Sikhs concerned over Fairfax student's suspicious death

NEW YORK: The suspicious death of a Sikh college student after a confrontation in a moving car, which had four other passengers, has raised concerns and even alarm in the community.

Simran Singh, a resident of Fairfax and a student at George Mason University, was cremated Thursday, five days after his death. The 21-year-old was riding with four others Saturday night when he "reportedly became violent while the vehicle was in motion", police said in a statement.

"The other occupants responded to Singh's behaviour by restraining him. After a short period of time, they noticed Singh was not responsive."

They called the emergency number 911 but Singh was pronounced dead by hospital authorities.

Though police detectives called the death suspicious, they said they didn't know the cause or how he died and were awaiting the medical examiner's report, Washington Post reported.

His relatives were furious with the authorities for not allowing them to see the body in hospital.

"The mother was begging," said Anita Arora, a family friend, adding that the parents had hoped it was a case of mistaken identity.

Singh's family has approached the Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF) for necessary help.

"It's a small, tight-knit community. People want to know what's going on. They are very concerned," said Rajbir Singh Datta, SALDEF's spokesperson, who has received dozens of calls from Sikhs who knew the family and were alarmed by the circumstances of the death.