Vaneet Singh, a Sikh Taxi Driver from Reading, has informed the Police that he was attacked by four white men on Sunday after he picked them up from a Grosvenor Casino in Berkshire. He has said that attempts were made to forcibly remove his Turban and he was asked whether he is a member of Islamic terrorist outfit Taliban.
One of them who wished to be dropped nearby attempted to force him into consuming some intoxicating substance, Vaneet Singh said. “After he got out, he came up to my window holding a black box of substance which I think was cannabis. He asked me to try it and I said it was against my religion and then he lifted up my face mask and forced it up to my nose. It left me feeling intoxicated,” he said.
One of the others asked him to stop the car so that he could urinate. “He got out and asked to drive the car and I refused. Then he started trying to pull my taxi plate off. I tried to call the police but the network was very poor. Back in the car, they slid their fingers inside my turban and tried to pull it off,” the taxi driver stated.
Vaneet Singh added, “They also kicked and punched me in the back through the seat and kept tightening my safety belt. They said, ‘Are you Taliban?’ I said, ‘No, I’m a Sikh’, and told them it was a religious symbol and asked them not to touch my turban.” After the got off, they kicked the car, leaving a dent on it.
Singh works as a taxi driver part-time to support his family. He is also a tabla player who offers lessons on playing the instrument. The night the attack occurred was his first day back at work. “I have neck pain and chest pain now and my body keeps vibrating. This was 100 per cent a racist attack. I am usually a friendly guy, always laughing but this has made me scared,” he said.
The Police are current investigating the matter. No arrests have yet been made.
