'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.
Amritbhai Vakil said family members have decided it would be emotionally difficult to see the couple and their two children and too expensive to transport the bodies.
There are 30,515 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 286,134 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 990 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 141 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
The Ottawa Police Service said it was calling in reinforcements to help keep the peace as hundreds of vehicles and long-haul trucks continued their trek toward the nation's capital to demand an end to all COVID-19 restrictions, including vaccine passports, from every level of government.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) was called in to investigate. The female victim has been identified as 32-year-old Ramina Shah from Maple Ridge. Her name and photo are being released in an effort to identify witnesses who may have seen her around the time of the incident.
Homicide investigators say they believe the targeted shooting that left four people dead in a Richmond, B.C., home was a murder-suicide. The victims were all members of the same family and include a 71-year-old father, a 58-year-old mother, their 23-year-old son and a daughter, aged 21.
Kate Ryan-Lloyd, who was Craig James's deputy at the time of the 2012 payment, told a B.C. Supreme Court trial that she gave back the $118,000 benefit after James failed to provide her with a good explanation to justifying the payment.
