NZ Sikh radio host stabbed in suspected religiously motivated attack

By Asia Samachar Team | NEW ZEALAND |

A controversial Auckland radio host is fighting for his life in hospital after being stabbed multiple times in his driveway in an attack his friends claim was religiously motivated, reports a New Zealand newspaper.

Harnek Singh, 53, remains in a critical condition in Middlemore Hospital after being attacked in the driveway of his Glenross Drive, Wattle Downs home around 10.20pm on Dec 23.

It is the second public attack Singh has suffered this year after he was assaulted in Love Punjab Restaurant on his birthday in July, reports NZ Herald.

The report reported that Singh’s colleagues at Radio Virsa, where he is a talkback host to the Sikh community, say he was returning home this week from that day’s broadcast when he was set upon – possibly by a group of attackers.

Balwinder Singh, 42, says Harnek Singh is “like a brother” to him and is part of the team at Radio Virsa, which discusses religious and cultural issues in the Auckland Sikh community.

“From the wounds he had, you could tell he was attacked by sharp weapons,” Balwinder was quoted by the report. “He’s okay, his condition is stable and he’s at Middlemore. We believe so [he was stabbed]. The motivation behind the attack obviously has to do with what he says on the radio, what opinion on different issues and topics which have been discussed on the radio.

“Mainly on this radio programme a lot of religious issues have been discussed. So let’s just say a lot of traditional myths that people believe in, and we on the radio try to explain to people to look at it in a practical way other than the mythical point of view that most people have.

“Obviously that would upset someone who is religiously fanatic, and someone who looks at the religion in a mythical point of view as a lot of religions do.”

Read the full report, ‘Radio host stabbed multiple times in South Auckland driveway in attack’ (NZ Herald, 26 Dec 2020), here.