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Analiza Pathak
Born in Guwahati, raised in Mussoorie and Delhi, She grew up reading magazines more than textbooks. She is an experienced writer/editor and has shifted focus to various aspects of communication. Her a ... Read More
A 29-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh was shot dead outside a gurdwara in the Selma region in the US state of Alabama. The incident, which occurred on the night of February 24, is being investigated as a suspected hate crime, according to a report by The Times of India. Raj Singh, a native of Tanda Sahuwala village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, had been working as a musician (ragi) with a Sikh kirtan group in the US for the past one-and-a-half years. He was a dedicated member of the community and had formed strong bonds with fellow musicians and worshippers.
On the fateful evening of February 24, Singh was standing outside the gurdwara when a group of unidentified assailants approached him and fatally shot him in the abdomen. The news of his untimely death came as a devastating blow to his family and friends, who were left grappling with the senseless act of violence.
“We were informed about the incident by some relatives. It has been five days, and his post-mortem is yet to be done. We have reached out to the gurdwara committee for more information, and they are helping us,” Gurdeep Singh, the deceased’s brother-in-law, told TOI.
The motive behind Raj Singh’s murder is yet to be ascertained. However, his family suspects it to be a case of hate crime.
Raj Singh was the sole provider for his family after his father passed away five years ago. He is survived by his mother, two sisters, and a younger brother. As per reports, his family has also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting the Indian government to bring back his body to India for cremation.
This is the second murder of an Indian-origin person in the US state in the month of February. Earlier last month, Pravin Raojibhai Patel, 76, an American hotelier of Indian origin was shot dead after a confrontation with a man asking for a room in his motel in Sheffield, Alabama.
A Kerala student, Neil Kumar, was shot dead at point-blank range in Alabama as assailants tried to rob him.
