Sikh motorcyclist to ride 2700 miles to commemorate attack on Oak Creek

An Indian-American Sikh is riding 2,700 miles on a motorcycle to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the attack on a Wisconsin gurdwara in 2012 that claimed seven lives from his community.

The week-long ride to Oak Creek Gurdwara was organised by Gurdeep Singh Saggu, 37, and Motorcycle Club USA to promote awareness of their religion and culture, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

The journey, which will culminate on August 5 in Oak Creek, will pass through places including Arizona, where a Sikh man was killed in a hate crime four days after 9/11 after being mistaken for a Muslim.

Saggu, a supervisor at a shipping company, had previously been hesitant to leave his family because he thought they may be attacked because of their religion.

He had previously dealt with a coworker who claimed that because of his beard and turban, he was a member of a terrorist organisation, according to The Los Angeles Times.

His 10-year-old son Akaaldeep begged him to stay at home since he was teased at school for wearing a turban and sometimes came home in tears.

But, Akaaldeep hugged his father and said, “Daddy, now I want you to go,” after hearing an FBI agent at the Stockton Sikh temple prayer hall describe how a white man barged into a Sikh temple and shot innocent people.

Saggu then told himself, “I have to do this,” while hugging his son in the prayer hall, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Wade Page, a member of the white supremacist group, invaded a gurdwara in Wisconsin on August 5, 2012, and killed six worshippers before turning his gun on himself. This incident targeted the Sikh community of Oak Creek.

In 2020, a seventh victim with severe paralysis passed away as a result of his wounds.

Prabhnoor Kaur