The UK Federation of Sikh Organisations (FSO) has announced a demonstration in support of activist Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa this afternoon in Birmingham.
A grandfather and American citizen, 83 year old Khalsa has been on hunger-strike for 119 days, stating he will refuse to eat until all Sikh political prisoners who have completed their mandatory terms are released.
Khalsa’s protest saw him forcefully arrested and taken to hospital by police in February, whilst his son was also detained by police for two months and allegedly tortured.
Over a dozen Sikh political prisoners remain incarcerated after officially serving their sentence. The bulk of these Sikhs have been imprisoned for over 25 years, much longer than the life sentence in India, which currently stands at 14 years.
“We are raising voice against the illegal detention of these prisoners to highlight how minorities are treated differently in India. Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa’s fearlessness in putting his life on the line to bring attention to the issue has inspired the Sikh community.
In response, we aim to make the Indian government aware of our undying support to the cause Bapu is willing to give his life for.”
The protest will see members of the Sikh Federation, the British Sikh Council and various other organisations come together, with up to 500 demonstrators scheduled to turn up.
The demonstration Consulate General of India at Birmingham on May 15th from 2-3pm.
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