A Sikh student at San Jose State University was allegedly assaulted in a late-night incident that has raised concerns about religious targeting on campus, with attackers reportedly mistaking him for Hindu and forcibly removing his turban. The university has launched an investigation into the attack as a possible hate crime, prompting alarm among students and local communities who fear rising bias against visible religious identities.
The assault occurred near MacQuarrie Hall at approximately 12:45 a.m. on February 7, according to a report by Australia Today. Campus police stated that a group of five individuals, believed to be non-students, confronted and assaulted the victim. Investigators are currently reviewing surveillance footage from the area and interviewing witnesses, though no arrests have been announced.
Hasmeet Kaur, president of the university’s Sikh Collegiate Federation, provided harrowing details of the attack. She described how the attackers forced the student to the ground and removed his dastaar, the traditional Sikh turban. Kaur said she had viewed mobile phone footage of the incident recorded by another student, though the video has not been released to the public.
During the assault, the attackers repeatedly referred to the victim as Hindu, misidentifying his Sikh faith, according to Kaur. This error was inadvertently echoed in an initial campus-wide communication from the university, further compounding the distress felt by the Sikh community.
In a subsequent statement, Kathryn Kaoudis, the university’s Vice President for Administration and Finance, acknowledged the misidentification. She stated that the institution “misidentified the student as Hindu instead of Sikh” and accepted responsibility for the harm caused by the error.
Student leaders have emphasized that the victim was targeted due to his visible religious identity, highlighting broader concerns about safety for minority faith groups on campus. The incident has sparked widespread alarm, with calls for swift justice and enhanced security measures to prevent similar attacks.
