US: Sikh man brutally assaulted, hair cut with knife in alleged racist attack

Maan Singh Khalsa, a 41- year old Sikh-American IT specialist was reportedly brutally beaten by some unknown miscreants who violently knocked off his turban and allegedly cut his religiously mandated hair with knife in Richmond city of the United States.

According to reports, the incident took place on 25 September when some men attacked his car with a beer can at his vehicle.

Khalsa claimed that he was attacked by 5-6 men because of his religion and wrote a letter to The Sikh Coalition, one of the largest civil rights organisation prompting them to take immediate action on the issue.

Following which, the sikh coalition wrote to Richmond Police Department and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office on behalf of Sikh American, asking them to conduct a hate crime investigation and prosecution in the case of the assault.

"Khalsa drove away from the scene but the men followed him and assaulted him through his open car window, knocking off his Sikh turban and hitting his face repeatedly," the statement fromThe Sikh Coalition read.

"The men began cursing at him. His assailants shouted, "Cut his hair," pulled his head out of the window by his hair, and cut a fistful of his religiously-mandated unshorn hair with a knife," the complaint alleged.

The assault has now resulted in stitches, a swollen black eye, dental injuries which will require surgeries, and an infected finger which may require an amputation.

The police have reportedly arrested two of the men and are currently making efforts to nab the rest of the accused.The Sikh coalition have called for hate crime charges against the accused.

--With PTI inputs