Singapore: Man Kicks Indian-Origin Woman For Not Wearing Mask

A 55-year-old Indian origin woman, Hindocha Nita Vishnubhai, who went out for a brisk walk in Singapore, had fallen victim to racial slurs by a local man. Nita is a private tutor and on Friday, she was brisk walking when a man approached her and asked her to pull her mask up from her chin.

According to the reports, the woman was walking along Choa Chu Kang Drive when the man approached her near a bus stop outside the Northvale condominium. Nita’s daughter Parveen Kaur wrote on her social media starting with a disclaimer: “To anyone who says racism doesn’t exist in Singapore and we should be thankful we aren’t in countries where minorities are in physical danger, read this.”

She wrote that her mother tried to explain that she was brisk walking which is why she did not pull up her mask. “But he didn’t care and hurled vulgarities and racial slurs at her” Ms Kaur said in a widely circulated Instagram post.

“My mum responded with a ”God bless you” and the guy kicked her in the chest. My mum landed on her back and hurt herself,” she said. Soon after, the man ran away from the place after Nita fell down and was left shaken and bleeding. Parveen Kaur further added that the incident has now left her mother “afraid of taking a walk in her own country”.

A report has been lodged and investigations are underway, police said. As per Singapore’s health ministry rules, citizens and tourist in the country aged six and above are required to wear masks as part of the safety measures against COVID-19. However, they are allowed to remove their mask while engaging in outdoor or strenuous exercise, including walking.