A 41-year old Sikh-American IT specialist was assaulted by a group of men in California in an alleged hate crime incident. The men reportedly knocked off Maan Singh Khalsa’s turban, cut his unshorn hair with a knife and physically assaulted him. A civil rights organisation has asked for a hate crime investigation into the incident which took place on September 25 when Khalsa was driving home.

The victim said that five to six white men in their 20s threw a beer can at his car. He said they pulled his head out of the window and cut a fistful of his hair with a knife. “The attackers caused physical injuries and deep harm when they targeted my Sikh faith,” he said.

In a statement, the Sikh Coalition said, “Khalsa drove away from the scene but the men followed him and assaulted him through his open car window, knocking off his Sikh turban and hitting his face repeatedly.” The Sikh civil rights organization has also written to the Richmond Police Department and the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office a hate crime investigation and prosecution in the case. The coalition’s legal director, Harsimran Kaur, said, “We need to acknowledge hatred so that we commit the resources necessary to stem bias-based violence.”