Balwinder Singh’s family to protest outside Mamata Banerjee’s office
West Bengal Police maintains that the Sikh man’s turban came off during the scuffle and was not displaced intentionally.
Arrested Sikh man Balwinder Singh’s wife Karamjit Kaur and son Harshveer Singh will stage a sit-in demonstration on Saturday outside Nabanna, the secretariat building of the West Bengal government, to seek his release. Singh was arrested for carrying a pistol at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agitation in Howrah on October 8.
The incident made headlines as Singh’s turban fell off when he was jostling with the police. While videos of the incident went viral, the state police accused him of carrying a firearm, the licence for which they claimed, was not valid in West Bengal.
The Howrah district police said on Thursday night that Singh’s licence was valid only in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, where it was issued.
“As per the national database of arms licences, ministry of home affairs, govt. of India; the arms licence of Sh Balwindar Singh is valid only in Rajouri distt of J&K. He was arrested for being part of an unlawful assembly with a weapon.
Please do not get carried away by fabricated social media posts. A thorough investigation is going on to unearth the truth,” tweeted the Howrah district police.
“I want to meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee. I have appealed several times but there has been no response. My son and I will start a dharna outside her office at 11 am on Saturday. I appeal to all Sikh Sangats (associations or groups) to stand by their sister. I want to see my husband released,” Kaur said in Punjabi in a video message on Thursday evening.
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh has said that Singh works for a private security agency and he was deployed to provide security to one of the BJP’s youth wing leaders. “Even my security personnel carried guns on that day,” Ghosh, who is a Lok Sabha member from Midnapore, said on Wednesday.
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On Thursday, members of Kolkata’s Sikh community staged a silent demonstration at Sant Kutiya Gurudwara, Bhawanipur, demanding justice for Balwinder Singh. They put up posters with Singh’s photo. “Police defiled Balwinder Singh’s turban and dragged him by his hair. This kind of behaviour is entirely unacceptable with an ex-army man who was just doing his duty,” the community members said in a statement. They also wrote a letter to the chief minister.
Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh are among some prominent members of the Sikh community who have condemned the alleged incident of defiling.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who is a Shiromani Akali Dal leader, has challenged the allegation that the arms licence is not valid in West Bengal. “We will file a petition at the Calcutta high court on Friday. I am getting calls from newspapers and radio stations the Sikh community runs in several countries, including Canada,” said Sirsa.
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After the incident, the West Bengal Police said Singh’s turban was not pulled off intentionally.
“The concerned person was carrying firearms in yesterday’s protest. The Pagri had fallen off automatically in the scuffle that ensued, without any attempt to do so by our officer (visible in the video attached). It is never our intention to hurt the sentiments of any community,” The West Bengal Police tweeted around 10 pm last Friday, attaching a video of the incident.
“West Bengal Police respects all religions. The officer specifically asked him to put his Pagri back before the arrest. The attached photo has been clicked right before he was escorted to the Police station. We remain committed to our duty to uphold law and order in the state,” said a second tweet.
Balwinder Singh’s wife and son met governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Raj Bhawan on Wednesday and sought his help. Dhankhar later said in a tweet that Singh is a victim of human rights violation.
