indian-origin Sikh mayor of Hoboken city in the United States has faced repeated death threats to kill him and his family.
Bhalla said that he is very proud to lead this city as an American of Sikh background. He also revealed that the first letter, which asked him to resign, arrived more than a year ago, was followed by a second, which contained a threat to his life, and a third, which shocked him and his family.
“The third threat, which was the most jolting, came soon thereafter and said, ‘This is your last warning. If you don’t resign immediately, we will kill you, we’ll kill your wife, we’ll kill your children.” “There was a lot of angst, anger, a lot of hate, combined with actual threats upon my life and the life of my children and my wife,” Bhalla added.
“There still is a strain of extremism in America, and it’s just unfortunate to see that small strain is somewhere in Hoboken, as well. And I think that’s what needs to be called out and that’s what people need to know about so that we can eventually put an end to it through education and through love,” he said.
“As a Sikh-American, I’m a proud American and I want people to be treated equally,” Bhalla said in response to a question on his experience as a Sikh politician 22 years after the attack that shook the entire country.
“There still is a strain of extremism in America, and it’s just unfortunate to see that small strain is somewhere in Hoboken, as well. And I think that’s what needs to be called out and that’s what people need to know about so that we can eventually put an end to it through education and through love,” he said.
Following the incidents, the Mayor was given 24-hour security, and his children were escorted to school by law enforcement. “I signed up to be mayor, but my kids didn’t sign up to this type of behaviour,” Bhalla, whose term as mayor ends in 2026 asserted.
