Indian Community at New Mexico Reports Attacks

The University of New Mexico India Students Association alleged that more than 20 of its male members were attacked by a single, unidentified man, the Daily Lobo reports. An official from the Albuquerque Police Department said that the force is stretched thin and that the attacks were probably not hate crimes. "I can guarantee you, you're not the only people getting hit by this guy," he said. "If he's that angry, I guarantee he's hitting other people, too."

The University of New Mexico Police Department, however, is investigating the assaults as hate crimes. According to the student group, the attacks followed a similar pattern: The perpetrator kicked an Indian man to the ground, said namaste—a traditional Indian greeting—and fled.