Jasmir Singh, 21, was attacked on Sunday last outside a grocery store in Jackson Heights in Queens suburb of New York City. After the attack in the predominantly Indian neighbourhood, two of the assailants were arrested and charged with assault and robbery in the first degree, while police were on the look out for the third suspect.

Singh, who was stabbed in the eye, back and chest, was discharged from hospital yesterday and Hate Crimes Task Force commander Michael Osgood is likely to interview him in a week’s time to determine whether the suspects can be charged with hate crime. Singh has alleged that he was targeted because of his long hair and beard, but police still maintain that it was a case of robbery and assault. “The attackers questioned me about my hair and threatened to cut it,” Singh said at a press conference outside Elmhurst Hospital soon after he was discharged.

Lawmaker Jose Peralta, who was present a press conference, urged the police to investigate if the attack was racially-motivated. Representatives of United Sikh, an international advocacy group, Sikh community leaders and inter-faith activists met investigators to voice their concern about the investigation.

The investigators assured them that they would conduct a full probe into the case and interview Singh again. At the press conference, Peralta asked New Yorkers to step forward and participate in protection of their respective neighbourhoods and favoured Block Watch programmes.

Citing examples of recent hate crimes in New York, he urged the police to continue their investigation of the hate and bias aspects of Jasmir’s assault so that they could prosecute the perpetrators to “the fullest extent of the law”.

United Sikhs Staff Attorney Jaspreet Singh stated, “We appreciate the police’s diligent efforts and nothing must happen to stop the successful prosecution of the assailants in this case. Violent crimes are bad at the first instance, but worse if motivated by hate, because it tears away the fabric of civil society.”

At a meeting with the police, the community leaders demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.

During the meeting, Inspector Osgood gave a briefing on the case and said police take hate crimes seriously. Another Inspector John Lavelle, the commanding officer of the 115th Precinct which polices the Jackson Height area, said, “The perpetrators are well-known robbers in the area and we worked with Inspector Osgood to determine if hate was the substantial motivation of the crime.”