Sikh Leader Amritpal Singh Goes on Hunger Strike in Dibrugarh Jail
Sikh Leader Amritpal Singh Goes on Hunger Strike in Dibrugarh Jail
As it is largely believed that Amritpal Singh and his supporters have not committed any heinous crime, they should be released from the Dibrugarh jail and brought back to Punjab.
ਸਿੱਖ ਆਗੂ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਡਿਬਰੂਗੜ੍ਹ ਜੇਲ੍ਹ ਵਿੱਚ ਭੁੱਖ ਹੜਤਾਲ ’ਤੇ ਬੈਠੇ ਹਨ
ਕਿਉਂ ਕਿ ਇਹ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਦੇ ਸਮਰਥਕਾਂ ਨੇ ਕੋਈ ਘਿਨੌਣਾ ਅਪਰਾਧ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ, ਇਸ ਲਈ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਡਿਬਰੂਗੜ੍ਹ ਜੇਲ੍ਹ ਤੋਂ ਰਿਹਾਅ ਕਰਕੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਾਪਸ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ਜਾਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।
By Rakesh Raman
Youth Sikh leader Amritpal Singh and his companions have gone on hunger strike in Dibrugarh jail of Assam where they have been incarcerated under the draconian National Security Act (NSA).
The prisoners have begun the strike in protest to complain about the poor quality of food and no access to telephone in the jail. According to a Hindustan Times report of today (June 30), Amritpal’s wife Kirandeep Kaur revealed the information after she met him in the jail on June 29.
The report adds that Kirandeep has also started the hunger strike in support of her husband. She claims that the Sikh prisoners are not allowed to contact their families over phone – which is causing a mental torture to them.
Moreover, she says that the cooks in jail use tobacco which is prohibited under the Sikh religion while the complaints by her husband and others to the jail authorities have fallen on deaf ears.
Amritpal Singh was arrested by the Punjab Police in April from Moga. Amritpal – who was trying to stop drug addiction in Punjab – supports a demand for a separate Sikh state Khalistan to bring peace and prosperity back to Punjab which is facing unprecedented unrest.
Earlier, Akal Takht chief Giani Harpreet Singh said that the demand for Khalistan by Sikhs is equivalent to the call for establishing Hindu Rashtra in India.
In his speech on March 27, Giani Harpreet Singh said that the stringent laws such as the NSA are being used to arrest Sikhs who demand a separate Sikh state Khalistan. He added that the same laws should also be applied to those who give open calls to make India a Hindu Rashtra.
In fact, the government of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi is accused of making India a Hindu Rashtra where other minorities like Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians will be persecuted and will not enjoy equal rights.
In an act of repression, the Punjab Government – in collusion with the central agencies – arbitrarily arrested hundreds of Sikhs in Punjab with the unsubstantiated claim that they were associated with Amritpal Singh who is leading a social reform group ‘Waris Punjab De’ (or inheritors of Punjab).
As persecution of Sikhs is increasing in Punjab under the government of chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) expressed deep concern over increasing human rights violations in Punjab, which has a large number of people belonging to the Sikh minority community.
As it is largely believed that Amritpal Singh and his supporters have not committed any heinous crime, they should be released from the Dibrugarh jail and brought back to Punjab.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
