Manjit Singh, earlier this week, had claimed that he and his family members were attacked by Khalistan supporters outside a New York TV studio, following which he appealed to Swaraj for help and demanded action. (ANI)
The president of a prominent Delhi-based Sikh body was attacked outside a gurdwara, allegedly by a group of pro-Khalistan supporters, in the US state of California – the second attack on him in one week.
Manjit Singh GK, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), was in Yuba City to hold discussions among the Sikh community on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, which will be commemorated next year.
This is the second attack on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, he was attacked last week in New York. Singh was visiting the main Gurdwara in Yuba City, California, Saturday when, he said, a group of 30-35 people supporting the ‘Khalistan 2020 referendum’ attacked him.
“I am hurt. They pushed me and kicked me brutally. It was a brutal murderous attack,” he told PTI over phone from California. One of his associates has been hospitalised, he said. Police arrested three persons in connection with the attack, the DSGMC chief said, adding that the attack will not deter or intimidate him.
Singh said that those demanding Khalistan can continue their fight but resorting to violence is not the answer. “We are not going to shy away. We will not be a part of this fight for Khalistan,” he said.
Condemning the attack on Manjit Singh GK, DSGMC general secretary and Delhi MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that the attack was planned in connivance with international organisations. “Radical forces will never succeed in suppressing our voice. We stand in support of GK Sahab,” Sirsa said.
Meanwhile, ‘Sikhs For Justice’ (SFJ), a group demanding justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims and supporting the ‘Khalistan 2020 referendum’, in a statement issued through its legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, accused Singh and his supporters of “instigating violent attacks on pro-Khalistan activists” who were “peacefully protesting” in Yuba City Gurdwara.
(With inputs from PTI)