MELBOURNE – Protest against the alleged torture of UK national Jagtar Singh Johal alias Jaggi in Punjab Police’s custody reached Australia. Indian high commissioner and consul general faced protests when they went to a Gurdwara in Tarneit, a suburb of Melbourne in Australia on Saturday.
The protesting Sikhs raised the issue of alleged torture of Jaggi and claimed that fresh round of hounding of Sikh youths had started in Punjab. The incident happened outside the main hall of the Gurdwara.
On Saturday, as Consulate General Manika Jain reached the Tarneit gurdwara some Sikh youths started raising slogans of ‘Free Jaggi now’.
Speaking to her they alleged that not only Jaggi was tortured but several other Sikh youths were being prosecuted in the state. After some time, the Indian High Commissioner AM Gondane also reached there and he also faced similar slogans and questions.
The protesters also said the Indian officials could visit the Gurdwara anytime as devotees but they would protest if they would use the visits to Gurdwaras with a purpose of keeping tab on Sikhs and profiling them.
The protesters also mentioned the massacre of Sikhs in November 1984 in Delhi and elimination of several Sikhs in fake encounters in Punjab.