A New Jersey woman has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that the carrier failed to prevent or stop a sexual assault she experienced at the hands of a stranger seated next to her on a flight. According to the Independent, the incident occurred on August 26, 2022, during a nighttime flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Newark Liberty International Airport. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that American Airlines bears responsibility for not ensuring her safety and well-being on board.

According to the lawsuit, shortly after takeoff, the woman fell asleep, only to awaken to a horrific discovery. She found the stranger’s arm inside her pants and his hand forcing hers onto his p***s. The man had covered them both with his black puffer jacket, “digitally penetrating” her while she slept. The woman was left paralysed in shock and panic upon waking.

The stranger then climbed on top of her, ”attempting to penetrate her with his p***s, which he was partially able to do,” according to the lawsuit. The woman mustered the strength to push him away, and he promptly returned to his seat, ending the assault.

Later, the attacker attempted to downplay the assault by offering the victim water while forcibly holding her hand, only stopping when he noticed a flight attendant approaching. The victim then woke her friend and reported the incident to a flight attendant, who relocated her to a different seat for the remainder of the flight.

Upon landing, the perpetrator was escorted off the plane, and authorities collected statements from the victim and witnesses. But it is ”unknown whether the Perpetrator was taken into custody and/or ever charged with the sexual assault of Plaintiff,” the lawsuit claimed.

”As alleged in the complaint, we look forward to seeking justice on behalf of our client to remedy this terrible injustice for all that she has suffered,” the woman’s attorney, Brian Andris, told The Independent.

In an email, an American Airlines spokesperson said, “We are reviewing the lawsuit and the details of the flight. The safety and comfort of our customers is a top priority for Americans.”

The lawsuit alleged that the airline industry has been aware of the alarming increase in in-flight sexual assaults, with the FBI reporting 96 related cases in the previous year alone. The suit further emphasised that the victim bore no responsibility for the assault and that American Airlines had a clear duty to ensure her safety during the flight. 

”American Airlines breached its duty of care by failing to properly monitor the cabin, failing to prevent the sexual assault, and failing to promptly intervene when the assault occurred,” the lawsuit claims.

Calling the recent crimes against Sikhs in New York and other parts of the U.S. “reprehensible” acts of hate and violence, the mayor of Hoboken city in the U.S. State of New Jersey expressed concern over the rising hate crimes against the minority community in the country.

Mayor Ravi. S. Bhalla’s October 22nd statement came days after he opened up about being the target of a series of letters that threatened to kill him and his family.

The letters that he received last year first called on Mr. Bhalla to resign but then began threatening his and his family’s life, targeting him for his Sikh faith, CBS News reported.

“I am disturbed and saddened by the recent hate crimes that have shaken the Sikh community in Richmond Hill, New York, where one Sikh man was assaulted and an attempt was made to forcibly remove his turban, and another senior Sikh individual was subjected to a violent assault and died of his injuries,” Mr. Bhalla said in the statement.

A 19-year-old Sikh boy was assaulted and injured in New York on October 18 for wearing a turban while travelling in a shuttle bus. A 26-year-old man was later arrested and charged with a hate crime for the attack.

“These reprehensible acts of hate and violence strike at the heart of our shared American values of unity, diversity, and acceptance,” said Mr. Bhalla, the only Sikh American Mayor in the U.S.

“In these moments, it is important that we come together to reaffirm our shared commitment to fostering a climate of understanding and compassion for our friends and neighbours everywhere,” he said.

“As a public official and Hoboken’s Mayor, I pledge to speak out and take action against any form of hatred, intolerance, or discrimination and to remember that diversity is our strength,” said Mr. Bhalla.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas against Israel, there has been a sudden spurt in hate crimes against the Sikh community in the U.S.

“I had seen the 9/11 time when we were at the forefront of hate crime because of our appearance. People co-relate us with the radical Islamic people,” said Gurinder Singh Khalsa, founder and chairman of the Sikhs Political Action Committee.

“We request all the Sikh community to be alert and immediately alert law enforcement agencies in the case of an untoward incident,” said Mr. Khalsa, who had launched a nationwide campaign that forced the federal government to bar law enforcement agencies from screening or touching pagris (turban) of Sikhs entering the security screening at airports.

“The recent surge in hate crime attacks against the Sikhs in the U.S. is unfortunate. It’s an alarming situation. We urge the Biden Administration and all the State Governments to take steps to prevent any such hate crimes and immediately bring to book those responsible for it,” said Jassee Singh, chairman of the ‘Sikhs of America’ organisation.

Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its annual report of hate crimes statistics, reflecting information about hate crimes for 2022. It said anti-Sikh hate crime victimisations were recorded as the highest number ever at 198, and Sikhs remain the second-most targeted group in the nation for religiously-motivated hate crime incidents.

New Delhi:

The United States is set to get its largest temple next month. The BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, located 90 m south of Times Square in New Jersey, will be formally inaugurated on October 8.

The 183-acre temple took nearly 12 years to be built and its construction involved over 12,500 volunteers from across the US.

Located in New Jersey’s Robbinsville Township, the temple is possibly the second largest after Angkor Wat in Cambodia, a UNESCO World Heritage site spanning across 500 acres.

The Akshardham temple in Delhi is spread over 100 acres.

The Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in US has been designed as per the ancient Indian culture. There are over 10,000 statues and carvings of Indian musical instruments and dance forms at the temple.

Besides a main shrine, the temple has 12 sub-shrines, nine shikhars (spire-like structures), and nine pyramidal shikhars. It also has the largest elliptical dome of traditional stone architecture.

Nearly two million cubic feet of stone, including limestone, granite, pink sandstone and marble, was used for its construction. They were sourced from different parts of the world, including India, Turkey, Greece, Italy and China.

At the temple, a traditional Indian stepwell called the ‘Brahma Kund’ has the water from over 300 waters bodies across the world.

The temple will open for visitors from October 18.