Store clerk fatally stabbed for refusing to sell cigarettes

32-year-old Jagjeet Singh was stabbed to death after a confrontation with a customer.



In Modesto, California, police are asking for the public's help identifying the man suspected of fatally stabbing a gas station employee, who was apparently attacked after an altercation with a customer over a fake ID.

Modesto Store Clerk Killed in Stabbing Outside Hatch Food and Gas

32-year-old Jagjeet Singh, a clerk at Hatch Food and Gas, was stabbed to death outside the store late Thursday night. According to a co-worker, Singh had gotten into a confrontation earlier in the evening with a customer who unsuccessfully attempted to buy cigarettes with a fake identification.

Later that same day, just before midnight, the unidentified man returned and stabbed Singh outside the store, leaving him critically wounded. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died on Friday.

"Paramedics responded because an employee had collapsed and they thought this to be a medical issue," Modesto police officer Eric Schuller told FOX40 News. "When they arrived on scene they found that this employee has actually been stabbed."

Man wanted in two hate crime attacks on Indian women

Sherlock Arana is suspected of punching women in two separate attacks in Queens subway stations.



In New York, authorities are looking a man suspected of punching two Indian women in separate attacks inside Queens subway stations. The NYPD is investigating the incidents as possible hate crimes.

Cops Hunt Man Punching Women in Queens Subway Stations

28-year-old Sherlock Arana is accused of uttering anti-Indian slurs before attacking both women.

In the first attack on December 8, Arana allegedly walked up to an 18-year-old woman in the 88th Street station in Ozone Park, began making anti-Indian remarks, then punched her in the face before running away.

The second attack occurred last Thursday, when Arana reportedly offered to swipe a 30-year-old woman into the Jamaica-179th Street station if she agreed to pay. When the woman refused, Arana made an anti-Indian remark and punched her in the head. The blow caused the woman to fall to the ground and hit her head, while Arana fled the scene.

'Brown Nation' is a slice of Indian immigrant life

New Netflix comedy series is a satirical look at the everyday hustle of Indians in New York City.



Because hey, Aziz Ansari doesn't have to be the only Indian dude on Netflix. The new comedy Brown Nation is a satirical slice-of-life look at the everyday hustle of Indian immigrants and other brown-skinned communities in New York City. The 10-episode season debuted on the streaming service on November 15.

The series, created and written by Matt Grubb, George Kanatt and Abi Varghese, centers on Hasmukh, an immigrant from Gujarat who runs a small foundering IT company in Queens. While holding his dysfunctional office together, Hasmukh must navigate various personal relationships, including his struggling artist wife, his live-in father-in-law (who has been visiting from India for more than nine months) and a dog he despises.

Here's a trailer for the series:

Wall Street Journal Critic Mistakes Dev Patel for Kal Penn

Sooner or later, every South Asian actor gets mistaken for Kal Penn.



Wall Street Journal film critic Joe Morgenstern made an embarrassing error in a review for the movie Lion in Friday's newspaper, when he confused Dev Patel with Kal Penn.

Both actors are of Indian descent, but their careers have been very different. Patel, 26, who plays Saroo Brierley in Lion, is British, while Penn, 39, was born in New Jersey.

In his review, Morgenstern says that Lion is Patel's "richest performance" since 2006's The Namesake. But Patel, the star of Slumdog Millionaire, wasn't in that film directed by Mira Nair. The part was played by Penn, whose other credits include the Harold and Kumar movies, House and How I Met Your Mother.

Read more at Variety: Wall Street Journal Movie Critic Mistakes Dev Patel for Kal Penn

Indian man sucker punched in hate crime attack

"Things are different now."



Dispatches from Trump America... This week in Pittsburgh, a man was arrested for assaulting an Indian man at a restaurant after calling him racial slurs and apparently mistaking him for what he called a "f*cking Muslim."

Man arrested on charges of ethnic intimidation, assault at South Hills Village mall

54-year-old Jeffrey Burgess allegedly told Ankur Mehta, who was sitting next to him at the bar at a Red Robin Restaurant, that "things are different now" and "I don't want you sitting next to me -- you people."

He then reportedly called Mehta a "sand n**ger" and a "f*cking Muslim" before launching an unprovoked attack, hitting him four or five more times in the face with his elbows and fists. Mehta, by the way, is not Muslim -- not that it matters, because this guy was clearly out to start some racist shit with "you people."

Judge tosses civil rights case against Alabama cop who paralyzed Indian grandfather

Eric Parker still faces a state charge of misdemeanor assault and a civil lawsuit.



Maaaan, this is some bullshit. In Alabama, a judge threw out the case against the police officer who was accused of using excessive force on a 57-year-old Indian man, partially paralyzing him.

Judge throws out case against police officer charged in takedown of Indian grandfather

On Wednesday, Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala threw out the case against Madison police office Eric Parker, who faced up to ten years in prison for excessive force after he was caught on camera throwing Sureshbhai Patel to the ground last year during a sidewalk stop.

The Fob & I: A Webseries About Two Indians That Are Different

Writer/director Meena Ramamurthy presents an episodic comedy about culture-clashing cousins.



The Fob & I is a webseries "about two Indians that are different." Imagine that. Created by writer/director Meena Ramamurthy, the series centers on Jisha (Uttera Singh), a so-called FOB from India, and her cousin Sita (Shefali Deshay), who is Indian American. When forced to live together in a Hollywood apartment, these two cousins find that even when you seem similar, you can be so different.

It's a funny, wry take on negotiating varying levels of Indian identity and finding common ground. It also has a pretty grand time poking fun at the shameless and often ridiculous western appropriation of Indian culture. One episode involves the search for the perfect cup of chai tea, while another episode tackles a color run that is very reminiscent of the Indian Holi festival. And episode five is titled, "The Bollywood One."

It's been described as "Girls but interesting." Here's the trailer:

Robber calls store clerk 'terrorist,' shoots him in the face

Police are investigating the robbery as a hate crime.



What the hell is going on, America? This shit is out of control. In Michigan, a robber called an Indian convenience store clerk a "terrorist" and accused him of being in ISIS before shooting him the face. Police say they are investigating the robbery as a hate crime.

Robber called store clerk 'terrorist' before shooting him in face, worker says

Thankfully, the victim survived and is expected to recover.

On Saturday night, an armed robber entered Bottlenecks Food and Drink Shop in Grand Rapids and demanded money from the 34-year-old store worker, who is of Indian descent. Then the robber led him to a back storage room where he put the barrel of a long gun into the worker's mouth.

Another mistrial declared in Alabama police brutality case

Former cop Eric Parker is accused of using excessive force against Sureshbhai Patel.



This shit is unbelievable. The case of the Alabama police officer accused of using excessive force against a 58-year-old Indian grandfather, partially paralyzing him, has ended in a mistrial. Again.

Another Mistrial Declared For Alabama Cop Who Paralyzed Indian Grandfather

For the second time in two months, a jury has been unable to reach a verdict in the federal civil rights case against former Madison police officer Eric Park. After deliberating for three days, the jury of nine women and three men were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, and the judge declared a mistrial.

Sim Bhullar acquired by Toronto Raptors' D-League team

7-foor-5 center is the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA.



Sim Bhullar, the first player of Indian descent to play in the NBA, is headed back home to Canada. The Toronto Raptors' Development League affiliate Raptors 905 has acquired the 7-foot-5 center, who hails from Toronto.

Raptors 905 trade for Brampton's Sim Bhullar

The Raptors 905 acquired the rights to Bhullar, who made his NBA debut last year with the Sacramento Kings, in a trade last week with the Reno Bighorns farm team in exchange for the rights to guard Ricky Ledo.

Bhullar was born in Toronto before moving to the United States for high school.

Defense blames Indian grandfather in police brutality case

"When you come to the U.S. we expect you to follow our laws and speak our language."



This is some bullshit. Former Alabama police officer Eric Parker, accused of using excessive force after he was caught on camera throwing an Indian grandfather to the ground. is on trial again. The first trial ended in a hung jury last month. And this time, the defense appears determined to blame the victim.

Defense blames Indian grandfather at start of new trial, 'follow our laws and speak our language'

The altercation left 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel partially paralyzed and hospitalized with a fused vertebrae. His apparent crime: going for a walk. (And being brown.) Parker can be seen in police dash cam video taking down Mr. Patel with a leg sweep, slamming him into the ground.

Officers responded to a call regarding a "suspicious person" in the neighborhood. That person turned out to be Mr. Patel, who was visiting from India and staying with his son's family. Patel, who does not speak English, was on an afternoon walk when he was stopped by police. Somehow, the situation rapidly escalated from "No English," to Mr. Patel getting his face slammed into the ground.

NBC developing family comedy 'I Love Lakshmi'

Inspired by writer Doug Prochilo's real-life experience marrying into an Indian family.



Some more interesting TV news... NBC is developing I Love Lakshmi, a comedy about a (presumably white) guy who marries into an Indian family, and the hilarity and hijinks that ensue from their cross-cultural union.

NBC Developing 'I Love Lakshmi' Family Comedy From Aggregate

According to Deadline, the multi-camera comedy, co-written by Muffy Bolding and Doug Prochilo, is inspired by Prochilo's real-life experience marrying into an Indian family (he is married to Bela Bejaria, President of Universal Television), which somebody must have thought was toooootally hilarious fodder for a TV show.

ABC confuses Priyanka Chopra with another Indian actress

ABC News apologizes to 'Quantico' star for 'Nightline' segment mistake



File under "You Had One Job." ABC apologized for making a goof this week when it confused Quantico star Priyanka Chopra with another Indian actress in a promo for Nightline. For the record, there is currently only one Indian lead actress on all of network television -- on ABC, for that matter -- and they still got it wrong.

ABC Apologizes for Confusing 'Quantico's' Priyanka Chopra With Another Indian Actress

Chopra was on Nightline to talk about her starring role on Quantico. However, during the introduction to the segment, the show mistakenly showed images of fellow Indian acdtress Yukta Mookhey, who was crowned Miss World in 1999, the year before Chopra won the title. Oops.

The mistake was quickly pointed out on social media:

'The Soup' hosted a Brown Guy Summit

Will the real Kunal Nayyar please stand up?



The Soup hosted a Brown Guy Summit of sorts last week. On Friday, actors of Indian descent Kunal Nayyar, Kal Penn, Danny Pudi and Maulik Pancholy all appeared on the E! pop culture recap show to have a little fun with host Joel McHale, and more importantly, prove once and for all that even though they are all brown guys, they are not all the same person.

"Before You Ask Any Stupid Questions," Read This Sign

"I AM FROM INDIA AND A SIKH"



This very direct, let-me-stop-you-right-there sign was spotted at Silversun Liquors in Silverlake, Los Angeles. The sign's author, no doubt fed up with one too many stupid questions from customers about his turbaned, South Asian appearance, was compelled to hand-write and post this mind-your-own-damn-business message.

It reads:

Welcome to the NBA, Sim Bhullar.

7-foot-5 center is the league's first player of Indian descent.



In case you missed the news last week, the NBA made it official. Sim Bhullar signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, making him the first NBA player of Indian descent. At 7-foot-5 and 360 pounds, the 22-year-old center from Toronto is also the league's biggest player.

Kings' Sim Bhullar embracing place in NBA history

Bhullar has spent the entire season with the Reno Bighorns, Sacramento's affiliate in the NBA Development League, after going to training camp with the Kings. He's been working his ass off, getting into shape, and has lost over 30 pounds. He's averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks.

Here's a video following Bhullar's first three days in the NBA as he signs his first contract, goes through a personal workout in the Sacramento Kings practice facility and experiences his very first NBA gameday:

Alabama cop indicted for assault on elderly Indian man

Officer Eric Parker is accused of using "unreasonable force" on 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel.



Last week in Alabama, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that the police officer who threw a 57-year-old Indian man to the ground, severely injuring him, has been indicted on civil rights violations charges.

Madison Police officer indicted for civil rights violation

Officer Eric Parker of the Madison Police Department was fired and charged with third-degree assault for using excessive force on Sureshbhai Patel, who had been visiting his family from India. The incident left him partially paralyzed and hospitalized with a fused vertebrae.

Mr. Patel, who does not speak English, was on an afternoon walk when he was stopped by police responding to a call about a "suspicious person." Police video shows Parker yanking Patel's arm and slamming him into the ground. He suffered serious injuries requiring surgery and months of rehabilitation.

Alabama cop fired for assault on Indian grandfather

Police officer Eric Parker faces assault charges for severely injuring 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel.



In Alabama, the police officer responsible for severely injuring and putting an innocent man in the hospital, paralyzing him, has been fired from the Madison City Police Department and faces assault charges.

Alabama police fire, arrest the officer who badly injured Indian grandfather during sidewalk stop

Madison police officer Eric Parker was arrested for his use of force on 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel, who was visiting from India and staying with his son's family. Mr. Patel, who does not speak English, was on an afternoon walk when he was stopped by police responding to a call about a "suspicious person."

Parker and other officers tried talking to Mr. Patel, but he communicate with them. When the officers tried patting him down, Patel put his hands in his pockets and pulled away. A video released by police shows an officer throwing Mr. Patel to the ground:

Police altercation leaves grandfather partly paralyzed

His apparent crime: going for a walk. And being brown.



In Alabama, police officers are accused of using excessive force on an elderly man, leaving him temporarily paralyzed and hospitalized with a fused vertebrae. His apparent crime: going for a walk. And being brown.

Grandfather visiting Alabama from India stopped by police while taking walk, left partly paralyzed

On Friday, Madison Police responded to a call regarding a "suspicious person" in the neighborhood. That person turned out to be 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel, who was visiting from India and staying with his son's family. Patel, who does not speak English, was on an afternoon walk when he was stopped by police.

According to the police statement, there was a "communication barrier." I don't know how you go from saying "No English" to getting your face slammed into the sidewalk, but you could say things escalated.

'In Tokens & Charms' by Prateek Kuhad

Debut full-length studio album from Indian singer/songwriter.



I recently got turned on to the music of Delhi-based multi-lingual indie singer/songwriter Prateek Kuhad, who makes wonderfully warm and soulful folksy pop rock. He just released his debut full-length studio album In Tokens & Charms, and it's pretty darn marvelous. The ten-track album is a thoughtful, inviting conversation about youth, love and liberation. You're gonna love it.

Here's a preview of the whole album: