Queens, NY – Yesterday, Khan’s Tutorial leaders, community organizers, and elected officials
gathered in support of Swami Ji Harish Chander Puri. The 62-year-old Hindu priest was viciously
attacked while wearing religious garb near Shiv Shakti Peeth Temple, at 264-12 Hillside Avenue
last Thursday. The attacker beat the priest with an umbrella while reportedly telling Puri to “get
out of my neighborhood”. Puri is currently recovering after being hospitalized and the attacker
has been arrested. The NYPD is still determining if the incident will be classified as a hate crime.
Local leaders such as Attorney General Letitia James, Senator John Liu, Assemblywoman Alicia
Hyndman, Congresswoman Grace Meng, and Assemblyman David Weprin denounced the act of
hate and the discrimination many religious minorities face in New York City and across the
country.
As an immigrant Bangladeshi New Yorker for the past 30 years, I’m deeply saddened by the
senseless attack on Swami Ji Harish Chander Puri. South Asians from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan
and neighboring countries, are key members of New York’s city’s diverse community. Because
we work with students from many different religious backgrounds including Muslim, Hindu,
Jain, Sikh, Jewish, and Christian faiths, we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from
Shiv Shakti Peeth Temple. We serve a lot of South Asians who attend the temple from the
Jamaica, Queens Village, Bellrose, and Floral Park neighborhoods and we stand in solidarity
with our community. It’s painful to see such a hateful act of violence take place only a few
blocks from the park where I played at as a child. I want to thank Senator John Liu, Attorney
General Tish James, and all of the leaders that stood in solidarity with the South Asian
community of NYC during this troubling time. Even though the gathering started off low-
spirited, the messages of love, forgiveness, and faith in humanity, exhibited by Swami Ji Harish
Chander Puri, has allowed our community to heal,” said Dr. Ivan Khan, CEO & President of
Khan’s Tutorial.
With 11 locations in the outer boroughs of New York City, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and in the
Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Astoria, Sunnyside, Ozone Park, and Floral Park neighborhoods of
Queens, Khan’s Tutorial primarily serves in assisting families in low-income, new immigrant
neighborhoods. Since 1994, Khan’s Tutorial has helped 3,383 students receive offers to New
York City’s Specialized High Schools.