Video of Sikh man being attacked in UK goes viral

The British police have launched into the brutal attack suspected to be a hate crime. Aditi Khanna/PTI reports from London 

A video showing a Sikh man being brutally beaten up on a crowded street in Birmingham, the United Kigdom's second-largest city, went viral on the internet, prompting the police to launch a probe into the suspected hate crime.

The video, titled 'Singh Brutally Beaten in Birmingham', was posted online on the 'Daily Sikh Updates' Facebook page. It shows the Sikh man desperately trying to protect his face as a man punches and kicks him while a crowd looks on.

"It is unknown why the man was attacked, but the suspects are on the loose. A person, probably the first victim of the attack, can be seen unconscious on the doorway. The bystanders refuse to help the two victims until a person from the crowd comes in towards the end of the video," the website said in its appeal for information.

The appeal also claims that the suspects involved in the attack are Muslim but the West Midlands police are yet to confirm or deny that report.

The police have urged the victim to come forward as they investigate if the attack which took place on Sunday was religiously motivated.

"We are aware of a video posted on the internet which appears to show a man being assaulted on the Broad Street in Birmingham on Sunday, March 29. It has been suggested the attack was religiously motivated. We would like to reassure people that we take such reports extremely seriously and the matter will be fully investigated," a police spokesperson said.

"We are currently making inquiries to establish exactly what has happened; but at this stage, nobody has come forward to tell us they've been assaulted. I would encourage the man who appears to be the victim in the video to contact us, along with anyone else who was there at the time to give us any further details."