Indian-origin Sikh Taxi Driver Assaulted, Turban Knocked Off At JFK Airport; Video Goes Viral

An Indian-origin Sikh man was assaulted by an unidentified man earlier this week at the John F. Kennedy Internation Airport in New York in a case of suspected hate crime.A video of the incident has gone viral on Twitter after a clip was posted on the platform on Tuesday.

The undated 26-second video was uploaded by Navjot Pal Kaur?on micro-blogging site Twitter on January 4, showing a man assaulting the Sikh taxi driver outside the airport. She said the video was shot by a bystander at the airport.

Video recorded by a bystander??

The person can be heard allegedly using expletives against the victim. He repeatedly hits and punches him and knocks off his turban.

“This video was taken by a bystander at John F. Kennedy International Airport. I do not own the rights to this video. But I just wanted to highlight the fact that hatred continues to remain in our society and unfortunately I’ve seen Sikh cab drivers get assaulted again and again,” Kaur tweeted.

Further details about the driver or the cause of the incident were not available yet.

Social media irked

The video evoked sharp reactions from Twitterati. Many users condemned the incident and demanded strict action.

Similar incidents in the past?

This is not the first time a Sikh taxi driver has been assaulted in the US.An Indian-origin Sikh Uber driver was in 2019 assaulted and racially abused in the US state of Washington in a suspected hate crime. The driver told the police that he believes his race promoted the attack.

In 2017, a 25-year-old Sikh cab driver in New York was assaulted and his turban knocked off by drunk passengers.

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