Baljeet Singh

From The Los Angeles Times / Thursday, January 17, 2008

Baljeet Singh, a 63-year-old sikh attacked

Does this incident just seem all too familiar? Last week in Jamaica, New York, Baljeet Singh, a 63-year-old Sikh man suffered serious injuries during an unprovoked attack: Sikh Seriously Injured after Unprovoked Assault Outside NY Gurdwara. David C. Wood, a next-door neighbor to the gurdwara (Sikh place of worship), attacked Singh after he parked his car on the opposite side of the street. Wood began screaming at Singh incomprehensibly, swearing at him and calling him an "Arab," he then punched him to the ground.

Singh suffered a broken nose and a fractured jaw. All this happened very quickly and without provocation.

That's racist!

Wood was subsequently arrested and charged with four counts of assault, two of which are classified as hate crimes, and an additional charge of aggravated harassment.

N.Y. Sikh injured in hate attack Sunday, 01.20.2008, 10:48pm (GMT-7)

NEW YORK: New York police arrested and charged a Queens man for an unprovoked attack on a 63-year old Sikh man right outside a Jamaica gurdwara in Queens, New York, on Jan 14. Baljeet Singh suffered serious injuries Monday evening during the attack by David C. Wood, 36, a next-door neighbor to the gurdwara at 95th Avenue and 222nd Street in Jamaica.

He suffered a broken nose and a fractured jaw, which will both require surgery. At approximately 5:45 p.m. that evening, Singh had parked his car down the street and on the opposite side from the gurdwara and Wood's residence, when the latter began screaming incomprehensibly. As Singh started to move towards the gurdwara, taking a path that allowed the most distance from his would-be attacker, Wood accosted him.

The victim said that Wood swore at him and called him an Arab, before punching him, causing him to bleed profusely and fall to the sidewalk. During the attack, Singh's turban was knocked off and his spectacles broke. This series of events transpired quickly and with no provocation from the victim, as the two had never spoken at any point.

According to the victim's son, Harpreet Singh, two people, assumed to be the perpetrator's parents, appeared immediately after the attack and approached his father as he fell and supposedly asked if he was all right.

The victim entered the gurdwara and called 911, deciding not to disturb anyone else with the situation due to the fact that prayers were in progress.

The victim's wife, Jasbir Kaur, arrived as an ambulance was taking her husband away to Long Island Jewish Hospital, where he received a CAT scan, X-rays, and several tests before being discharged at 3 a.m. When police arrived at the scene, both the assailant and the people thought to be his parents had vacated the house.

"United Sikhs was contacted by Detective Michael Theogene with the Community Affairs Department of the NYPD, urging us to contact the Hate Crimes Task Force. Wood was arrested last night," said Jaspreet Singh, United Sikhs staff attorney. "Police have charged Wood with four counts of assault, two of which are classified as hate crimes, and an additional charge of aggravated harassment," he added.

The congregants of the gurdwara, which the victim's family has attended for 12 years, have previously experienced resentment from the defendant's house due to the proximity of the gurdwara to his residence. Wood had sometimes turned speakers playing loud music towards the gurdwara during a prayer service. In the past, gurdwara officials reminded congregants to park at a distance and also warned parents to keep their children away from Wood's house.

"As you can imagine," the younger Singh claimed, "this incident has instilled a tremendous fear in all of us." Singh is scheduled for surgery to correct his fractured jaw and broken nose. Distressed, his wife claimed, "The biggest thing we are afraid of is not being able to go back to our gurdwara.

We've gone there for so long, and now what do we do after all this?" United Sikhs, the Sikh advocacy and rights group has said it will continue to assist the victim and his family in dealing with the impact of this atrocity by contacting the Crime Victims Fund and following up with the police and the Hate Crimes Task Force.

Above post from - India Post News Service