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Student charged for setting patka on fire
WSN Bureau

HIGHTSTOWN: As soon as it was clear to the Hightstown High School authorities that their student Garrett Green had intimidated his Sikh classmate by burning his headgear –patka from the rear, the school authorities expelled him and will press for criminal arson and criminal mischief charges against him.

Obviously, the Sikhs are worries about the racial attacks on them, particularly on school children and would hope that the expulsion of the child would serve as a deterrent.

The suspect, 18-year-old Garrett Green, has also been detained, his privileges withdrawn and he would have to be away from school for the whole year. The school superintendent, Ronald Bolandi while delivering the order said that setting anything on fire and more so a part of the attire which could have hurt the other child is simply not acceptable.

Not gloating over the punishment to the perpetrator, Sikh Coalition legal director Amardeep Singh said "It's a bad day for New Jersey, it's a bad day for the Sikh community, Kids saying something against the Sikhs are indulging in such acts do not know that you are going against who we are as a people."

Thought the parents of the 16 year old boy and the boy himself are quiet upset, they still say that Sikh parents should not refrain from sending kids to school and we should heighten the awareness campaign amongst the school community in particular and the American people at large about the basics of the Sikh faith.

The school superintendent, who decreed the action of the senior student, was unequivocal. He said, "a religious issue is involved and we need to makesure that everyone understands what it is".