May 25, 2007 11:03 pm US/Eastern
Queens Teen Cuts Sikh Student's Hair
by Tanya Rivero
QUEENS (CBS) ―
A 15-year-old Sikh student was held down in a Queens High School bathroom and had his turban ripped off by another student on Thursday afternoon. Vacher Harpal's hair, which had never been cut in his life, as is mandated by his religion, was brutally sheared off.
This incident has stunned the Sikh community, and is being called a hate crime by police.
"The defendant is not accused of some schoolhouse prank, but an attack on the fundamental beliefs of his victim's religion and his freedom to worship freely," said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
"When you loose your hair, for many Sikhs, it's like dying," said Amardeep Singh of the Sikh Coalition. "It is the most grievous injury that a Sikh can ever have. You can't hurt someone more, than to cut their hair, so it is really worse than death."
Authorities say a fellow student, 17-year-old Umair Ahmed, has been arrested and charged with hate crimes. Ahmed is of Pakistani descent.
The attack happened at Newtown High School. According to police, Ahmed and the younger Sikh student got into an argument. When Harpal tried to apologize, police say Ahmed told him he would only accept a haircut as an apology.
That's when Ahmed allegedly forced the teen into the bathroom.
"With two other people acting as lookout, he cut the hair of the Sikh youth," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
"The kids knew where to harm him, when they took the sisters and they cut his hair, it was a deliberate act," said Swaranjit Singh, President of the World Peace Foundation. "They could have cut his shirt. But I think prosecutors should take it to the maximum limit."
But the suspect's sister Nida Ahmed jumped in to defend her brother. She claims Harpal was embarrassed to be wearing a turban. "That's the only reason he asked my brother to do it, they were good friends for the past six months."
Ahmed was arraigned Friday on charges of unlawful imprisonment, menacing, aggravated harassment and criminal possession of a weapon. If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison. His bail was set at $7,500.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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