Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa released by police

Ludhiana: In an exclusive update shared through social networking website Facebook, Bibi Mandeep Kaur Dhillon, the daughter of Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa (on hunger strike since January 16) and sister of Ravinderjit Singh Gogi (a U.S. citizen indefinitely detained in India, without arraignment, since February 26), writes —

“I want to share the latest updates regarding my father and brother with you. My father, Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa, was released from unjust detention on 04/23/2015. My brother, Ravinderjit Singh Gogi, still remains unjustly detained as I write this note.

Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa at his home after being released by Ludhaina police [Photo: April 24, 2015]

“In the evening of April 23, the Ludhiana Police Authorities told Bapu Surat Singh, who was unjustly and inhumanely detained at Ludhiana Civil Hospital since February 26, that they were releasing him and allowing him to go home after dropping the false and preventative (meaning he had not actually committed a crime) charges framed under CPC sections 107 (“apprehension of breach of peace and tranquility of an area”) and 151 (“arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences”).

“My sister, Sarvrinder Kaur, was returning from New Delhi after meeting with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, when police called her to inform her of our father’s release. She then arranged for our father to be taken home to Hassanpur, Ludhiana. However, although he is home, he is is virtually under house arrest as there are 15-20 officers from Punjab Police, IB, and CID who are guarding my family’s house. Additional officers are blockading the village. My sister messaged me to say that police came by to ask if our father has started eating. However, that was not a condition for his own release and he has reiterated his call for the release of all political prisoners who have completed their sentences, promising to remain on hunger strike until that demand is met.

“I know how hard these past few months have been for my family. Can you imagine those families that have lost their loved ones for 20-25 years? One prisoner named Gurdeep Singh is in Karnatka jail and has forgotten Punjabi (his mother tongue). Since the family is so poor, his mother was only able to visit him twice in the past 25 years and during the visits he didn’t know what she was saying and couldn’t communicate with her. Another prisoner, Mr. Asa Singh, is 94 years old and yet this elderly man remains languishing behind bars. My heart cries out for these families.”