Los Angeles: A Sikh man identified as 35-year-old Gurpreet Singh was fatally shot by Los Angeles police while performing gatka, a traditional Sikh martial art, in the middle of a busy road. The incident occurred in July near the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, but the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) only made the footage public recently.
Police claimed Singh was armed with a machete and posed a threat when he refused to obey instructions and allegedly advanced toward officers. However, members of the Sikh community argue that what police described as a machete was, in fact, a khanda โ a ceremonial double-edged sword commonly used in gatka demonstrations and religious processions.
The release of the video has sparked criticism and alarm among rights groups and Sikh organizations worldwide, who see the shooting as a tragic case of cultural ignorance and excessive use of force. Community leaders have called for a thorough investigation and greater sensitivity from law enforcement when dealing with cultural practices unfamiliar to mainstream American society.
