Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
London, September 26: Sikh Federation would lead protest outside the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on Sunday 30 September.
The protest is against the continued detention of Jagtar Singh Johal from Dumbarton in India and the refusal of Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary to meet with the family and their SNP MP Martin Docherty-Hughes despite promises made by his predecessor in Parliament.
The protest will also highlight the UK authorities bowing to pressure from India with police raids last week targeting Sikh activists supporting the campaign for the release of Johal.
The protest organised by the Federation of Sikh Organisations (FSO) will be just before Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, addresses the conference.
The Sikh Federation said 31-year old Jagtar travelled to India to get married last November and a couple of weeks after his wedding he was arrested by the police.
Prime Minister Theresa May raised Johal’s case with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he came to 10 Downing Street for a meeting before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
However, last week’s police raids on the homes of five Sikh activists linked to the campaign to bring Jagtar Singh Johal back home had created tensions between the Sikh community, police and Home Office.
The raids were co-ordinated by West Midlands Police .
According to the Federation, the Home Secretary is expected to be publicly challenged early next week before his speech to the Conservative faithful on a number of serious issues where the Sikh community believes it is being discriminated against by the Home Office.
It stated last week’s police raids had a clear political backdrop of appeasing the Indian government and assisting the corrupt Indian police. This has bought bitter memories of the past actions of the Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher in assisting the Indian authorities in the 1984 Sikh Genocide and taking anti-Sikh measures against British Sikhs in the 1980s.
Although West Midlands police have refused to comment on the identity of those that have had their homes raided other than the investigation relates to India, senior Indian police officers have provided names to Indian journalists of the Sikh activists that have had their homes raided in Britain raising fears of collusion.
If there was any doubt of Indian involvement a senior Punjab police officer was quoted in one leading Indian newspaper as stating “we have received confirmation (of names) from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit” about homes that have been searched. In another leading Indian newspaper a Punjab Police officer, said: “The raids were the result of diplomatic pressure created by India on the UK.”
Gurjit Singh, press secretary of the federation said it appears the Indian authorities have turned to the British police to find any evidence that may help against Jagtar Singh Johal judging by the wording of the entry and search warrants that were issued by Birmingham magistrates.
