Sikhs condemn BJP leaders calling IPS officer ‘Khalistani’

JAMSHEDPUR: The Jharkhand Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, (JSGPC), which is the apex body of the gurdwaras of the state, has written a letter to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to take legal action against the BJP leaders who called a turban-wearing police officer “Khalistani”.
A video of a Sikh IPS officer, Jaspreet Singh, who was posted in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, went viral on Tuesday.In the video, Singh, who is posted as SSP, (IB) at Basirhat police station, is seen confronting BJP leaders for calling him a “Khalistani”.
The incident occurred when the BJP leaders led by the party’s leader in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, were staging a protest in Sandeshkhali.
JSGPC chairman Sardar Shailendra Singh said on Wednesday that the Sikh community in the country are enraged over the insult of a turban-wearing IPS officer in uniform. “West Bengal govt should take legal action according to the law of the land. We have urged the CM not to delay in taking action,” he said.
Singh said the conduct of the BJP leaders demonstrates that arrogance of power is ingrained in their psyche. The Jamshedpur Central Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (CGPC) chief Sardar Bhagwan Singh strongly condemned the BJP leader’s remarks. “The BJP should apologise to the nation for calling a police officer ‘Khalistani’,” said Sardar Bhagwan Singh. He said the BJP should also apologise to the police force of the country for dubbing an officer in uniform “Khalistani”.
The All India Sikh Youth Federation (AISYF)’s Jharkhand-Bihar unit president, Satnam Singh Gambhir, said: “Not just the Sikh community but entire police force has been insulted by the BJP leaders.”
Sakchi Gurdwara chief Nishan Singh said the Sikh community has been hurt by the incident.