Desecration of holy book outrages Sikh community in Union City

A member of a Sikh Gurdwara temple in San Jose reads from the Guru Granth Sahib, a holy book of Sikh scriptures, on October 18, 2005. On Tuesday, a man outraged Sikh elders gathered in Union City park by desecrating the scriptures of front of them. Police are seeking help from the community in finding the man. less A member of a Sikh Gurdwara temple in San Jose reads from the Guru Granth Sahib, a holy book of Sikh scriptures, on October 18, 2005. On Tuesday, a man outraged Sikh elders gathered in Union City park by ... more Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle / / Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle / / Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Desecration of holy book outrages Sikh community in Union City 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Police in Union City have asked the public for help in tracking down a man who interrupted a meeting of Sikh elders at a park and desecrated a holy book in front of them.

The incident happened Tuesday night at Contempo Park in Union City when the man walked up to the group and began tearing apart the Guru Granth Sahib, a book of Sikh scriptures. He was chased by outraged onlookers, got into a car and drove away.

“While our legal options are limited to the facts, our intent is to do all we can to promote a feeling of safety and solidarity to our entire Union City community,” an official from the Union City Police Department wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.

No witnesses got the license plate number of the man's car or recognized him, officials said.

He was described as being of Indian descent, and witnesses reported that he spoke Punjabi, the predominant language among Sikhs.

Police officials said they want to speak with the man about the incident “as a matter of due diligence and to confirm there are no other aspects of the incident about which we are unaware.”

But a former director of the popular Sikh Gurdwara temple in Fremont would like the authorities to do more.

“This was a direct attack on our religious identity,” said Harjeet Singh, a member of the temple.

He said more police action is needed, specifically in the form of an assault case against the man who, Singh said, physically attacked a member of the temple who confronted him at the park after he tore up the scriptures.

Singh said the incident likely stems from violence against Sikhs that has recently taken place in India.

“We have seen a sharp spike in the northern state of India,” Singh said. “We don’t know whether it was the same vested group.”

The incident would make more sense if it was from someone of another ethnicity, Singh said.

There were five or six Sikhs in the park at the time the man tore up the holy scriptures, Singh said. Two were in their 40s with the rest in their 60s.

Union City is home to the largest Sikh population in the Bay Area. Contempo Park is a popular spot for that population, with many people gathering there in the evening, Singh said.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Pleasanton, issued a statement Friday in response to the incident.

“The person ... sought to foment strife within our community. This act was hateful and wrong, but we must reject this invitation to be divided,” Swalwell said. “We won’t tolerate religious hatred; we will stand together.”

Despite the act outraging the Sikh community in Union City, police officials said in terms of legality, no laws were broken and that their approach to handling the situation must be consistent with both the facts and the law.

“While we understand the man's behavior may be considered disrespectful or repugnant, or even a violation of the laws of other nations, we also recognize that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution allows for free speech and free expression,” police officials wrote in their Facebook post.

Singh said the community would submit a formal request to the Police Department to see what next steps would be taken to make the community once again “feel comfortable and safe in the area.”

Officials asked anyone with additional information about the incident to call them at (510) 675-5207 or email the information to tips@unioncity.org.

Kevin Schultz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kschultz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kevinedschultz