A Punjabi man in Australia has strongly denied any link to targeted killing in India, after Indian newspapers reported his name in connection with a police investigation.
Gurjant Singh is known in Australia for his online activism, and for founding the organisation International Sikh Federation. Acknowledging the police statements and controversy, Singh has responded on social media, stating the claims amount to a “conspiracy” against him.
On Friday, news media in India reported that police in India had arrested two men they claim are members of an armed militant group.
The district police chief of Faridkot in Punjab said the men - Sandeep Singh and Amar Singh – were arrested after two firearms were recovered from them following a collision between their motorbike and an SUV on Thursday.
According to local newspaper The Tribune, the police allege that the arrested men stated when questioned, that they were in touch with Gurjant Singh, the Adelaide-based social activist, through social media and encrypted voice over internet protocol (VoIP) calls.
Police officers addressing the media in Faridkot, Punjab. Source: Supplied
Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Nanak Singh made further claims on behalf of police that the arrested duo was provided weapons to carry out targeted killings.
Dr Singh also claimed that Mr Singh was involved in the financing of armed militants allegedly involved in targeted killings in Punjab between January 2016 and October 2017. The police did not outline any evidence to support these allegations and they have not announced any charges against Mr Gurjant Singh.
Gurjant Singh is an Adelaide man who came to national attention following his outburst against Punjabi singers on social media; he also started an organisation called the International Sikh Federation.
Mr Gurjant Singh has strongly denied his involvement in all allegations made by the police, including any such incidents and any links to the arrested men.
In a statement posted to his supporters on Facebook, Gurjant Singh acknowledged his name has been linked to the investigation by police and media reports, but he contested the truth of each claim, saying the whole story is a conspiracy by his detractors.
“This is a conspiracy to derail my campaign against vulgar Punjab songs. If I ever do anything [as alleged by the police], I will own the responsibility with alacrity,” he stated.
On Sunday, Mr Singh also suggested that it’s not him but rather somebody else who goes by the same name that the police has accused of financing the arrested men.
“There are several organisations that have almost identical names and there are many who go by the same name as mine. I am not the only Gurjant Singh in Australia. So, it’s a confusion due to mistaken identity,” he said.
The police officer-in-charge of investigations, Sewa Singh Mallhi, told SBS Punjabi that it’s the Adelaide-based Mr Singh they believe was the “handler” of the arrested men. He did not disclose the nature of evidence in possession of the police against Mr Singh.
In a separate case involving a foreign national, a Scottish national of Indian origin was arrested while on a visit to Punjab for his wedding in November last year.
30-year-old Jagtar Singh Johal claims to be a social activist, making people aware of the anti-Sikh violence of 1984 in which thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed in India. He stands accused of the targeted killing of a Hindu leader in Punjab, and is awaiting trial.
Mr Johal’s arrest sparked protests by Sikhs in several countries. But The Punjab government and India’s National Investigative Agency claim to have sufficient evidence to prove Mr Johal’s involvement in the alleged crime.
