A New Delhi-based Sikh group has taken up concerns of the Sikh diaspora with the Indian envoy in the US , including the inability of several of them to visit India after they sought political asylum in the US, Canada and other countries during the turbulent years of the 1980s.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) President Manjit Singh GK led a delegation to Washington on Monday and met India’s Ambassador to the US Arun Kumar Singh.
In a letter presented to the Indian envoy, Singh raised concerns of the Sikh diaspora settled in the US and those who are “covered in the black list” of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
The letter also stated that a large number of Sikh families have been denied visa to visit India “without being given a valid reason” and their “cases are dealt with unjustified discretion.”
Singh told PTI that he was assured by the Indian Ambassador that the matter will be taken up with the concerned authorities within the Government of India.
In the letter, the DSGMC cited the “turbulent era” of the 1980s-1990s, including the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, following which a large number of Sikh families had migrated to the US, Canada and other countries seeking political asylum.
The top DSGMC official sought the Indian ambassador’s intervention to resolve the issue at the earliest and to ensure that Sikhs are able to visit India.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)