A Sikh high school student was attacked in Kelowna on Monday afternoon, and a Sikh organization is calling for an investigation.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSOC) says the Grade 11 student was attacked while riding a BC Transit bus from Rutland Secondary School, around 3:45 p.m.
“Two individuals approached the student and first barred his entry onto the bus and then, once allowing him to board, began to threaten him with a lighter and (began to) photograph and record him from a close distance with their phones,” the WSOC said in a press release.
“When the Sikh student turned away, the attackers’ phone fell from their hands and they began to kick and punch the Sikh student in front of the bus driver. The bus driver did not intervene, and, in fact, ordered the Sikh student and his attackers off the bus at the Rutland and Robson stop.”
The WSOC said after getting kicked off the bus, the two continued to attack the student, including pepper spraying him, until bystanders intervened.
The student wasn’t named, but the WSOC said it was the second attack on a Sikh student this year in Kelowna, with the first occurring in March.
Global News contacted Kelowna RCMP, which confirmed that an active investigation is underway.
The WSOC said the student is a recent newcomer to Canada and did not understand why he was attacked or the slurs and insults that were shouted at him during the incident.
“Monday’s attack on a Sikh high school student in Kelowna is shocking and unacceptable,” said Guntaas Kaur, WSOC vice-president for B.C.
“What is incredibly disappointing is that the BC Transit bus driver did not intervene and in fact removed both the attackers and the victim from the bus, leaving the Sikh student to fend for himself.”
Along with asking police to investigate, the WSOC is also calling on BC Transit to investigate why the driver did nothing to stop the attack and why the victim was kicked off the bus with the attackers.
“The Sikh high school student is recovering from his injuries and from the pepper spray, but cannot understand why he was assaulted,” said Kaur.
“He is afraid to return to school for fear of being attacked again.”
RCMP say the incident happened just before 4 p.m., and that officers determined that a 17-year-old Sikh student was either bear-sprayed or pepper-sprayed by another teenage male after exiting a public transit bus.
“Just prior to the bear-spray incident, there was an altercation on the bus resulting in those involved being directed off of the bus,” said Kelowna RCMP.
“After exiting the bus, a second incident occurred where the suspect male deployed bear spray on the victim. Bystanders called the police who attended and are actively investigating this incident.”
Police say several witness statements have been obtained and the suspect in this incident has already been identified.
They added that investigators are still collecting video evidence and are “taking steps to determine the motivation of this crime.”
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