LUDHIANA, Punjab—There is fresh outrage among the Sikhs as Punjab Police personnel tossed and desecrated the turban of an elderly Sikh outside a Police Station of Payal in the district of Ludhiana on Sunday (September 20).
As per the video going viral over social media, a number of cops are seen attacking the elderly Sikh. They thrash him ruthlessly with sticks. When the elderly man falls down in the attack, the cops start hitting him with their shoes with which they also remove and desecrate his turban. Besides, they abuse him with obscene language targeting his mother and sister. Several of the cops are also seen passing casteist remarks toward him.
As video of the attack went viral, the Sikhs across the world have turned furious over this act. Stern action is being sought against the cops guilty of this merciless act that also hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikhs.
The victim Sikh has been identified as Balbir Singh, a resident of village Bilaspur. He was amongst the residents of village Maksudra of Payal sub-division, who were staging a dharna outside the Police station over an issue of corruption by government officials. The Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) leader Manwinder Singh Giaspura was leading them.
Sikh24 has learned that a woman of the Maksudre village lodged a Police complaint against the government officials that they have charged money from her as bribery for providing her benefit of a central scheme related to house building. But the Police were not taking any action. The inaction forced them to stage a protest outside the Police station.
The cops not only thrashed the elderly Sikh man, but also physically targetted Giaspura who has also been working as a Sikh activist for the last several years and brought out the matter of the Sikh massacre of Sikhs at Hond Chiller village of Haryana. “They called me inside a room for negotiation. When I sat on a chair there, a cop strangulated me with a rope and attempted to kill me. They also abused me and removed my turban. With the grace of Guru, I managed to flee from there. After I came out, the cops attacked other persons including the elderly Sikh,” said Giaspura.
Both victims are now undergoing treatment at the local civil hospital. Apart from LIP MLA Simarjit Singh Bains, the Member of Opposition from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema also met them to inquire about their health condition.
“The fact that the cops are playing the role that the terrorists play can be gauged from this incident,” said Cheema.
Bains said, “It also reflects that there is no respect for turban of Sikhs even in Punjab. We will fight a legal battle against this hooliganism.”
