Sikh man shot at in US; attacker yelled ‘go back to your own country’

Newyork A 39-year-old Sikh man was injured in Washington state, after an unidentified man shot him outside his home in Kent city and allegedly shouted “go back to your own country”. The Sikh man has been identified by foreign ministry sources as Deep Rai, who is a US national. “The Sikh gentleman is able to talk. We wish him a speedy recovery and are ready to offer all possible assistance,” an official of the External Affairs Ministry told NDTV. The incident is the latest in a series of apparent hate crimes targetting members of the Indian community.

Mr Rai – who sustained an injury in his arm and has been released from the hospital — has described the shooter as a six-foot-tall white man, the mask was covering the lower half of his face.

He said he was working on his vehicle outside his home on Friday, when the stranger walked up to his driveway. An argument broke out, during which the man made statements to the effect of “go back to your own country” and then shot Mr Rai in the arm, the Seattle Times quoted the police as saying.

The police have reached out to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas said they are “treating this as a very serious incident” and a hunt is on for the assailant.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted:
I am sorry to know about the attack on Deep Rai a US national of Indian origin. I have spoken to Sardar Harpal Singh father of the victim.He told me that his son had a bullet injury on his arm. He is out of danger and is recoveringin a private hospital.
Last month, a 32-year old Indian engineer, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, was shot dead in a bar in Kansas. The alleged assailant — allegedly by a 51-year old US Navy veteran Adam Purinton — had opened fire at him and his friend Alok Madasani, yelling “get out of my country”.

Source:ndtv.com