Sikh Federation UK lead calls for Priti Patel to be sacked following #WestMidlands3 outcome
British Sikh legal and political advocacy group Sikh Federation UK have called for UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to be sacked after an Indian government appeal for the extradition of three Sikh men – known as the #WestMidlands3 – was dismissed by Westminster Magistrates Court.
At the time of writing, a petition calling for Patel’s resignation or sacking has generated nearly 7,000 signatures. Patel has been criticised by the Sikh community for her role in the case and Sikh Federation UK has said that she is conflicted in her role as the home secretary due to her “special relationship” with Narendra Modi and his nationalist Indian government.
Patel, who has openly supported the UK based HSS, an organisation that were recently exposed in a TV documentary for their extremist Hindu views, signed the extradition order in December 2020, the day after Foreign Secretary at the time Dominic Raab returned from his visit to India to negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal with India. Calls for her resignation/sacking seem to be growing as discussion about her role in the #WestMidlands3 case spreads.
“What the home secretary should have done is to say: What new evidence has come up in the last decade in relation to that case 12 years ago, and therefore it has put the community in this position, it has put those individuals, their families and their children for 10 months through this – it should never have come to court,” Dabinderjit Singh, advisor to the Sikh Federation UK, told Sikh PA.
“And we must campaign for either the home secretary to resign or admit she was wrong, because she has wasted not just community efforts, but another question has been raised about how she is already very close to the BJP government.”
He added that there are many Conservative politicians who also do not like the way Patel has carried out her role.
“This is just one other example involving our community and involving our youth about how she has put them through that. This should not be happening in the UK,” he said.
The judge presiding over the case also spoke of his embarrassment that the case had reached the Westminster court, dismissing it before even hearing the defence’s argument. Edward Fitzgerald QC, representing one of the three, said the extradition request was “made on the basis of wholly unsubstantiated allegations”.
It had been discovered the Indian government did not tell the court was that there had already been trials over the alleged murder with different suspects in India who had all been acquitted. Despite this fact, the #WestMidlands3 defence team stated India had lined up 40 other extradition attempts against British Sikhs. However, following the complete dismissal of the case against the #WestMidlands3, the finger is now being pointed squarely at the Indian and British governments instead, as to how the extradition case against the men came to be in the first place.
Human rights lawyer Gareth Pierce said that the actions of the governments involved in this case is an “extraordinarily serious matter”.
“This case was always exceptional. A request was made by the Indian govt for the extradition of three men, whom the (UK) govt must have known were innocent of the charges. They must have known because the Indian govt today withdrew the case, abandoned the case, based on having no evidence. This is an extraordinarily serious matter, that a govt knowing the evidence it has, can go against three men in another country and hope to obtain their extradition to India.“
The Sikh Federation has also called for National Sikh Police Association UK (NSPA UK) to be disbanded. Some Sikh organisations have accused the NSPA of being complicit with the Indian government in its pursuit of innocent Sikhs, whilst many more believe the organisation works only to try to hide complaints about the UK Police’s targeting of Sikh activism. The NSPA issued a statement two days after the charges were dropped, which Sikh Federation branded “self-serving” and “a disgrace”.
The association said in its statement that they “practice truth” and work towards “justice”, and have received support from “countless Panthic Sikhs, organisations and Gurdwaras across the UK”.
The statement also said that “NSPA UK members are not paid by the Indian government. Sikh officers and staff are not in collusion with the Indian government or any foreign power. Sikh officers/staff have not sought to progress their careers by ‘targeting’ certain Sikh individuals.”
The NSPA also claimed that its members were not involved in any of the raids that have taken place at the houses of Sikh activists in the recent past, or shared any intelligence that led to the failed extradition attempt.
“Instead our members have worked tirelessly for the community and have been honest and sincere in their duty and intentions,” the statement continued. “It’s very unfortunate that such goodwill was not reciprocated.”
The statement was met with scepticism by many in the Sikh community.
In response to the statement, Sikh PA senior press officer Jasveer Singh put forward three questions to the NSPA:
“Official questions I’m asking:
1) How did Indian media get classified info of the #5SinghsUK raids?
2) Why did WMP carry out #WestMidlands3 raids when the recent trial showed there was no evidence of crime?
3) Why did WMP claim UK “Sikh extremists” are a threat without evidence?“
The Sikh Federation stated that there is a complete breakdown of trust between West Midlands Police and the Sikh community because of the actions of West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, and that if Dave Thompson, chief constable of West Midlands Police, wants to start to build back trust, the first thing would be to disband NPSAUK.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!