Sikh Coalition Calls for Full, Transparent Investigation into Death of Jasmer Singh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@sikhcoalition.org 

Sikh Coalition Calls for Full, Transparent Investigation into Death of Jasmer Singh

October 25, 2023 (Queens, NY) — Today, the Sikh Coalition joined members of the Queens Sikh community in calling on the New York Police Department (NYPD) to fully investigate bias as a potential motivating factor in the deadly assault of Mr. Jasmer Singh and publicly disclose their findings.

The letter reads in part:

“Given aspects of Mr. Singh’s visible identity as a Sikh man of South Asian descent and the severity of his injuries (which ultimately led to his passing), we believe it is critical for the NYPD to consider several questions … [W]e respectfully request that all potential factors, including bias, be considered throughout the investigation into Mr. Singh’s death. We also respectfully request that the results of that investigation be shared in a clear and timely manner with the Sikh community and general public. As a Sikh civil rights organization, we have seen time and time again the relationship between local communities and law enforcement damaged due to a lack of transparency around possibly hate-motivated crimes and other incidents.”

View the full letter on the Sikh Coalition’s website.

As a reminder, 66-year-old Jasmer Singh passed away on October 21 after injuries from an assault on October 19. According to reports, confrontation between Mr. Singh and his attacker began with a car accident; when Mr. Singh attempted to call the police to mediate the situation, his attacker became extremely hostile and seized Mr. Singh’s phone. When Mr. Singh retrieved his phone and began to contact the authorities, he was struck repeatedly and knocked to the ground, sustaining injuries that would ultimately lead to his passing.

Please note that the Sikh Coalition has not been retained to represent the family of Jasmer Singh. Nonetheless, we are speaking out because transparency and accountability between law enforcement and communities are essential in cases like these. We look forward to providing updates on this case as they continue to emerge.

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The Sikh Coalition is the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States. For more information about work to prevent and counter violent hate—from previous pro bono representation of Sikhs who experienced hate in New York to the FBI’s latest data around anti-Sikh hate crimes—please contact media@sikhcoalition.org.