Elderly Sikh beaten by golf club in US; in coma
What's the story
A 70-year-old Sikh man, Harpal Singh, is in a medically induced coma after being brutally attacked with a golf club in North Hollywood, United States. The incident took place on August 4 at around 3:20pm near Lankershim Boulevard and Saticoy Street, per US media. Surveillance footage led to the arrest of Bo Richard Vitagliano (44), who is now charged with assault with a deadly weapon and held on $1.2 million bail.
Ongoing recovery
Singh is still in critical condition
Singh is still in critical condition and has undergone three surgeries for severe injuries, including broken facial bones and brain hemorrhaging. He is currently unresponsive and has internal bleeding in the brain. The attack was captured on video, showing a disoriented Singh sitting on the sidewalk covered in blood with the golf club lying at his feet.
Community response
My brother is a good human being, says Dr Randhawa
Dr. Gurdial Singh Randhawa, Harpal's brother, led a prayer meeting in the local Sikh community after the attack. He said he was shocked that his brother survived such a brutal assault. Witnesses reported seeing a well-built man on a bicycle approach and attack Singh for no apparent reason. Despite this, teh Los Angeles police department said it was not investigating the attack as a hate crime.
Security demands
Monica Rodriguez and Munmeeth Kaur speak on incident
On Monday, Sikhs in North Hollywood held a rally to ask for stronger police protection. Monica Rodriguez, District 7 LA City Councilmember, said, "An assault on any one member of our community is an assault on all of us." Munmeeth Kaur from the Sikh Coalition also demanded more security in the area. She said that fear has spread in their community due to this incident and demanded increased security so they could move about freely without fear.