61 Days Hungry for Human Rights -Activist’s Supporters Evicted from Protest Site in New Delhi
As the hospitalized human rights activist, Gurbaksh Singh began his 61st day of hunger to free the unjustly detained prisoners in India, his supporters have taken the protest to New Delhi after being forced out from their 60 day camp in the northern state of Haryana.
A few hours after they submitted their paperwork necessary to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar, the official New Delhi venue designated to hold protests and accommodate up to 5000 people, the Delhi Police detained all of (less than a dozen) Gurbaksh Singh’s supporters at a Police Station.
After hours of detention they were asked to leave the protest site or face arrests. They were told that they will not be allowed to camp anywhere in New Delhi in the wake of the U.S. President’s scheduled visit to India on Jan 26th. One of the supporters was on the hunger strike for the third day as this happened.
Desperate for a venue, the team asked for Sikh organizations throughout the city to help. Late in the night they were invited to move their camp to a local Gurdwara in West Delhi.
However, less than 24 hours later they are being asked to leave, now from their new home. The team was told that all Sikh organizations in New Delhi are being pressured to not support them.
The team spokesperson Gurpreet Singh questioned, “As a minority in India, we have no rights, not even to a peaceful protest. We have not been allowed to protest at designated protest sites, we have been forced out of our religious places, in all three states, where do we go?”
In the meanwhile protests around the world continue. Yesterday, hundreds of Australian activists gathered in front of the Canberra Indian Embassy. Ottawa Sikhs completed day 22 of chain hunger strike outside Indian embassy in solidarity with Gurbaksh Singh and his movement. Support marches throughout the Indian state of Punjab are being carried out every day.
Gurbaksh Singh is demanding the release of political prisoners who have been held for many years beyond the completion of their minimum sentences. You can read more about his movement here.
(Read about Delhi Police’s advertisement to invite people to protest at Jantar Mantar here.)
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