According to the website of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, it has, on Thursday, called upon the Joliet Police Department to investigate the actions of one of its officers when patrolling a local neighborhood. SALDEF is the oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organisation in the US.
 
On Friday March 30, 2007 at around 3:00 pm, Kuldip Singh Nag, a Sikh American who was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in the U S Navy during the first Gulf War, was at his home in Joliet, Illinois, when a local police officer noticed that a van parked on Nag's private property had expired registration tags.

When asked about this, Nag's wife, Vera Kaur Nag, informed the officer that the van is parked on their driveway and was inoperable. 
 
Nag then came to answer the officer's questions and the latter demanded that he park the van inside his garage and not on the driveway.

Nag responded that it was not possible and regardless, the van is parked on his private property and he has a right to park it on his driveway.
 
At this moment, the officer pulled out his pepper spray and attacked Nag with it. He also removed his baton and violently struck Nag, who was already in agony from the spray, numerous times until he fell to the ground. While the assault ensued, the officer was reported to have abused Nag continuously.

Nag's wife and six year-old child both witnessed the violent assault, which resulted in Nag immediately being admitted to the hospital where he stayed for five days due to complaints of intense pain and head trauma.

He also received numerous bruises and a serious head injury, which have caused him to go blind for several minutes at a time 
 
'This case seems to be a clear incident of police misconduct in Illinois', said SALDEF managing director Kavneet Singh.

'We are horrified at the anti-immigrant sentiment the officer allegedly used as he violently accosted Nag, and further that his six-year-old son was a witness to this violent assault. We call upon both Joliet and Illinois officials to investigate this incident and for the Illinois community to stand in solidarity with Nag'.
 
SALDEF has garnered the support of the Illinois Sikh American community and is currently working with The Chawla Group Ltd to represent Nag in a criminal case brought on by the City of Joliet.