The authorities have been filed hate crime charges against a group of men who brutally attacked a 41-year-old Sikh-American man, knocking off his turban and cutting his unshorn hair with a knife.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office filed hate crime charges against Maan Singh Khalsa, a father and IT specialist in California.

Mr. Khalsa said that, the charges against the men who attacked him are the first step to addressing violence and bigotry, which plague communities across the United States.

Mr. Khalsa said in a statement issued by The Sikh Coalition, that, “The assailants violently targeted my Sikh faith. I am thankful to the Richmond Police Department and Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark Peterson for ensuring that my attackers were charged with hate crimes.”

Sikh Coalition Legal Director, Harsimran Kaur, said that, “These hate crime charges ensure that the bias-based nature of the assault on Mr. Khalsa will be addressed during the prosecution.”

“The purpose of prosecuting bias-motivated assaults as hate crimes is not to impose harsher penalties. Instead, the purpose is to mitigate hatred in our society and ensure that we are all free to safely pursue the American dream regardless of our race, ethnicity, or religion,” she said.

Also Read: Sikh-American techie brutally assaulted in alleged hate crime in US!

Nandini