Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top US lawmakers pay tribute to Balbir Singh Sodhi

Top US lawmakers pay tribute to Balbir Singh Sodhi

TOP US lawmakers have paid rich tributes to Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh American, who was the first victim of hate crime following the 9/11 terror attacks.

Four days after 9/11, Balbir was killed outside the Arizona gas station he owned. He was the first person in the US to be killed in a supposed act of retaliation for the attacks in 2001.


“Today marks 20 Years Since Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man, was killed in a hate crime in retribution for the 9/11 attacks. We honour his memory and the memories of all those lost to hate in the two decades since,” Senator Robert Menendez said in a tweet.

“Twenty years ago, Sikh American Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered in the first post 9/11 hate crime. He was shot to death while planting flowers outside his gas station in Mesa, Arizona, by a man who said he wanted to “go out and shoot some towel-heads,” said Senator Dick Durbin.

Congresswomen Lois Frankel said days after 9/11, Balbir, a Sikh man, was killed in ‘retribution’ for the attacks.

“Today, we honour Balbir's memory--and celebrate 20 years of solidarity and advocacy among the communities that continue to persevere against hate and discrimination,” she said.

Sodhi moved to the US in the late 1980s with a number of his brothers, who left Punjab after a series of anti-Sikh programmes following the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

The gas station, opened only a year before his death, became a symbol of the family’s toil. Balbir built the business himself with money he had saved since arriving in the US.

Senator Sherrod Brown said 20 years ago today, Balbir, a Sikh American, was murdered for his appearance.

“His death marked the first deadly post-9/11 hate crime. Today and every day, let’s stand united with our Sikh community in Ohio and reject hate and discrimination,” he tweeted.

“Days after 9/11, Sikh American Balbir Singh Sodhi was killed in the apparent first ‘retribution’ hate crime following the attacks. Today, we honour his memory & remain united in our efforts to fend off all forms of hate & discrimination,” tweeted Senator Richard Blumenthal.

“Balbir Singh Sodhi, a turbaned Sikh man, was killed in a hate crime in retribution for the 9/11 attacks 20 years ago today. I stand in solidarity with New Jersey's Sikh community as we honor his memory & the memories of all those lost to hate in the two decades since,” said Congressman Donald Norcross.

Sodhi's killer Frank Roque is serving life in prison.

In a recent statement, his brother Rana Singh Sodhi said: “We all humans are equal - colour, creed and gender. To honour my brother, if you love your neighbours, if you respect people with different colour, creed and gender, it will be a big honour to my brother”.

More For You

JLR-Tata-Getty

JLR had initially planned to manufacture more than 70,000 electric vehicles at the facility. (Photo: Getty Images)

JLR halts plan to build EVs at Tata’s India plant: Report

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has put on hold plans to manufacture electric vehicles at Tata Motors’ upcoming £775 million factory in southern India, according to a news report.

The decision was influenced by challenges in balancing price and quality for locally sourced EV components, three of the sources said. They added that slowing demand for electric vehicles was also a factor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

Sarju Khushal

Leicester drug supplier Sarju Khushal jailed for 11 years over £2m operation

A MAN who supplied controlled drugs on a ‘wholesale’ scale across Leicestershire has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Sarju Khushal, 30, was arrested in 2022 after investigations revealed he had been transporting drugs from Lancashire into the area.

Khushal, formerly of Hazeldene Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to several charges, including the supply and conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He was sentenced at Leicester crown court last Thursday (6).

Keep ReadingShow less
Tamil Nadu Education

Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people

Getty images

Education or imposition? Tamil Nadu battles India government over Hindi in schools

A war of words has erupted between Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin and the federal government over the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends a three-language formula in schools, with two of the three being native to India. Stalin has voiced strong objections, claiming that the policy could lead to the imposition of Hindi, a northern Indian language, in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu. The issue has reignited old tensions between southern states and the central government over the privileging of Hindi.

Historical resistance to Hindi

Tamil Nadu has a deep-rooted history of opposing the promotion of Hindi, dating back to the 1960s. Protests broke out in the state when the federal government attempted to make Hindi the sole official language, leading to a compromise that allowed the continued use of English. Language in Tamil Nadu is not merely a means of communication but a powerful symbol of cultural identity. Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world, is a source of pride for the state’s people. As a result, any perceived threat to its prominence is met with strong resistance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Former Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire enters House of Lords as Baroness

Thangam Debbonaire

Former Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire enters House of Lords as Baroness

FORMER Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire has taken her seat in the House of Lords after being awarded a life peerage last month.

The 58-year-old, who represented Bristol West for Labour from 2015 until July’s general election, wore the traditional scarlet robes during her introductory ceremony. She will now be known as Baroness Debbonaire of De Beauvoir Town in the London Borough of Hackney.

Keep ReadingShow less