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Indian American Forum For Political Education
Condemns Assault on Indian Graduate Student at UMass Darmouth
Incident treated as hate crime; IAFPE deplores
the growing violence against people of South Asian descent
LEXINGTON, Mass. (June 27, 2003)—The Indian American Forum
for Political Education (IAFPE) today strongly condemned the incident
that recently occurred in New Bedford in which an Indian graduate
student, Saurabh Bhalerao, who was delivering pizza to a group of
four men, was first robbed and then beaten and stabbed, called an
“Iraqi,” was stuffed in a trunk of a car and driven
and dropped off in Fairhaven.
The incident has been reported in the press. One report in the
South Coast Today stated, "They mistook him (victim) for being
Islamic and the savagery that occurred after that seemed to be initiated
from their belief that he was a Muslim," Chief Souza said.
Even after Mr. Bhalerao was lying on the floor, at least four attackers
continued to kick and beat him…. At one point, one suspect
hit him with a kitchen chair, Mr. Marsh told police.
The perpetrators also burned Mr. Bhalerao's body with lit cigarettes,
police said.” The New Belford police is treating the incident
as a hate crime.
Professor Jhaveri, Prof. Sengupta and students of UMass Dartmouth
have visited the victim, who is in an intensive care unit of a RI
hospital where he has undergone multiple surgeries and can hardly
talk. “Doctors have informed us that he will have to be there
for several weeks. We come from Gandhi’s India, and are definitely
against any kind of violence of this sort,” said Prof. Jhaveri.
Dr. Bal Ram Singh, a professor at UMass Darmouth, whose laboratory
Bhalerao had worked in, for two years, said, “I find this
incident extremely distressful, particularly to over one hundred
Indian students on this campus. Many area community and University
community members have contacted us to express their outrage over
this brutal incident. We are extremely saddened by such heinous
crime against a totally innocent man. It is a shame that such a
thing had to occur in a community, which is largely made of immigrants,
mostly from Portugal.”
This is a serious matter and we want the authorities to know that
the Indian community is very worried and is watching the response
with great concern. Only in December of last year another case had
occurred in Lowell MA, where three UMass Lowell graduate students
from India were assaulted while walking to campus.
The IAFPE condemns the increasing incidents of violent assaults,
harassment and threats against people of South Asian and Middle
Eastern descent that have occurred in the United States since the
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The leaders of IAFPE have
expressed strong condemnation of this hate related incident against
innocent Indian students.
"The repercussions of these attacks go well beyond the individual
victim or incidents to all members of the victim's community. Incidents
such as the one in Lowell and now in New Bedford undermine the very
ideals of tolerance, religious freedom, diversity and equality that
America stands for. We are very concerned about our security and
are uncertain about our safety. We would like to see the assailants
brought to justice and apply the full force of law including charges
of civil rights violation of the victims", said Dr. Vanita
Shastri, President of IAFPE, Massachusetts Chapter.
"We are shocked to hear about this event and would like to
note that the Indian community feels insecure about its safety and
civic liberties in these times of uncertainty,” said Dr. Ravi
Sakhuja, a board member of IAFPE.
"Indeed this is a gruesome and brutal manifestation of unjustified
hatred and ignorance. We call on law enforcement officials to provide
enhanced protection for targeted individuals and groups, and their
homes, places of business, and houses of worship; to vigorously
investigate any reports of criminal behavior against them; and to
hold accountable those found responsible,” said Shastri
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