NABHA, Punjab—Last week the National Investigations Agency (NIA) team arrived again at senior team member Bhai Parminder Singhs home. They asked that he accompany them, and their Punjab police officers, to the homes of each of the prisoners supported by Sikh Organization for Prisoner Welfare (SOPW) so that families could be questioned. Parminder Singh flatly refused to travel anywhere with the Government officials, and as a result he was threatened with arrest by the NIA officials.
Parminder Singh became a key member of the SOPW India team after he was released from jail in 2010. He had been held on remand accused of arms possession, and attempted murder, at Nabha Jail in 2007. When his case finally reached court, he was acquitted of the charge of attempted murder, but found guilty of arms possession. He always strenuously denied all the charges registered against him, and explained the weapons, which he was charged with possessing, were in fact planted at his house by Punjab police officers prior to his arrest.
SOPW supported Parminder Singh while he was in Jail, and while his mother was very ill, and alone at home. During his time in prison, he saw for himself the remarkable seva (selfless service) undertaken by SOPW, and the huge difference it made to the lives of the prisoners. It was then that he promised his fellow Sikh political prisoners, some of who were serving lengthy sentences, that upon his release he would join the SOPW team, and take the message of the plight of Gursikh prisoners languishing in jail to the rest of the world. Like Bhai Balbir Singh Bains, who founded the SOPW, Parminder Singh was severely tortured, and then thrown into prison without any legal support. When the SOPW was made aware of his case, the process of support began immediately, with lawyers instructed to take the case to court .
It has been over three years since Parminder Singh was freed, but due to the extreme torture inflicted upon him, he has never returned to his former health and fitness. Since his release, he has been blighted by periods of ill health, and despite pleas that he take time to rest, and seek medical advice for his condition, he spends all day fulfilling his panthik duties. If he is not meeting with prisoners, or their families, he is organizing SOPW teams for forthcoming projects or meeting with lawyers or other Panthik figures. Frequent visits to prisons far from his home means that he often returns home late at night, and is out to work again at the crack of dawn. Often he has to spend the night sleeping in a local gurdwara, or on the bench at a bus stand while waiting bus to arrive in order to travel home the next morning. What little time he has at home is spent caring for his ill mother, or writing reports to share with the Sikh congregation. His own health, and well being, is always at the bottom of his list of priorities.
Given Parminder Singh’s own experiences of the Indian authorities, he felt insulted at the National Investigation Agency’s request that he accompany them to what he believes is a cross examinations of prisoner families. He explained that under no circumstances would he ever wish to be seen riding around in police vehicles, or sipping cups of tea, and appearing to be on friendly terms with them. He went on to say any police force, or agency, employed by the corrupt Indian Government could never have at heart the best interests of poor, or suffering citizens. He expressed belief that officers would happily sink to any moral depths in order to please their superiors, and that links with such people amount to nothing less than treachery. He told the officers that if they felt it compulsory that he accompany them, then they would need to handcuff, and forcibly take him, but refused to be seen willingly associating with them.
Enraged at Parminder Singh’s stand, the false new professional guise of the NIA department suddenly fell apart, and out came the notoriously familiar Indian Police behavior. The officers threatened Parminder Singh with arrest, and 10 days reprimand, meaning ten days of torture in an interrogation center while hidden away from the public eye, and media attention.
Parminder Singh has become well versed with the antics of the NIA, it was only last year that they thoroughly investigated the work of SOPW. The team fully co-operated, providing all evidence of financial transactions, and documents relating to the registry of the charity etc. However, months later, after having left no stone unturned in their investigation, the NIA found not a shred of evidence to support the ludicrous accusation’s by the Indian Government, that SOPW fund terrorists, and the investigation was scaled down. The NIA had to return to Delhi empty handed. However, in recent weeks the NIA apparently have invented new grounds upon which to escalate their investigation, and are back again in Punjab sniffing for anything that could lead to the halting the work of the SOPW, so as to leave Sikh prisoners and their families unsupported, and destitute.
NIA officials have repeatedly been invited to come forward, and facilitate a meeting with senior members, and trustees of the SOPW, so that this matter can be resolved once and for all.
SOPW take threats, and attempts of intimidation towards any team members extremely seriously. The matter has been passed to the SPOW legal team who will investigate this new phase of NIA harassment towards the SPOW team, prisoners, and families, supported by SPOW.
