Sept. 10--Darien police say they are conducting a hate crime investigation after a Sikh man said he was called a "terrorist" and "Bin Laden" and then punched in the face.
Police said the incident occurred Tuesday evening and was being investigated as a hate crime, but they released few other details.
The victim, Inderjit Singh Mukker, told the Sikh Coalition that he was driving to a grocery store on South Cass Avenue in Darien when someone pulled up and started yelling, "Terrorist, go back to your country, Bin Laden" and other insults.
Mukker, a U.S. citizen and resident of Darien, stopped on the side of Cass Avenue after being repeatedly cut off by the driver of the other car, the coalition said. The driver pulled over in front of Mukker's car, got out of his car and walked over to Mukker, the coalition said.
The man reached into Mukker's car and started punching him in the face, according to the coalition.
Mukker suffered a fractured cheekbone and a cut to his cheek, the coalition said, adding that Mukker lost consciousness. He was taken to a hospital, where he received six stitches, it said.
Mukker released a statement through the coalition saying "no American should be afraid to practice their faith in our country. ... Without this being fully investigated as a hate crime, we risk ignoring the horrific pattern of intolerance, abuse and violence that Sikhs and other minority communities in this country continue to face."
Mukker's lawyer, Harsimran Kaur, said the Sikh Coalition is pressing for hate crime charges against a 17-year-old suspect.
"We want the attacker to understand that when he attacked Mr. Mukker, it was an attack against the entire community and the entire community grieves and feels afraid," Kaur said.
Kaur said that, as one the core tenets of their faith, Sikhs stand up for justice and for those who are in need or oppressed. In fact, the turbans worn by Sikh men symbolize this tenet.
"Ironically wearing a turban has become a lightning rod but it signifies the exact opposite," Kaur said. "We hope that when people see a Sikh or meet a Sikh, they understand the purpose of maintaining the Sikh articles of faith is out of love for humanity."
