Elderly Sikh Man Attacked On Walk To Queens Temple: NYPD, Reports

QUEENS, NY — A 70-year-old man suffered a bloody attack on his way to Richmond Hills' Sikh Cultural Society early Sunday morning, according to police and reports.

Nirmal Singh, 70, was knocked to the ground by a punch to the face about 7 a.m. near Lefferts Boulevard and 95th Avenue, according to police and the organization United Sikhs.

"Singh was punched from behind," United Sikhs tweeted, alongside photos that show Singh's turban, beard and shirt stained in blood. "Singh’s experience is another example of how innocents are target of hatred."

No arrests had been made as of Monday, police said.

Singh, who has been visiting New York for the past two weeks from Canada, told CBS New York with the help of a translator that it was an unprompted attack.

His son Manjeet Singh told Washington Post reporter Sabrina Malhi he believes the attack not a racially-motivated crime, but one of convenience, and that the 70-year-old doesn't appear to have suffered significant physical injuries.

Police did not respond to Patch's request for more information about whether the Hate Crime Task Force would investigate but confirmed no words were exchanged during attack, which often means they will not pursue a hate crime investigation.

Advocates, however, called the attack a hate crime, pointing to a history of violence against Sikh people in New York City, especially those who wear turbans.

"People come at us a certain way because of the way we look," community activist Japneet Sign told ABC News.

Harpreet Singh Toor, the Sikh Cultural Society public policy chairman, and Gurdev Singh Kang, city Human Rights Commissioner, echoed this sentiment, describing the attack as a hate crime and calling on the mayor and NYPD to investigate it as such.

"We see attacks on minorities every day," Toor told CBS New York, alluding to a citywide spike in hate crimes this year. "It's got to stop."

State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., whose district encompasses neighborhoods adjacent to South Richmond Hill, called the attack cowardly, and also urged the city to investigate it as a hate crime.

"After any attack on a person of a specific race or religion, we must look into it as a possible hate crime," Addabbo said in a statement Monday.

"Nirmal Singh did nothing to provoke this heinous assault."