Sikh Youth UK sevadaar speaks out after arrest for Charities Commission inquiry

Sikh Youth UK (SYUK) senior sevadaar (selfless volunteer) Deepa Singh has spoken publicly for the first time since being arrested 10 months after his family home was first raided by police.

A series of raids on the homes of Sikh activists by the West Midlands Counter-Terrorism Unit 10 months ago led to two arrests this week – revealed today to be Deepa Singh and his sister who will remain unnamed – based on an inquiry by the Charities Commission. It is unclear if the case is still being linked to alleged ‘terrorism’ or simply ‘regulatory concerns’ about SYUK’s fund raising, or both.

Speaking to select media, Deepa Singh said ‘I have been targeted because of my confrontations with police and support for Jaggi’ (Jagtar Singh Johal, the Scottish Sikh currently detained in India without charge and without any evidence presented against him).

In a video released on the SYUK social media pages, Deepa Singh stated;

‘First, I would like to thank the sadh sangat (holy Sikh congregation) that turned up yesterday to support us by standing outside both police stations and all those messaging us showing support and love, to the extent that a local Gurdwara sent langar (free communal kitchen service) so we could have langar in the police station. Thank you for all your loyalty, love and support.

‘Secondly, we have been expecting this. I have been expecting this since we took a stand against the police. There has been constant harassment for the last year, following our cars around, interrogating our families, investigating local businesses that support us, censoring our social media, people coming in to watch our talks at unis and Gurdwaras…it has been unreal. So I would like to send a clear message to West Midlands Police; for you to arrest my sister, arrest me, to collude with the torture of Jagtar Singh Johal, we are going to take a stand, we have done and will continue to.

‘The protests will not stop, and the online campaigns won’t stop, we will continue this. If we look, this has all come from the raids in September 2018. These raids were based on Indian intelligence and media reports that SYUK financially support Khalistani militancy in Punjab. They have had nine months to go through all of our financial records and transactions. Yesteday was the second raid by  now investigating goodwill donations to SYUK being fraudulently used for alleged Khalistani militancy.

‘One message back, you can make your choice, you have brains, have a look and see how deep this collusion is to defame our characters. We won’t be silenced. The movement will continue.

‘Khalistan Zindabad.’

Note – these quotes are not verbatim from the SYUK video but have been edited to read easier, with approval from SYUK.

In a statement released yesterday on July 3rd, West Midlands Police said the arrests of a 38-year-old man and 49-year-old woman came about ‘following the examination of evidence obtained during searches which took place in September 2018’, whilst also stating they have ‘been working closely with the Charity Commission on this investigation.’

Since the raids last year, property including passports, laptops and more have been taken from Sikh activists and withheld.  Although police did not confirm the names of the individuals involved, some media outlets still named and pictured Deepa Singh before he revealed that it was indeed him who was arrested. Sikh organisation the National Sikh Youth Federation led complaints about images related to the arrest showing Deepa Singh with notorious British far-right personality Tommy Robinson, taken when Robinson was working as a reporter for Rebel Media, covering a SYUK event. The SYUK have publicly denounced any support for any movements not based on Sikh centred positions, including support for Robinson’s views on Islam.

The WMP statement was followed by a release from the Charities Commission which reported a ‘statutory inquiry into funds held by and raised in connection with Sikh Youth UK.’ The inquiry is being made even though SYUK is not a registered charity because ‘the Commission has jurisdiction due to the funds being charitable.’

The Charities Commission statement also mentions that ‘The Commission has been unable to announce its investigation before now so as to avoid prejudicing criminal proceedings’ but specify the inquiry will examine;

• whether those in control of charitable funds have properly exercised their legal duties and responsibilities under charity law in the administration of charitable funds held by the organisation
• the financial management of the organisation
• whether there has been private benefit to the trustees of the organisation
• the organisation’s partnerships with other charities
• the conduct of the trustees

The arrests come after months of police being forced to abandon recruitment drives and other promotional activities at Sikh events by some Sikh activists, due to allegations the raids in September – which were also conducted by London Metropolitan Police – were done on the orders of authorities in India. These allegations were based on the fact Indian media reported an NIA (National Investigation Agency) official claiming ‘The raids were the result of diplomatic pressure created by India on the UK.’

Furthermore, respected human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce said there was a ‘paper trail’ showing that the actions of the UK police led back to the torture of Jagtar Singh Johal. One of the main issues taken up against the WMP by Sikh activists was based on this ‘paper trail’ of evidence which showed the torture of Jagtar Singh was used to obtain information to target UK activists.

The Sikh Press Association understands the Sikh Council UK have been in contact with the police about the case. The Sikh Press Association have also spoken to the Charities Commission press team to request further clarity on this case.

Further updates to this story will be provided as they come in. Follow the full timeline of incidents since the raids last year here.