A Sikh advocacy group has urged the US and Canada to declare Punjab Police a 'terrorist organization' after its treatment of protesting pharmacists in Mohali Monday.
In a statement here, Sikh for Justice said when pharmacists from Punjab were exercising their fundamental right in Mohali by staging a peaceful sit-in to highlight their demands a Sikh man's turban was forcibly removed by a police officer on the orders of another senior officer of Punjab Police.
"The incident proves that the (Shiromani Akali Dal) SAD (Badal) have not only failed to protect the dignity of Sikh articles of faith but they are also engaged in intentional desecration of the Sikh turban,'' the statement said. It alleged that Punjab Police "on the orders of Badal Government first cane-charged the gathering in which women were beaten mercilessly by Punjab Police.
Not satisfied after beating the women, senior officers of Punjab Police then ordered the police to forcibly remove turbans of Sikhs who were present in the gathering. "Footage with audio and video clearly showing a Sikh police officer order another police officer to forcibly remove a Sikh's turban has emerged.''
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor for the SJF forcibly, said forcibly removing the turban of a Sikh is "the worst form of religious persecution and violation of Sikh human rights, especially when it takes place in Punjab, the homeland of Sikhs under the government headed by a Sikh.''
The Sikh body said it will "approach the governments of the United States, Canada and European Union to declare Punjab Police as a 'terrorist organization' for the recent incidents of torture in custody, extra judicial killings and blatant desecration of Sikh articles of faith in Mohali.'' It said it was also considering legal action on the matter.
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