The NYPD is investigating a suspected hate crime after a man attacked another passenger on a bus in Queens harassing the young man over his turban and trying to remove it from his head, police said.
Police said the suspect was riding on an MTA bus Sunday morning when he approached a male passenger who was wearing a turban and said, "We don't wear that in this country and take that mask off!"
The suspect then punched the victim in his face, back, and in the back of his head, causing cuts and pain, according to police. Police said the man also tried to remove the 19-year-old's turban from his head before getting off the bus and leaving the scene on foot.
The victim is a member of the Sikh faith.
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The assault happened near 118 Street and Liberty Avenue around 9 a.m. Sunday.
Harpreet Singh Toor, the former president of the Sikh Cultural Society, said when the war between Israel and Hamas erupted last week, he feared an uptick in hate crimes even though the Sikh community is not involved in the conflict.
"Why target us," he asked. "Just because we follow our faith? And we keep our articles of faith? Just because of that?”
The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit is investigating and the police department is calling it a hate crime assault.
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Deputy Commissioner Mark Stewart said the department has seen some recent hate crimes in the city fueled by the war in the Middle East.
"We don’t tolerate it," Stewart said. "We don’t condone it.”
Police are looking for the suspect and asking anyone with more information to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
