Washington: In a suspected case of hate crime, a gas station owned by a Sikh in Washington was burnt in Chesterfield, Virginia, a Sikh organisation said today (Dec 1, 2004).

The gas station owned by Sarabjit Singh was burnt on November 24 and ethnic slurs were spray painted on the property of the gas station, the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) said in a statement.

"We condemn the incident and hope that the concerned officials will investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice," SCORE Chariman, Rajwant Singh said in the statement.

The organisation has also tried to contact the offices of Senator Allen and Senator Warner from Virginia.

Hate crimes against religious minorities have been on the rise in the US since 9/11. According to recent media reports, quoting FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) sources, the hate crimes have almost doubled in the year 2003.

"These crimes against institutions and individuals were because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin or disability," the report said.

Singh also emphasised the need for a stronger hate crime Bill, which was rejected last month by the House of Republican Negotiators. The Bill called Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA) proposed to bring about changes in existing provisions to expand the protection to all victims of hate crime and financial support for State and local investigations and prosecutions of hate crimes.

Singh said his organisation would continue to raise awareness about Sikhs and their religious practices among the people of the US to build tolerance control hate crimes.