The Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) expressed disappointment over the rejection of the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA) in the U.S. Congress on Oct. 7, news reports said.

The Senate-proposed move was seen as an important step toward protecting the hate crime victims, it added.

Rajwant Singh, chairman of SCORE, was quoted as saying that passing this legislation was an opportunity that was lost to send a message that the United States and its people will not tolerate any hate crime.

“America is a country with people of diverse cultural, social and religious beliefs as its citizens. Hate and violence has no place in American society based on democratic values,” the SCORE chairman added.

The act (LLEEA) proposed to bring about changes in existing provisions to expand the protection to all victims of hate crime, including gay and lesbians, and financial support for state and local investigations and prosecutions of such crimes, the report said.

(Compiled from news dispatches by Nishant Arora)