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New York
Jenifer Rajkumar, an Indian American Democrat representing New York assembly 38, has expressed concern over hate crimes against Sikhs. She highlighted two incidents in Richmond Hill where a Sikh man was assaulted and died, and another Sikh man was attacked on a bus. Rajkumar emphasized the importance of unity and solidarity among different religious communities
“In the past seven days, there were two reprehensible crimes against the Sikh American community in Richmond Hill that leave us all devastated. On Thursday, 65-year-old Jasmer Singh was assaulted, and he died of his injuries. The same week, 19-year-old Mani Sandhu was riding the bus to his Sikh temple when someone attempted to remove his turban, saying, we don’t hear that in this country and then punched him in the back of his head,” assemblywoman Rajkumar said in a statement.
“I represent Richmond Hill, the ‘Sikh Capital of the USA’. I represent Richmond Hill, the ‘Sikh Capital of the USA’. In our community, Sikhs, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and Jews live together in harmony, often on the same block. When a crime occurs against any of us, it is a crime against all of us, and we come together in solidarity,” she said.
She added that the Sikh faith preaches seva, meaning selfless service and the religion teaches that there is divinity in everyone of any faith and that there is an obligation to protect the welfare of all humanity.
“I will continue working with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Police Commissioner Edward Caban, and all stakeholders to deliver the resources for our Sikh family to live in peace and safety,” She added
