Hate crime: Two Sikhs attacked in US, one dead

[sandeepdg]

WASHINGTON: Two elderly Sikhs were shot at by unidentified assailants in Sacramento in US, leaving one dead and the other in critical condition, triggering panic in the neighbourhood having a sizeable Sikh population.

Surinder Singh, 68, and Gurmej Atwal, 78, residents of Elk Grove in Sacramento, California-- were shot at by unidentified miscreants on Friday evening, when the two went out for their daily evening walk, police said.

Singh, who worked as a truck driver in India and Libya before moving to the US, five years ago, died on the spot.

He is originally from Pandori Ganga Singh village in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab. His funeral has been scheduled for March 12.

Atwal, hailing from Farallah village in Nawanshahr district of Punjab, who moved to the US in 2001, continues to be in critical condition.

Police have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime, but there is no such concrete evidence as yet.

"At present, we have no evidence to indicate there was a hate or bias motivation for this crime; however, the obvious Sikh appearance of the men, including the traditional Dastar headwear and lack of any other apparent motive, increasingly raise that possibility," Elk Grove Police Chief Robert M Lehner said.

Elk Grove Police has made preliminary notification to the local FBI office because bias motivated crimes are a violation of Federal as well as State Law, Lehner said.

A number of Sikhs living in the city, are in a state of panic and have alleged this to be hate crime.

No arrests have been made so far. More than a dozen odd local Gurudrawas at a meeting yesterday announced an award of USD 20,000 to anyone who provides a clue towards the arrest of those responsible for the incident.

They have also appealed to the Sikh community members to try and not wear traditional ethnic 'kurta' and 'payjama' while going for walks or any public appearance, said Gurjatinder Singh Randhawa, chief editor of the regional Sikh newspaper Punjab mail USA.

Both Singh and Atwal were in their traditional Sikh dress during their evening walk when they were shot at.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...tacked-in-US-one-dead/articleshow/7644622.cms

 

[Blackwater]

Well they were attacked because of there carelessness. Walking alone on streets in the evening with kurta pajama and pagri with open dari is nothing but asking for trouble in a country like USA

 

[pmaitra]

This is very unfortunate.

The US needs to educate its population about who is what. This had happened right after the 9/11 attacks. It is outrageous that it still happened now. With channels like Fox doing rounds in certain US quarters, it is no surprise that some Americans are so dumb. Maybe it was not a hate crime, but maybe it was. California is no stranger to large ethnic diversity. Let us hope the criminals will be caught.

 

[Ray]

Americans are obsessed with anyone with a flowing beard and turbans.

Free flowing clothes add to the terror of the Americans.

They just cannot differentiate.

 

[Tronic]

CAIR offers $5,000 reward for California Sikhs shooting information​

By ARAB NEWS
Published: Mar 7, 2011 01:08 Updated: Mar 7, 2011 01:08

SACRAMENTO, CA: The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) on Sunday offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals who gunned down two elderly Sikh men on Friday in Elk Grove, Calif.

One of the men died at the scene of the shooting, while the other remains hospitalized in critical condition, according to a CAIR statement.

The two men, one age 65 and the other age 78, were gunned down while walking through their neighborhood. Both wore traditional Sikh beards and turbans. Local police say that while there is no evidence suggesting that hate was a motive for the shootings, no evidence points to an alternative motive. A possible bias motive is under investigation.

Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner said in a statement: "We have no evidence to indicate there was a hate or bias motivation for this crime; however, the obvious Sikh appearance of the men, including the traditional Dastar headwear and lack of any other apparent motive, increasingly raise that possibility."

"The Muslim community offers its condolences and support to the Sikh community in this time of sorrow," said CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra. "We will offer a $5,000 reward to anyone who comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators."

Elkarra noted that Sikh men in beards and turbans are often targeted for discrimination by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.

Last fall, CAIR-SV called for an FBI investigation of an attack on a Sikh cab driver in West Sacramento. The driver said passengers made anti-Muslim remarks during the attack. Two men were later arrested on charges of felony assault and commission of a hate crime.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

http://arabnews.com/world/article304537.ece

 

[Tronic]

Sikh Shooting: $30K reward for information leading to conviction in deadly attack near Sacramento​

(CBS/KOVR/AP) ELK GROVE, Calif. - The Sikh community in Northern California is offering a nearly $30,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the Friday afternoon shooting of two Sikh men who were shot - one of them fatally - while taking their daily stroll through a Sacramento suburb.
Although authorities say there is no evidence it was a hate crime, 65-year-old Surinder Singh who was pronounced dead at the scene, and 78-year-old Gurmej Atwal who remains in critical condition, still may have been targeted because Sikh men who wear turbans are often mistaken for Muslims.

"The obvious Sikh appearance of the men, including the traditional Dastar headwear and lack of any other apparent motive, increasingly raise that possibility," Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner told CBS affiliate KOVR in a statement.

Lehner said there was no other apparent motive and they do not have much information on the suspect or suspects, but have said they are looking for a tan or light brown Ford F-150 pickup truck made sometime between 1999 and 2003.

Singh was a truck driver who had worked in both India and Libya before moving to the United States about five years ago, his son Harvinder Singh, told The Sacramento Bee. He had recently survived his fourth heart attack.

Atwal moved to the U.S. from India in 2001, and the family settled two years later in Elk Grove, according to his son, Kamaljit Atwal.

Anyone who has seen or heard anything that might pertain to the case should call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or the Elk Grove Police Department at (916) 714-5115.


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20040613-504083.html

 

[Tronic]

Well they were attacked because of there carelessness. Walking alone on streets in the evening with kurta pajama and pagri with open dari is nothing but asking for trouble in a country like USA

Thats their identity mate. And such hate crimes actually only push the youth closer towards their religion to rally up together for. Its like that case in Texas, where the local government ordered the Sikhs to demolish their Gurudwara as a local couple had sued them that the Gurdwara's presence was driving down their property prices. A local lawsuit in Texas resulted in the mobilization of a youth movement all the way up to Canada.



If the youth keep mobilizing together, than their definitely will be change for the better. For all religions.

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[The Messiah]

Americans are obsessed with anyone with a flowing beard and turbans.

Free flowing clothes add to the terror of the Americans.

They just cannot differentiate.

Even if they were mistaken and wanted to kill muslims they are still "terrorists" but see how there media will portray them as "shooters".

Killing any innocent person purely on there identity is a terrorist act in my book.

 

[sandeepdg]

Well they were attacked because of there carelessness. Walking alone on streets in the evening with kurta pajama and pagri with open dari is nothing but asking for trouble in a country like USA

What else do you expect a 70 year old man to wear ? A pair of jeans and a T-shirt and keep a ponytail instead of their pagri ! Its the Americans' fault that they are dumb and can't distinguish between a Sikh and a Muslim. Its their religious identity, man.

 

[Blackwater]

What else do you expect a 70 year old man to wear ? A pair of jeans and a T-shirt and keep a ponytail instead of their pagri ! Its the Americans' fault that they are dumb and can't distinguish between a Sikh and a Muslim. Its their religious identity, man.

Buy treadmill at home. coming to topic. I mean those oldies have to be more care full while going out they are in USA not on roads of punjab. i agree with u by your last part. Amreeicans are indeed dumb. This lead to another debate.

SGPC and american and Canadian Sikh gurudwara prabadhank commetee has loads of money. why don't they launch awareness campaign in US and Canada or even in OZ that Sikhism is different religion etc etc.

 

[Blackwater]

On the contrary, it can be case of family or property dispute..

 

[Ray]

I think that the Sikhs out there in the USA are quite fancy and notwithstanding their age, if one sees those returning to meet their relatives in India, they are all wearing fancy togs even if they know very little beyond thet Punjabi.

Further, these mistaken killings of Sikhs for Muslim terrorists are not new. And in the US the gun culture is such that weapons are carried on person by those who wish to do so and they use it quite liberally to include students, or so the news indicates.

Therefore, why give these imbalanced American chaps who see Muslim terrorists in every shadow? Wearing a loose fitting kurta, pyjama and a pagree maybe conjures ideas in these chaps they have had of images of terrorists in movies or soaps on Afghanistan and elsewhere.

 

[Sikh_warrior]

another unfortunate incident. RIP to the dead.

i would say it was one of those drive by shooting, just for fun by the rednecks (who think they OWN america).

anyway, times have changed and Sikhs out of india need to be more careful about them being mistaken for arabs or muslims.

 

[mattster]

You guys need some perspective.

It is not so much about stupidity of rural Americans anymore than it is about stupidity of any rural people anywhere. Expecting rural Americans living in places like Elk Grove to be worldly and culturally diverse and knowing the Difference between Sikhs and muslims is like expecting someone from Orissa to be able to differentiate between Americans Mormons and American Amish communities.

In eastern part of california is dotted with many small towns with farming communities. Traditionally most Indians would never live in such small towns but the Sikhs are one of those rare farming communities who have moved to the interior areas to do farming. They form small tight knit communities in far off places and many of these guys are very traditional Sikhs who barely speak English and yes dress like they are in Punjab.

As their numbers grow in these traditional small town, many of the locals may resent this foreign presence that is taking over their town especially when they are Muslim looking guys with long beards and turbans. If these same Sikhs were walking around in Silicon Valley where the average guy has a bachelors or Masters degree level of education - no one would bother them.

 

[civfanatic]

You guys need some perspective.

It is not so much about stupidity of rural Americans anymore than it is about stupidity of any rural people anywhere. Expecting rural Americans living in places like Elk Grove to be worldly and culturally diverse and knowing the Difference between Sikhs and muslims is like expecting someone from Orissa to be able to differentiate between Americans Mormons and American Amish communities.

In eastern part of california is dotted with many small towns with farming communities. Traditionally most Indians would never live in such small towns but the Sikhs are one of those rare farming communities who have moved to the interior areas to do farming. They form small tight knit communities in far off places and many of these guys are very traditional Sikhs who barely speak English and yes dress like they are in Punjab.

As their numbers grow in these traditional small town, many of the locals may resent this foreign presence that is taking over their town especially when they are Muslim looking guys with long beards and turbans. If these same Sikhs were walking around in Silicon Valley where the average guy has a bachelors or Masters degree level of education - no one would bother them.

Elk Grove is a city with a population of over 150,000. How is that "rural"?

If these Sikhs were in rural America they would have been killed long ago.

 

[mattster]

Elk Grove is a city with a population of over 150,000. How is that "rural"?

If these Sikhs were in rural America they would have been killed long ago.

In the old days it was a farming town. Lately it has grown into a sleepy suburb of Sacramento.
I dont think there is much farming left in Elk Grove but maybe the surrounding areas.

There is a sizable Sikh community is a small town up north called Lodi. They moved there for farming and are now one of the major communities there - so the people there know who they are. But that community has also had a lot of problems.

Lets face it - if you migrate to another country(any country) and move to rural areas and start farming or have to take up blue-collar jobs, then you are bound to see more racism and prejudice anywhere in the world. Its the same for the Vietnamese immigrants who came to the US and became fisherman or the Hmong from Vietnam who moved to Minnesota to do farming, or the Pakistanis and Sikhs who are cab-drivers, or the Mexicans who are working every low paid manual labor job in California.

If you are going to migrate to the anywhere - white collar is always much better than blue-collar.

 

[roma]

Americans are obsessed with anyone with a flowing beard and turbans.

Free flowing clothes add to the terror of the Americans.

They just cannot differentiate.

i think so too - some of the taliban where turbans similar to the sikhs and many americans especialy in out of towen areas like where this happened are less informed .....it's even worse if there is litle or no dialogue between communities which is lileky in these areas and so people donet know what these turbaned folks are up to . ....it's a sorry state of affairs

partial solution ;- the sikh community in the usa should take out newspaper adverts to keep the general public informed who they are and that they are not to be confuesd with taliban - etc etc .

 

[Tianshan]

Its the Americans' fault that they are dumb and can't distinguish between a Sikh and a Muslim.

i thought Sikh turban and Muslim turban look very different?

i don't know how the criminals can make such a mistake, they must be very stupid.

Manmohan Singh, easy to see he is a Sikh.

 

[Sikh_warrior]

i hope this would clear some doubts and help people identify Sikhs differently from muslims/arabs.

 

[Ray]

This is a common turban style worn in Punjab, India. It is basically a double wide turban. 6 meters of turban cloth are cut in half (two - three meter pieces) and then sewn together on long edge to make it "Double wide". This makes for a larger turban with fewer wraps around the head.



This style originated from the western Sikh communities in America. Most western Sikh women who become a Sikh wear a turban (whether or not they are Amritdhari). This is a common style which is worn. Usually it is at least two layers. One layer of turban fabric and then a white chuni at the final "finished" layer.


This style of turban is generally worn by Nihang Sikhs . This is the warrior style turban meant for going into battle. This version show the "Chand Tora" with the metal wire around the turban.


Here is another variation of the dhamala turban without the Chand Tora. Each person adopts their own method of tying the dhamala. Once you learn the basics you can tweak the method to fit you.

Damallas definitely vary in width and length. The pieces I used were:
one 5 meter piece (Dark Blue)
one 11 meter piece (White or Blue or any color, this piece has a knot at the end to hold it on my head in the beginning)
Both pieces are about 35 cm wide, and referred to in Amritsar as Damalla Material. I'm not sure of the official name of it.

The difficulty with tying a Damala is usually in getting the shape right. It may take a good 5-10 tries of tying practice to get the right shape.

General Men's Turban
This another common Sikh turban style for men. Unlike the "double patti"/double wide turban, this turban is longer and goes about 7 times around the head.

Turban Tying 101
1. Wash the Pugree once before you use it to get rid of the starch it has.
2. For the material use either Rubia or Voyal. Do not use Malmal as it is very fine and needs to be starched before use.
3. Wear a patka underneath as it prevents the turban from slipping.
4. If you have a big joora (hair knot), do not make it right in front at your forehead. You will end up tying the turban on the joora it will make your turban look very high and big.
5. You would have noticed that I did not take care in ensuring that the Pallas on right hand side of the turban are neatly placed. You can try and do it. I suggest you try this only after you can get your Pallas on the left hand side in place.
6. It will take regular practice to get a neat turban; do not get frustrated if your turban is not neat even after about 5 to 10 attempts.
7. Practice tying your turban on a daily basis. Once you do it daily it wont take you more than 5 mins to tie a nice neat turban.
8. Do not feel shy to ask people at the local Gurdawara Sahib for help.
9. This style of turban is the very basic style, I recommend this style to all beginners as it solves the problem of ensuring that the palla themselves are neat and do not have any folds in them. Also as the width of the pallas is uniform tying the tuban becomes easy. Once you are comfortable with this style you can move on to various other styles.
10. If you need any more help please feel free to contact me

Yours Humbly, Angad Singh (Singapore)


his is a quick casual turban that you might tie if you are around the house or exercising. For some women they tie this one when they get up early in the morning for their Sadhana (banis/meditation,etc). The turban shown in this video is about 3 meters long.


This is a quick casual turban that you might tie if you are around the house or going to do some sports. It is generally worn by kids, or as an under turban to one of the above "full" turbans. The cloth is about 1.5 to 2 meters long. The length will vary depending on if you do a single wrap around, or a few. You can adjust the size to your preference.

Also see:

Learn How To Tie Different Sikh Turbans | SikhNet