LONDON: Seven British parliamentarians have written to security minister Tom Tugendhat requesting an urgent meeting following reports of “threat to life warnings” being handed out by UK police to several British Sikhs.
The letter, written by MP Preet Gill and signed by one peer and five MPs, all with large Sikh constituencies, states that the Osman notices come amid “increased tensions between the Indian government and its supporters and Sikh separatist activists”, and following the news of “the alleged extrajudicial killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the plot by an Indian government employee to kill the Sikh attorney and activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun last year.”
India has designated Nijjar and Pannun as terrorists.
The letter refers to an “intelligence hit list” that appeared on an Indian TV channel last year and named “20 Sikhs in the diaspora” as “enemies of the state”, including the now deceased Nijjar as well as six British Sikhs.
“Several of these figures have received threats, harassment and intimidation since, with at least some under police protection in the UK,” the letter states.
“The sudden and untimely death of Avtar Singh Khanda in Birmingham last summer… has fuelled our concerns,” the letter states. “Members of the British Sikh community have expressed increasing concern that voicing their political views will make them targets, and we do not believe that is acceptable in a liberal and multicultural democracy.”
The letter calls on the UK government to protect British Sikhs from unlawful threats or attacks.
Reacting to the letter, a government spokesperson said: “UK is proud of its diverse communities, and British Sikhs contribute immensely to the strength of our society. We continually assess potential threats in UK, and take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedom, and safety in UK seriously.”
The origin of the threat that led to the Osman notices has not been revealed by UK police.
MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi raised the issue of British Sikhs being handed threat to life notices in the House of Commons on Thursday, saying his constituent was one of the six on the “enemies of state” list, which, he said, also included Khanda, Nijjar and Pannun. He asked leader of the House Penny Mordaunt to confirm everyone had the right to “freedom of expression” in the UK, without threats of violence.
Mordaunt replied: “Where there are issues with foreign governments, the foreign secretary and his ministers will raise them directly in bilateral meetings. We have sadly seen interference in some cases from a number of state actors from China and Iran, as well as the cases to which he refers,” she said.
The letter, written by MP Preet Gill and signed by one peer and five MPs, all with large Sikh constituencies, states that the Osman notices come amid “increased tensions between the Indian government and its supporters and Sikh separatist activists”, and following the news of “the alleged extrajudicial killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the plot by an Indian government employee to kill the Sikh attorney and activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun last year.”
India has designated Nijjar and Pannun as terrorists.
The letter refers to an “intelligence hit list” that appeared on an Indian TV channel last year and named “20 Sikhs in the diaspora” as “enemies of the state”, including the now deceased Nijjar as well as six British Sikhs.
“Several of these figures have received threats, harassment and intimidation since, with at least some under police protection in the UK,” the letter states.
“The sudden and untimely death of Avtar Singh Khanda in Birmingham last summer… has fuelled our concerns,” the letter states. “Members of the British Sikh community have expressed increasing concern that voicing their political views will make them targets, and we do not believe that is acceptable in a liberal and multicultural democracy.”
The letter calls on the UK government to protect British Sikhs from unlawful threats or attacks.
Reacting to the letter, a government spokesperson said: “UK is proud of its diverse communities, and British Sikhs contribute immensely to the strength of our society. We continually assess potential threats in UK, and take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedom, and safety in UK seriously.”
The origin of the threat that led to the Osman notices has not been revealed by UK police.
MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi raised the issue of British Sikhs being handed threat to life notices in the House of Commons on Thursday, saying his constituent was one of the six on the “enemies of state” list, which, he said, also included Khanda, Nijjar and Pannun. He asked leader of the House Penny Mordaunt to confirm everyone had the right to “freedom of expression” in the UK, without threats of violence.
Mordaunt replied: “Where there are issues with foreign governments, the foreign secretary and his ministers will raise them directly in bilateral meetings. We have sadly seen interference in some cases from a number of state actors from China and Iran, as well as the cases to which he refers,” she said.