Washington, March 28, 2005 (9.30 am)
NRIpress
NRI Ranjit Singh, 20, from New Jersey Friday night
went to see 'Bhangra Blowout
at Washington. This annual bhangra blowout organized
by George Washington University students was to
end at 3 am. Ranjit was stabbed with a sharp knife
by a man of either Latin American or Indian ethnicity,
wearing a white shirt and braces in his teeth. Two
friends of Ranjit Singh pursued the attacker until
they were stabbed by him. Police said the attacker
escaped in a green car. His two friends have not
been identified because they are considered as witnesses
of this tragedy.
Two years back, Ranjit immigrated from Punjab and
worked seven days a week, nights, as a convenience
store clerk. This Friday weekend was the first time
he had taken a break.
Annual "bhangra blowout"
has become one of the largest events for NRIs college
students and NRIs. The competition on Sunday drew
teams from nine colleges seeking to show off their
skill at the Punjabi folk dance. University spokes
man said it would conduct a full review of the 'Bhangra
Blowout' and decide whether the 12 year-old annual
event should be run differently, or if it should
be held at all. This event of charity turned into
a tragedy.
The stately Old Post Office Pavilion is a popular
area for tourist. On Saturday at 6:30 pm the whole
pavilion was shut down to cap off a weekend celebration
Bhangra Blowout. Police are offering a reward for
any information to catch attacker
Washington, March 28, 2005, 8.18 pm
NRIpress
The concert, which began at 7 p.m., was held at
DAR Constitution Hall, less than a mile from the
after party.
Another concert-goer, a Rutgers University student
who didn't want to give his name, said although
the party was supposed to end at 3 a.m. organizers
shut it down around 2 a.m. in the middle of a performance.
When the Rutgers student said he left the building
about 2:30 a.m. he saw people pushing and shoving
before a group of about five or six people ran off.
He said a man, who is believed to be Ranjit Singh,
lay on the ground surrounded by people. His shirt
was covered with blood.
The Rutgers student doubted the fight was related
to the competition: "These parties can get
crazy at times with alcohol and such."
George Washington University spokeswoman Tracy
Schario said the party and dance competition were
peaceful and had been a fund-raiser for tsunami
relief efforts.
Ranjit Singh's family remembered him as a happy
young man who often laughed.
He finished high school in India and worked in
the United States with his father, who owns the
Paul-Mart convenience store at 462 S. Main St. in
Phillipsburg. A makeshift cardboard sign pulled
in front of the door Sunday night signaled the store
was closed.
"He worked hard and wanted his own business,"
Manjit Singh said.