'Sikh' struck on head in hate-motivated assault in Canada
Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 Jan, 2023 01:19 PM
Toronto, Jan 23 (IANS) A man, apparently a Sikh, was allegedly struck on the head, causing his turban to fall on the ground, by an unidentified man, who also made "derogatory comments" at a subway station in Canada, police said.
Police officers responded to an assault call at the Bloor-Yonge Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway station following the incident last week.
Upon reaching the scene, police found that a man had been struck on the head causing his "religious head covering" -- which they later identified as turban -- to fall on the ground.
The suspect allegedly passed derogatory comments at the victim before he left the TTC station, the Toronto Police said in a statement.
The victim, whose age or religious affiliation were not released by the police, sustained minor injuries on his head.
However, a report in Omni News, a multicultural and multilingual broadcaster in Canada, confirmed the identity of the victim as Sikh in its report.
The suspect was last seen wearing a blue hat and a black jacket and was carrying a black bag.
"After consultation with the specialised Hate Crime Unit, the investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence," the Toronto police said in its statement.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said police are investigating the hate-motivated assault of a man at the subway station. "Our transit system - and city at large - must be safe places for all and free of hatred, without exception," Tory tweeted after the incident.
"Hate has no place in our city. We must all call out and stand together against discrimination and violence," he said.
Condemning the incident, the Toronto Transit Commission said that they will continue to assist Toronto Police in the course of their investigation.
The New Westminster Police Department Major Crime Unit has learned the victim was assaulted by someone who was with two other people at the time of the assault. After the assault, the group left the area in a vehicle, and investigators are hoping by sharing video of this vehicle, a suspect will be identified.
VPD officers responded to Granville and Robson Street around 6 p.m. Monday, after a witness reported seeing a man with a gun inside a bar. Marcus Phillip Van Schilt, 45, is now charged with possession of a weapon and breaching bail.
Poverty, economic instability, and disruptions due to climate change are pushing an increasing number of people to seek security in places such as Canada and the United States, says France-Isabelle Langlois of Amnesty International Canada's French-language division.
Zachary Armitage was sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for 25 years for the first-degree murder of Martin Payne in what B.C. Supreme Court Justice David Crossin called a senseless, shocking and grotesque attack. The murder in July 2019 was "absolutely cowardly, without qualification," Crossin told Armitage.
A statement from the service says it's aiming to hire up to 40 Crown counsel this year, some to fill vacancies created by the dedication of prosecutors to repeat violent offender response teams. Those teams are part of the province's safer communities action plan launched by Premier David Eby soon after he was sworn in last November.
Lal was a student at Tamanawis Secondary School in Surrey and was an avid sports player. Taren was a loving son, older brother, friend, and role model to those around him. Taren was involved in the community through sports including wrestling, kabaddi, and weightlifting with hopes to join the police force in the future.
