Sushma Swaraj asks envoy in US to raise Sikh man's murder

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna in the wake of reports of killing of a Sikh man in a suspected hate crime. Her response came after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh brought the incident to her notice on Twitter.

The Punjab Chief Minister on Sunday afternoon tweeted: @SushmaSwaraj Another Sikh youth killed in suspected hate crime in US, seek your help to protect Sikhs living abroad (sic).

The External Affairs Minister responded on Twitter: I have spoken to our Ambassador Mr.Navtej S.Sarna @IndianEmbassyUS. We are committed to help and protect all Indian citizens abroad (sic).

As per reports, a 32-year-old Sikh man, Jagjeet Singh, a resident of Nadala village in Punjab, was stabbed to death outside a grocery store in California on Friday.

Singh urged the Centre to take up such issues in the "right earnest". He said growing "intolerance" against Indians, which frequently got translated into racist attacks, especially against the Sikh community, needed to be nipped.

"The US alone has witnessed several such attacks on Sikhs, who have been at the receiving end of the growing bigotry in the country, he pointed out.

The family of Jagjeet also had alleged that his murder was a hate crime as Jagjeet had refused to give a US national a pack of cigarette as the American didn't produce the mandated identity card for making the purchase.