In the second such assault in less than 10 days, two Sikh men were attacked and robbed in Queens, New York, the same neighbourhood where an elderly Sikh man was assaulted earlier this month.

The consulate general of India in New York said in a tweet that the “assault on two Sikh gentlemen in Richmond Hills, New York” is deplorable.

“We have approached the local authorities and New York City Police Department in the matter,” the consulate said.

It added that a police complaint had been filed in the incident and one person has been arrested. The consulate said that it is in touch with community members and is “ready to offer all assistance to the victims”.

Community-based civil and human rights organisation The Sikh Coalition said that the two individuals were attacked and robbed in Richmond Hill, Queens, on Tuesday.

The attack happened “very close” to the area where septuagenarian Nirmal Singh was punched in an unprovoked assault on April 3. The attack on the two individuals came on the same day as the shooting in a Brooklyn subway that injured 16 people, 10 of whom received gun shot wounds and left five in critical but stable condition.

The police is on the lookout for the suspect, believed to be a black male, who was wearing a gas mask opened a canister inside the subway train as it approached the 36th Street Station in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning. The suspect then opened fire, striking multiple people on the subway and on the platform.

Commenting on the latest attack, Queens Borough president Donovan Richards said that it is “another difficult day” in the Richmond Hill area, “as we learn of a second attack on a Sikh neighbour — days after Singh’s assault”.

He said his office has been in contact with police authorities “to ensure that justice is served here.” New York City Council member Shahana Hanif, who represents Brooklyn, tweeted that “Our thoughts with the entire City this morning.”