H S Dhami, spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh, and SFHR chairman Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema said the British took it�from Maharaja Duleep Singh�deceitfully�at the time of the fall of the Sikh empire. They said neither India nor anyone else can claim�these remnants of the glorious Sikh past.
The Sikh claim of ownership is�based on the fact that the priceless jewel was given to Maharaja Ranjit Singh by Shah Sooja in 1813�as a prize for helping him in his hour of need after the Shah was ejected from Kabul by his brother Mehmud. Since then the Kohinoor became a part�of the Sikh Kingdom, until�it was taken by the�British, they claimed.
Kanwar Pal Singh said Sikhs should oppose any move that could land the diamond in the possession of New Delhi. �”Given our experience with India, which has neither documented nor displayed nor even acknowledged the rare manuscripts and religious artifacts looted by its army and agencies after the attack on Darbar Sahib in June 1984, Sikhs feel that the diamond was safer in Britain’s hands than in India�s,� he said.�
The leaders were of the view that even the SGPC can’t represent the collective will of the Sikh Diaspora.�”Its present management is in the wrong hands. The hands and minds that control and runs its affairs are aligned with the right wing ruling Hindutva party,” said Dhami.
Advocate Cheema urged Sikh populations in the UK, especially the Federation of Sikh Organizations (FSO), �to convey to the British government that the Sikhs would deal with this� matter once they regained sovereign rule.�