New Delhi Sikh body chief attacked by pro-Khalistan supporters in US

The president of a prominent New Delhi-based Sikh body has been attacked outside a gurudwara 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 about the 550th birthday anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak which will be commemorated next year. This is the second attack on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader. He was last week attacked in New York. Singh was visiting the main Gurudwara in Yuba City, California on 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 have 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. Meanwhile, ‘Sikhs For Justice’ (SFJ), a group demanding justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots 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 the SAD leader’s presence in Yuba City Gurdwara. Pannun said the SFJ has also filed a complaint against Singh with the US Department of Justice for violating the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) laws. He said SFJ filed the complaint against Singh for holding, attending and addressing political gatherings in the US in violations of FARA laws. “We will now ask US Immigration to take notice of illegal activities of Singh and make him inadmissible to the United States,” he added.