Parmjit Singh, 64, was stabbed to death inside a park near his home in Tracy, CA, on Sunday night.
In another horrifying incident, an elderly Sikh man was stabbed to death while he was taking his evening walk near his home in Tracy, Sacramento. The 64-year-old Parmjit Singh was found lying with traumatic injuries near a sidewalk. He was pronounced dead. The incident happened around 9.00 pm on Sunday night.
On Monday, police released a surveillance video of a man running through the area. The hunt is now on for the culprit.
With another member of the community losing life to a potential hate crime, prominent Sikh American leaders expressed outrage at the community constantly being a target of hate crime.
ALSO READ: Sikh gas station owner shot dead on Memorial Day in New Jersey, family thinks it’s a hate crime (June 3, 2016)
“We had an uneasy night, when the news of an elderly man stabbed to death came through,” said Gurinder Singh Khalsa, a prominent Sikh activist and founder of SikhsPAC. “It is shocking and upsetting that despite the fact that Sikhs continue to add to the country by their hard work and dedication, they are still misunderstood.”
Khalsa, who is from Indiana, said the only agenda of SikhsPAC is to create awareness about Sikh faith through introduction of Sikh history in public schools. “Fear is of the unknown,” he said. “In America, 15 million students pass high school every year. They have no clue about Sikhs. Because of Islamophobia too, Americans often associate Sikhs with Muslims.”
ALSO READ: Inderjit Singh Mukker of Illinois is latest victim of hate crimes against Sikhs in America (September 11, 2015)
New York-based Sikh lawyer and civil rights activist Jo Kaur wrote on her Twitter: “Would like to see 2020 Dems talk about the string of hate violence Sikh Americans have faced in this country, esp. after 9/11. Our community often bears the brunt of islamophobic and xenophobic hate and yet silence. There are folks who really despise turbans, beards and brown skin.”
Parmjit Singh was an active member of the Sikh community and is remembered by neighbors as a friendly man who would often be seen taking a walk in the park. The incident near the Gretchen Tally Park in Tracy has left the neighborhood shaken, as people did not expect this in their quite locality.
ALSO READ: Attacker of Sikh convenient store clerk in Oregon charged with hate crime (January 21, 2019)
Amar Shergill, Progressive Caucus Chair of the California Democratic Party, posted on his Facebook the video footage released by the police to identify the man. He wrote: “Please share to find the murderer. Someone you know in Tracy or Northern California may be a witness.
Another Sikh elder wearing a turban was murdered with no apparent motive. The suspect needs to be identified immediately.”
The Tracy Police Department has asked for public help in identifying the suspect. The family of slain main, meanwhile, will be holding a candle light vigil on Wednesday evening in the same park where he was stabbed to death.
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