Sikhs orgs demand “urgent investigation” into death of Bhai Avtar Singh

The Sikh Council UK are among various organisations demanding a “postmortem examination” and “urgent police investigation” into the mysterious circumstances around the death of Bhai Avtar Singh Ji Khanda Azaad.

The globally respected Sikh activist and UK based community figure passed away yesterday (14.06.23) in a Birmingham hospital just a few days after being submitted due to a sudden deterioration in his health. Avtar Singh (35) was seen in good health working as a TV presenter for PBC amongst thousands at the annual #SikhGenocide remembrance rally on 4th June.

Indian media outlets and online commentators have suspiciously openly claimed Avtar Singh was poisoned. The pro-Khalistan (free Sikh homeland) activist was long the target of hate and disinformation campaigns stemming from India. However, the Sikh Federation UK have stated Indian authorities “became obsessed” with Avtar Singh in the last three months. This coincides with the #PunjabUnderSiege situation, which saw Indian authorities conduct a mass operation targeting Sikh activists, journalists and others to stem criticism of the state and growing support for the Waris Punjab De social reform movement, led by Bhai Amritpal Singh.

In April this year, the elderly mother and sister of Avtar Singh were arrested by Punjab Police, after Indian media outlets falsely reported that he was the man behind an incident at the London India High Commission which saw India’s flag briefly pulled down. Avtar Singh’s father is respected Shaheed (Sikh martyr) Bhai Kulwant Singh Khukhrana, who was killed by police in 1991 whilst defending the community from the state perpetrated Sikh Genocide, which was then at its peak. Bhai Avtar Singh moved to the UK in 2010 for his own safety, and was welcomed by panthic (Sikh path/community focused) groups.

In a statement on the issue, the Sikh Federation UK stated that such incidents mean “Indian authorities must carry the blame” for Avtar Singh’s death, due to the “immense mental and physical strain” caused to Avtar Singh for his work exposing India’s anti-Sikh human rights abuses, “especially to someone (allegedly) terminally ill with blood cancer which is being reported by the same Indian media (who were demonising him).” The community legal and political advocacy group also highlighted the presence and influence of India’s notorious NIA (National Investigation Agency) in the UK, which includes an ongoing attempt to criminalise Sikhs by circulating their pictures – which many feel is illegal – for simply attending a protest outside the High Commission.

World renowned humanitarian group Khalsa Aid also called for an “investigation and full coroner’s report” into Avtar Singh’s passing, in a letter sent directly to the West Midlands Police, whom cover the Birmingham area. Head of the aid charity, respected Sikh figure Ravi Singh, underlined a request from Avtar Singh’s family “that a postmortem be carried out urgently” whilst also highlighting that “foreign powers” have previously carried out assassinations in the UK using poison, specifying infamous incidents with “Russian death squads”.

Many Sikhs will be skeptical of whether West Midlands Police (WMP) can be trusted in such a situation due to a history of cooperation with Indian authorities to target Sikh activists. In 2018 a series of raids conducted mainly in the Midlands targeting Sikh activists saw Indian media claim they were carried out due to India’s “diplomatic pressure”. Indian media also had information on the raids (including names of those targeted) within 24-hours, which is not possible without a leak from the WMP and/or UK Counter Terror police. Those raids led to one of five Sikh men targeted facing a charge of an alleged breach of Charities Commission rules, even though the man targeted – Kuldeep aka Deepa Singh of community group Sikh Youth UK – was never involved with any charity. The case against Deepa Singh has been kept dangling over his head since 2018, with the trial for the case being constantly deferred. Read more on this story here.

Adding to skepticism around WMP’s stance on Sikh activism, there was a massive community backlash against comments by Assistant Chief Constable Matt Ward in 2021 which claimed there was a threat to the public from “Sikh extremists” in the region. No evidence and not a single incident was referenced to substantiate such a claim.

Similarly empty claims about Sikh “extremism” have been said in the last few years by Boris Johnson and Priti Patel. Articles regurgitating Indian state propaganda about Sikh issues have also become more common in UK media in recent times, exemplified by a complete hit-job on Bhai Amritpal Singh published in The Times in March, written by an Indian who had not prior nor since written anything else for the outlet. The Sikh PA remain taking up a complaint about the article with IPSO.

Speaking on the issue, Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said:

“The Sikh organisations calling for investigations into Bhai Avtar Singh’s passing are not just acting on behalf of his family, but also on behalf of countless Sikhs who want to know more about how someone can go from looking fit and healthy to passing away 10-days later. The alarming claims stemming from Indian nationalists about his passing are not just shockingly callous, but they are also alarmingly brazen, celebrating Indian agents allegedly breaking UK law to kill a citizen of the country.

“The general British public should be very worried about the possible influence of India’s regime in the UK and even beyond the circumstances of Bhai Avtar Singh’s passing, this is something that needs more focus and investigation, particularly in the areas of policing, media and politics.”

Despite his condition, Bhai Avtar Singh Ji Khanda Azaad managed to relay one final message to sangat (Sikh congregation) before his passing, which you can see below.

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