Man suffered broken ribs in suspected racial attack

Police are treating the assault on two Sikh men as racially aggravated

A Sikh taxi driver in his 70s suffered two broken ribs, a community campaign group has said, in what police are treating as a racially aggravated assault in Wolverhampton.

He was one of two victims who were attacked outside the city's railway station at about 13:45 BST on Friday 15 August. The other man, 64, also needed hospital treatment for bad bruising, the Sikh Federation UK said.

Jas Singh, from the organisation, said he had been in touch with the two taxi drivers who he said had dealt with three "very aggressive and abusive" men.

British Transport Police (BTP) said a 17-year-old boy and two men, aged 19 and 25, were arrested in connection with the assault and later released on bail.

Mr Singh said the victims, who had been taxi drivers for more than 30 years, were dealing with physical injuries and psychological trauma.

"The older gentleman had two ribs broken and two severely bruised," Mr Singh said.

"He's having trouble sleeping lying down, so he's having to sleep sitting up. And with breathing, even a cough is excruciating."

However, Mr Singh praised for the local community for their support in the wake of the incidents.

"It's been unbelievable. The support from social media has been overwhelming... there's a lot of good people out there," he added.

The assault happened outside Wolverhampton Railway Station, where the pair were working as taxi drivers (generic image)

The Sikh Federation UK said both men were working for a local taxi firm and were on duty outside Wolverhampton Railway Station when three men allegedly approached one of the drivers and demanded to be taken to Oldbury.

They said the men were "very rude and abusive", and claimed they continued to swear after being told they would need to book inside the taxi rank.

According to the federation, the men returned, continuing to use racist slurs, before pushing one of the drivers and punching him in the face.

The man's dastaar (turban) was said to have been removed, and he fell to the floor.

The federation added that when a colleague, who was also a friend, tried to come to his aid and stop them, the group turned on him.

Police response

A spokesperson for the Sikh Federation UK said the assault only stopped when members of the public intervened.

Bystanders also filmed the attack and the footage has been viewed more than a million times on social media.

Mr Singh and the Sikh Federation UK have criticised the police support for the victims, saying the force only reached out to them once the video had gained traction on social media.

In a statement on Tuesday, Supt Sue Peters from BTP said: "In the interests of reassuring the community, I can confirm that BTP officers responded very quickly to make three arrests after the 999 call was made and an off-duty BTP Chief Inspector also stopped to assist."

The BBC understands statements have now been taken from both victims, following their hospital treatment.

"This has taken a short time following the incident because of the injuries the men suffered, and the understandable shock it caused them," she said.

"We arranged a suitable time to speak to them in accordance with their families' wishes, with the ongoing welfare of the victims being our number one priority.

"More widely, we are engaging with our local MP, the Sikh community, as well as the Sikh Police Association, to listen to their concerns."

Ms Peters also said a small number of officers were treated for minor injuries sustained during the course of the arrests.

Anyone who witnessed the attack is asked to contact the force.