TL;DR – Man hurled vulgarities and racial slurs at 55yo Indian Singaporean, and then gave her a “flying kick”.
When I saw a friend send me this Instagram story (IGS) on Saturday, I had to read it twice. And then a third time.
I could not believe that something like this happened in Singapore.
This lady Parrvyy shared on her Instagram Stories that her mother was attacked during one of her daily brisk walks last Friday morning.
Parrvyy’s mother had her mask on her chin, and one guy went up to her and started harassing her to pull her mask up. Her mother then explained that she’s exercising, but no, he didn’t care. He proceeded to hurl vulgarities and racial slurs at her. She did not want to engage and said, “God bless you” and tried to walk away.
The guy then kicked her in the chest.
YES. THE GUY KICKED HER IN THE CHEST! insert all the unprintables please!
More details have emerged in this Straits Times article, and here are the 7 things you need to know:
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- The victim is 55-year-old private tutor Hindocha Nita Vishnubhai, who is an Indian Singaporean. She is about 1.6m tall and weighs about 60kg.
- The alleged assault happened when she was walking from Choa Chu Kang MRT station towards the stadium at about 8.30am on Friday.
- The alleged assailant was said to be a man in his late 20s and he was accompanied by a woman. The woman did not intervene at all during the incident.
- Madam Nita described the kick as a “flying kick” and she said, “It was a very forceful kick which caused me to fall to the ground. I kept saying ‘he kicked me, he kicked me’. I was in complete disbelief.” Madam Nita sustained scratches on her arms and hands from the fall.
- A kind bystander witnessed what happened from a nearby bus stop and she rushed to Madam Nita’s aid, helping her get up and offering plasters to stem the bleeding from the scratches. Awwww…
- Mdm Nita had filed a police report on Friday night, and the police confirmed a report has been filed regarding the incident and they are investigating the case. The man is understood to be investigated for voluntarily causing hurt and harassment.
- According to current regulations, individuals can remove their mask when engaging in strenuous exercise but must put the mask back on once this is completed. Sport Singapore defines “strenuous exercise” as running, jogging, cycling, static exercises and drills for warm-ups, brisk walking and walking on hilly terrain like Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
I’m glad Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and quite a few ministers have spoken up against this racist attack. Indeed, like what PM Lee said,
“It goes against everything that our multiracial society stands for, and the mutual respect and racial harmony that we hold so dear.”
Yes, there is no place for such behaviour here. Or anywhere for that matter. I hope the assailant will be apprehended soon and brought to justice.
We must stand united against racism #SayNoToRacism
