Sikh student mistaken for Muslim, abused and harassed at US store

November 20, 2016

Boston, Nov 20: A 22-year-old Sikh, studying at the prestigious Harvard Law School, was allegedly abused and harassed at a store near the campus by a man who mistook him for a Muslim. Harmann Singh, a first year law student at the university, said he was shopping in a store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while speaking on the phone with his mother, when a man walked in and said to the clerk behind the counter, "Oh look, there's a (expletive) Muslim."sikh

"Over the weekend, I was confronted by a man who called me a '(expletive) Muslim' and followed me around a store aggressively asking where I was from, and and no one in the store said a thing. I was on the phone with my mom the entire time, and we were both concerned for my safety as this man stood inches away from me," Singh wrote about his experience in The Boston Globe.

"While deeply painful, what happened to me pales in comparison to the hate and violence many of my brothers and sisters have faced across the country," he wrote. According to Singh, the man started following him around the store, harassing him and asking him where he was from. Singh, who is from Buffalo, New York, said he tried to ignore the man and continue his conversation with his mother, who was worried.

She could hear the man questioning Singh and told her son to leave the shop. Singh said the man followed him to the checkout counter. "I told him, 'Hey I'm actually from New York. I live here now down the street. Is there anything I can do to help you?'" Singh said.

The man did not respond and Singh left the store as quickly as possible. He said the most effective way to help people who feel marginalised is to "be there for each other in these moments". A bystander who checks in with the person being harassed in any situation can make all the difference, he said.

The owner of the store told Boston.com that he was going back and forth between the back and front of the shop at the time of the incident that took place on November 11 and saw the man who spoke to Singh come in. He said he had planned to ask the man to leave, but went to the back of the store when the incident occurred. Both Singh and the other man were gone when he returned.

He said he was shocked and sorry when his clerk told him what happened. "I don't know where that guy came from and I hope I don't see him again," said the owner, who did not want to be named. Over 200 incidents of hateful harassment and intimidation across the US have been reported since Donald Trump won the presidential election.

Comments

Wellwisher
 - 
Sunday, 20 Nov 2016

Dear All,
This not strange, if we go through the history ftom past 70yrs to till now
White skins are always with same mentlaity. Major part of their weslth are looted one.What Britishers done with India what america is doing now. We should depend on these kind of pepole or with their nation. We have to stick with give respect and take respect policy and nothing more than that.
Hope the Indian community will stand togther to fight against such incidents for the future without looking cast.
Jai Hind!

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News Network
February 9,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 9: Kerala has sanctioned the setting up of 28 fast track courts for speedy trial in rape cases and other cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

State Social Justice and Women and Child Development Minister KK Shailaja said the state government has decided to set up POCSO courts to ensure that the culprits get the punishment they deserve. She said the decision has been taken in the wake of rising violence against women and children.

"The Union Law Ministry has recently sanctioned the opening of 28 POCSO fast track special courts in Kerala at the request of the state government. The project will be implemented jointly by the High Court, Law and Home Departments under the leadership of the Department of Women and Child Development," the Minister said.

The four courts are alloted in Thiruvananthapuram district, three in Thrissur and Malappuram districts, two each in Kollam, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kannur districts.

The Minister informed that POCSO courts are jointly established by the central and state governments and according to the High Court data, 12,234 POCSO and rape cases are pending in the state.

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January 19,2020

Udupi, Jan 19: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitaraman has said the mutt tradition in Udupi is a unique tradition and a perfect example of the country’s rich heritage of spirituality.

Speaking at the Darbar organised for the incoming Paryaya Admar Mutt seer Sri Eeshapriya Theertha Swamiji at Rajangana, here Saturday night, she said, “Paryaya festival is not just an event. It represents the presence of the Lord. I am conscious about the history. I am immensely blessed to be associated with the Krishna Mutt in one or the other.”

She turned nostalgic and traced her connection with the Krishna mutt which started in her childhood. “I am attached to the Mutt and temple due to my maternal uncle. My uncle was a bank employee and he spent his career in Manipal. I am being drawn to the mutt for the past 25 years. I am blessed immensely by the seers of the mutt and Lord Krishna.”

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News Network
April 18,2020

Mangaluru, Apr 18: Three people, including a woman, who were being treated at the city's Wenlock Hospital have been discharged after they recovered from Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

With this, a total of 12 people who had tested positive for the virus until Thursday have been discharged from various hospitals in Dakshina Kannada.

A 39-year-old advocate from Uppinangady tested positive for Covid -19 on Friday, he has been admitted to the Wenlock Hospital and is being treated. With this, only one COVID-19 positive patient is being treated at Wenlock Hospital till Friday evening.

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