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Sikhs want action on Carteret bias
attacks
WSN Network
LONDON: A Sikh,
Ajit Singh Chima, 69, was beaten in the face and kicked before dawn
by an unknown attacker last week. Less than three weeks prior, a
10-year-old boy, Gagandeep Singh, was jumped while walking home from
school. His turban was removed and his hair was cut off, an offense
to Sikhs who grow their hair as a sign of religious devotion.
Carteret Police
and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's office is probing the assaults
but no arrests have been made. The two Sikh gurdwaras have offered
$5,000 toward a reward for information leading to the arrest of the
perpetrator.
In the wake of
the attacks, the community is on edge. "I think everybody's still a
little wary and on-guard around here," said community member Linda
Singh. "The people I've been talking to are looking over their
shoulder."
Officials of
Carteret
police department, the board of education, the county prosecutor's
office, and the Department of Justice as well as selected
representatives of the local Sikh community and Sikh advocacy groups
from New
York and Washington D.C. have been talking to each other over the
matter.
But it was
all closed to the public and the press. The talk probably revolved
around how to have better communication and outreach within
Carteret.
12 November
2008
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