'Sikh' struck on head in hate-motivated assault in Canada
Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 Jan, 2023 01:19 PM
Toronto, Jan 23 (IANS) A man, apparently a Sikh, was allegedly struck on the head, causing his turban to fall on the ground, by an unidentified man, who also made "derogatory comments" at a subway station in Canada, police said.
Police officers responded to an assault call at the Bloor-Yonge Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway station following the incident last week.
Upon reaching the scene, police found that a man had been struck on the head causing his "religious head covering" -- which they later identified as turban -- to fall on the ground.
The suspect allegedly passed derogatory comments at the victim before he left the TTC station, the Toronto Police said in a statement.
The victim, whose age or religious affiliation were not released by the police, sustained minor injuries on his head.
However, a report in Omni News, a multicultural and multilingual broadcaster in Canada, confirmed the identity of the victim as Sikh in its report.
The suspect was last seen wearing a blue hat and a black jacket and was carrying a black bag.
"After consultation with the specialised Hate Crime Unit, the investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence," the Toronto police said in its statement.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said police are investigating the hate-motivated assault of a man at the subway station. "Our transit system - and city at large - must be safe places for all and free of hatred, without exception," Tory tweeted after the incident.
"Hate has no place in our city. We must all call out and stand together against discrimination and violence," he said.
Condemning the incident, the Toronto Transit Commission said that they will continue to assist Toronto Police in the course of their investigation.
The community was alerted to this suspicious vehicle through a news release issued on May 3, 2022, which prompted other local residents to report their own encounters with the vehicle, driven by a woman.
Three people were killed and 14 others had life-threatening injuries after the big-wheel red-and-white Ice Explorer lost control on the road to the Athabasca Glacier, about 100 kilometres southeast of Jasper, Alta., on July 18, 2020.
Alert Ready is a tool used by governments across the country to broadcast warnings on radio and television stations, as well as compatible wireless devices.
On Thursday, May 12, Burnaby RCMP received a report that a driver was seen masturbating inside a vehicle while at a red light beside a westbound 136 bus on Lougheed Highway near Gaglardi Way around 3:55 p.m. A teenage victim on the bus took video of the suspect, which has been provided to police.
The male was sitting on a bench at a bend in the pathway on the Spirit Trail in Waterfront Park, where it faces the water, and exposed himself as the woman walked past. The woman was physically unharmed in the incident.
The 15-year-old victim was walking in Pacific Centre Mall around 11:45 a.m. on May 8 when a man approached him from behind and leg-swept him to the ground. The alleged suspect fled after the assault, but was followed by mall security.
