Inderjit Singh Mukker, a Sikh-American man, was attacked on Tuesday after a man screamed derogatory statement at him such as, "Terrorist, go back to your country, Bin Laden!"
Mukker, father of two children, is a U.S. citizen that resides in Chicago's Darien suburb. He was assaulted while driving to the supermarket located in S. Cass Avenue when the yelling of racist slurs began. He tried to avoid the man by turning on Cass Avenue while the other man kept on cutting him off. When Mukker decided to stop to just let the other vehicle pass, the screaming driver parked in front of Mukker, went to his car, and punched the Sikh man repeatedly in the face. Mukker passed out after the beating, lost a lot of blood and had a fractured cheekbone, according to the Huffington Post.
Sikhs wear turbans and grow beards to express their faith and show their unyielding commitment towards justice, and equal rights for everyone. For more than a century, Sikhs have been a part of the United States community but since the tragic event in September 2001, they have suffered hate crimes and discrimination.
"We believe Mr. Mukker was targeted and assaulted because of his Sikh religious appearance, race or national origin," said the Legal Director of the Sikh Coalition, Harsimran Kaur, according to The Sikh Coalition. "We request an immediate investigation and call on local and federal agencies to investigate this attack as a hate crime."
"No American should be afraid to practice their faith in our country," Mukker said. "I'm thankful for the swift response of authorities to apprehend the individual, but without this being fully investigated as a hate crime, we risk ignoring the horrific pattern of intolerance, abuse and violence that Sikhs and other minority communities in this country continue to face."
"...when he attacked Mr. Mukker, it was an attack against the entire community." - Harsimran Kaur in @chicagotribune https://t.co/NoiOzfLfyU
— Sikh Coalition (@sikh_coalition) September 10, 2015
The 17-year-old suspect was identified by investigators based on Mukker's description and the vehicle's plate number, said Darien Police Chief Ernest Brown. The teen was questioned and was brought to the hospital for unknown reasons. The Attorney Office's juvenile division in the DuPage County State is still studying the case as to what the appropriate charges should be. "There will certainly be charges filed," Brown said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
