In a suspected hate crime, a 19-year-old Sikh was assaulted and injured in New York for wearing a turban while travelling in a shuttle bus, the police said.

The attack took place early on Sunday when the Sikh teen was riding a shuttle bus in Queens, a borough of New York City, CBS News channel reported.

According to the police, the suspect approached the victim, asking him to remove his turban and said, "We don't wear that in this country and take that mask off!" The attacker then repeatedly punched the teen in his face, back, and the back of his head, causing minor cuts. He also tried to remove the victim's turban from his head before getting off the bus and leaving the scene on foot, the report said.

Police described the suspect as "a male, 25-35 years of age, dark complexion, slim build, approximately 5'9" tall, with brown eyes and black hair," and sought the public's help to find him.

The New York Police Department hate crime unit is investigating the incident, and the police department is calling it a hate crime assault, NBC New York TV channel reported.

No arrests have been made in the case yet, The Messenger news portal reported.

The victim, who was not named, refused further medical treatment at the scene, police said in the statement sent to The Messenger.

"Right now, the victim is very traumatised," community activist Japneet Singh was quoted as saying by ABC7 television station. "The family is very scared for him," Singh added.

Though he refused treatment at the scene, Singh says the victim was injured badly enough that he won't be able to work for the next few days.

"We are in contact with the survivor and working with him to provide support as needed; he has requested anonymity for the time being. Our current understanding is that NYPD is, appropriately, investigating this incident as a hate crime," Sikh Coalition, a national organisation representing the minority community, said in a post on X.

"As we stand alongside our allies from all communities, we will continue to insist that no one should have to fear for their personal safety while simply existing in public," the post added.

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