What was supposed to be a quick trip to the grocery store Tuesday evening ended in the brutal attack of Sikh American Inderjit Singh Mukker, 53, in Darien, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago.
“We believe Mr. Mukker was targeted and assaulted because of his Sikh religious appearance, race or national origin,” said Harsimran Kaur, Legal Director for the Sikh Coalition and spokesperson for the Mukker family. Sikhs wear a turban and beard as articles of their faith and to show their commitment to justice, equality, and the rights of all.
Kaur told NBC News that Mukker, a U.S. citizen and father of two, was in one of two left-turn lanes when the driver of the car next to him started yelling obscenities and racial slurs, including “bin Laden,” “Terrorist,” “Go back to your country,” and “Why are you driving that small Prius, I’ve got a big SUV.”
After the light changed, the other driver continued to drive aggressively. Finally, Mukker pulled over to let the other car pass, but instead, the other driver stopped in front of him, came out, and began repeatedly punching Mukker in the face through the open car window until Mukker lost consciousness for 10 or 15 minutes.
Hate crime against a Sikh man in Chicago.
Hospitalized. Fractured. Stitched.
Dream shattered
http://t.co/kCRHdn1vPR pic.twitter.com/47vPS0uc0S
— Simran Jeet Singh (@SimranColumbia) September 9, 2015
Passers-by called police and paramedics, and Mukker was rushed to Hinsdale Hospital, where he was treated for a fractured cheekbone, a laceration to his cheek which required six stitches, a black eye, bruising, and swelling. He was released that night.
According to NBC Chicago, Darien Police Chief Ernest Brown confirmed that the police department was considering the attack a hate crime, that a suspect had been identified, although no charges had yet been filed, and that the suspect was in the hospital for unknown reasons.
Paul Darrah, DuPage County State Attorney’s Office spokesperson, confirmed that no charges have yet been filed, “There is still more investigating left to do.”









