Hindus of USA were left angry after an alleged White Supremacist attacked a Hindu priest named Devendra Shukla in Ramsey, NJ on April 3, 2019, at about 7:24 pm.
The assault took place when Shukla was in the parking lot of Interstate Shopping center. Police were called and the Hindu Priest was taken to a hospital where he was treated and later released.
A report by WNYC.ORG says that as per a report filed with Ramsey Police Department the attacker approached Shukla’s car and punched him in the face leaving Shukla with a deep cut on his lip with blood oozing out of it. He also reportedly called the Hindu Priest a ‘Dirty Indian.’
What made the incident even more troublesome is that Pandit Shula’s 6-year old saw the attack on her father and has been left traumatized.
The police identified the attacker as one Nicholas Dow, 30, White male, who lives next to the Hindu Samaj Mandir of Mahwah.
Dow admits that he had a verbal duel with the Pandit but denies assaulting him.
According to the police report, accessed by WYNC, Dow was charged with a simple assault and burglary, and transported to Bergen County jail.
However, when WYNC spoke to a temple trustee named Dinesh Khosla he told the reporter that the Bergen County prosecutor’s office saw the incident as a matter of road rage and hence, was prepared to offer Dow a plea deal, resulting in probation.
Hindu community feel that this is the betrayal of justice and is just a slap on the wrist. The Hindu community has launched a petition demanding criminal trial with maximum punishment.
There have been several Hinduphobic and racist incidents in the past as well but by and large, they escape the media glare due to lack of adequate media coverage.
American Hindu community was recently left in shock after a Hindu Temple of Louisville, Kentucky, was vandalized by radicals with hate-filled slogans and sayings like ‘Jesus is the only Lord.’
