Mother of Sikh activist finally released after eight months imprisoned

The mother of a popular Sikh activist has finally been released on bail after over eight months of detainment by Indian authorities based on obscure charges.

50-year-old Jasvir Kaur is the mother of 28-year-old Jagmeet Singh, who became an icon of the #FarmersProtest movement after he was videoed walking through water canons fired by police at protesters as they headed towards Delhi from Punjab. The two were arrested for sedition on 26th December 2021, based on as of yet unproven claims they both were supporting the Sikhs For Justice Khalistan referendum, which is a democratic vote campaign that is illegal in India.

Whilst supporters of the #FreeSikhPoliticalPrisoners movement have welcomed her release, her initial detainment has been recognised by most as continuation of India’s policy of targeting not just Sikh activists but their families too. Concerns about Jasvir Kaur’s treatment inside have also been raised, due to the countless accusation of sexual abuse of female prisoners against Indian authorities such as prison guards and police officers.

India has categorised the SFJ referendum as an illegal terror campaign and has arrested countless people for even posting about it on Facebook, despite the fact it is entirely peaceful and within accepted democratic practice, verified by a group of world renowned democratic experts that oversee the campaign as the Punjab Referendum Commission. It is unclear if Jagmeet Singh has any connection to the campaign, with many suspecting the arrest of him and his mother is more connected to his status as a respected Sikh activist and Indian state attempts to continue to associate the movement with Khalistan.

Jasvir Kaur was released from Gurdaspur jail to a welcoming party from local Sikhs, who gave her a siropa (shawl-cloth given as a sign of respect in Sikh culture) for her bravery in bearing the imprisonment.

Jasvir Kaur’s son Jagmeet Singh and a family friend named as Ravinder Singh (23) remain imprisoned. The next stages of the investigation’s into Jasvir Kaur’s alleged support for a democratic Khalistan referendum remain unclear.