A man in Halifax reported being a target of a racist incident on Saturday when another individual purposely hit his car with bagpipes and hurled racial slurs at him. Shalu Shajan, an Indian immigrant, recounted parking his car on Lower Water Street in downtown Halifax when a man carrying bagpipes approached and struck his side mirror with part of the instrument. Shajan confronted the man, who then hit the trunk of his car as well. The situation escalated with the man shouting racist remarks at Shajan and telling him to “go back to your country.”
Eyewitness Raven Fox detailed the verbal altercation between the two men, with the aggressor directing racial comments at Shajan. The man carrying the bagpipes seemed to intentionally damage Shajan’s car in the incident. Shajan felt threatened by the man’s behavior, prompting him to consider calling 911. The man eventually walked away towards the waterfront, but Shajan managed to take a photo of him and reported the incident to Halifax Regional Police, including their hate crime unit.
Following the report, the police are investigating whether the incident qualifies as a hate crime. Shajan affirmed that the man used racist language towards him, indicating a possible hate motivation. When asked, Shajan expressed his willingness to press charges, emphasizing that such behavior should not be tolerated. Statistics from Statistics Canada show a rising trend in reported hate crimes targeting South Asian Canadians in recent years, with 483 incidents reported in 2025, up from 167 in 2021.
While the Indo-Canadian Association of Nova Scotia refrained from commenting on this specific incident, they expressed deep concern over the recurring racist attacks on members of the Indian community. Monica Rai Dua, the group’s vice-president, highlighted the ripple effects of such hate incidents on individuals and communities. Shajan, who has encountered racist remarks before, decided to share his experience on Facebook to aid the police investigation and hold the perpetrator accountable, stating his resolve to speak out against such behavior to prevent others from experiencing the same distress.