Sikh man shot at in yet another US hate crime

New Delhi: In another incident of hate crime in the US, a 39-year-old Sikh man was shot on his arm outside his home in Kent, Washington (near Seattle) by a partially-masked gunman who shouted “go back to your own country”. 

It is the latest in a series of attacks on members of the Indian community and is strikingly similiar to lat month’s shooting in Kansas of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla by a US Navy veteran yelling “get out of my country”. On Thursday, Harnish Patel, an Indian-origin store owner, was shot dead outside his house in Lancaster County in South Carolina.

In the latest case, US citizen Deep Rai was attacked on Friday by a six-foot-tall white man wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face. Mr Rai was apparently working on his vehicle outside his home when he was approached by the stranger, who walked up to the driveway. Soon, an argument broke out between the two. Mr Rai told police that the attacker made statements like “go back to your own country” before opening fire and shooting him in the arm. The police are looking for the gunman, with Kent Police chief Ken Thomas saying that while Mr Rai sustained “non life-threatening injuries”, they were treating it as a “very serious incident”. 

The US authorities are treating the incident as a suspected hate crime, according to the Seattle Times. The police have reportedly reached out to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies in probing the case.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said she was in touch with Mr Rai’s family. “I have spoken to Sardar Harpal Singh, father of the victim. He told me that his son had a bullet injury on his arm. He is out of danger and is recovering in a private hospital,” she tweeted. 

She also expressed her condolences to Mr. Patel’s family, saying the “investigation of the case (Patel’s killing) is in progress”. 

The US embassy in New Delhi also condemned the incident. Chargé d’affaires MaryKay Carlson tweeted for the second time in 10 days, saying, “Saddened by the shooting in WA (Kent, Washington). Wishes for quick and full recovery. As @POTUS (President of the US Donald Trump) said we condemn ‘hate and evil in all its forms’.”

The Indian government sources said, “The consul-general of India (CGI) San Francisco is in touch with local authorities, who are ascertaining the nature of the crime. 

The Sikh gentleman is able to talk. We wish him a speedy recovery and are ready to offer all possible assistance.”

Kent Police commander Jarod Kasner said the incident was getting attention from the Sikh community and other groups. “With recent unrest and concern throughout the nation, this can get people emotionally involved, especially when (the crime) is directed at a person for how they live, how they look,” he said.

Jasmit Singh, a leader of the Sikh community in Renton, said Mr Rai and his family were “very shaken up”. He said: “We’re all kind of at a loss in terms of what’s going on right now. The climate of hate that has been created doesn’t distinguish between anyone.” 

Mr Singh said that members of the Sikh community have reported a rise in incidents of verbal abuse, “a kind of prejudice, a kind of xenophobia that is nothing that we’ve seen in the recent past.” It was like the targeting of Sikhs in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks. he added.

Various rights groups and ethnic Indian organisations in the US are reaching out to people of the community, asking them not to succumb to fear and immediately report any incident of hate crime or violence to law enforcement authorities.

MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay had recently said the safety of Indians is the “highest priority” for the Centre and that it would remain “engaged” regarding any safety issue involving Indians abroad. He also pointed out that US President Donald Trump has condemned the killing of Kuchibhotla in Kansas.