In what appears to be a series of targeted attacks on the Sikh Community in the US, a Sikh man was stabbed to death at his store in the New Jersey. According to reports, Terlok Singh was found dead by his cousin on Thursday in his store with an apparent stab wound in the chest.
Singh, described as a very kind person, ran his store for at least six years to support his wife and children who live in India.?
According to local media, the Essex County Prosecutor's office is calling the incident a homicide.?However, others point out that this is the third incident targeting the minority Sikh community in the country in three weeks.
Simran Jeet Singh, a visiting scholar at New York University's Center for Religion and Media and a Senior Religion Fellow for the Sikh Coalition, tweeted about Singh's tragic death, saying "this is the third attack on a Sikh in the last three weeks. So tired of all this sadness."
On August 6 in Manteca, California, 71-year-old Sahib Singh was brutally attacked by Tyrone McAllister and a juvenile when the elderly man went on a morning walk.
Tyrone McAllister, who is this son of a local police chief, and the juvenile were charged with attempted robbery, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon.
On July 31, 50-year-old Surjit Malhi was attacked while putting up campaign signs in support of incumbent Republican Congressman Jeff Denham and other local Republican candidates.
While beating Mr Malhi, the attackers yelled "Go back to your country!" and spray painted the same message, along with hate symbols, on his truck.
Following the two incidents, the Sikh Coalition had urged members of the community to know their rights, remain vigilant and report cases of bias, bigotry and backlash in the wake of the attacks.