Elderly Sikh man assaulted in Calgary

[Guest mehtab]

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/CalgarySun/N.../13/418692.html

Family calls attack racist

Teens throw slurpee at elderly man

By BILL LAYE, CALGARY SUN

The family of a retired Indian army officer say they're disgusted at the way he was accosted by three young thugs while on his evening walk. "They insulted him, they insulted his turban and they insulted our religion," Kamaljit Kaur said last night after her frail 78-year-old father Harsat Benipal was assaulted near the intersection of Faldale Cl. and 68 St. at about 6 p.m.

Harsat said he was walking past the Mac's store at 68 St. and Coral Springs Blvd. when the three started following him.

They trailed him nearly five blocks, insulting him, spitting at him and finally throwing their slurpees at him before they took off.

He said he did what he could to ignore them but was shaken by the incident.

"I am feeling very bad ... it really hurt," said Harsat, who rose to the rank of captain during his 28-year army career.

His daughter added this isn't the first time something like this has happened to him.

Last year some heartless hooligans actually pulled her father's turban off.

"People say there's no discrimination in Canada, but he feels there is," Kaur, 43, a local singer, said after the family had filled out a police report.

"They don't understand our culture and they don't respect elders ... Canada is a multicultural country, so we need to learn to respect each ot

her's religions."

The family has lived in Canada for 14 years, four of them in northeast Calgary.

Harsat's son-in-law Prabh Kalkat, 28, who works as a truck driver and also wears a turban in accordance with the Sikh faith, says he's never had a problem with slurs but he knows others have.

"I heard stories from others but it's never happened to me," he said.

Area residents say they're shocked something like this has happened in Calgary at all and they're disgusted, too.

"It's horrific -- things like this should not be happening," said Julie Winter, 46, who was out walking on the same trail along 68 St. with her daughter Jaime, 20, last night.

"Calgary is filled with so many races and cultures and that just really surprises me ... If I came across something like that I would have said something to those kids."

Another area resident, Sneh Padarat, 38, who's originally from Fiji, says her 17 years in Canada have been ones of acceptance.

"So that's shocking this happened," she said.

As of last night police in Dist. 5 were investigating the attack and likely will be referring the matter to the Calgary police's multicultural unit.

[Ryu Hayabusa]

I know the exact place where this happened. Loads of sikhs in that area...

[DhadiMania]

[Vaneet Singh]

Oh man, thats disgusting.... :umm: @

Really sad, never knew even Canada has discrimination.