Sikh boy victimised; hair chopped off in racial attack

London, Nov 16 (UNI) In a ''vicious and unprovoked'' racist attack, a gang of white teenagers hacked off a Sikh schoolboy's hair, police said.

The 15-year-old boy was on his way to his relative's home in Edinburgh on Tuesday when the gang started abusing him. They later kicked and punched him to the ground, causing his turban to come loose, at which point a youth pulled out a knife and cut off his hair, Lothian and Borders Police said yesterday.

The youths, all aged about 16, ran off after committing the crime. Although the boy did not need any hospital treatment, he was traumatised and suffered bruises and swelling on his face, shoulder and ribs, police added.

The attack happened close to a Gurdwara in Leith.

Rab Singh, 53, the Gurdwara's vice-president, said ''The community is appalled by what has happened to the boy. We are hoping it does not escalate in any way,'' ''We hope this will be a one-off incident and we can return to living our calm and peaceful lives.'' He said the victim's family, who do not want to be identified, were upset.

Chief Inspector Keith Chamberlain, while issuing descriptions of the attackers and appealing for witnesses, reassured members of various communities, especially the Sikh community, of a positive outcome.

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