Humiliation of Sikh deportees: Manjit GK asks community leaders to break silence

Delhi-based Sikh leader Manjit Singh GK has called on Sikh leaders and influencers in Canada, the UK and the US to break their silence over the humiliation of Sikh deportees in the United States, who were forcibly stripped of their turbans before being boarded onto a military plane.

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GK, a veteran Akali, questioned the selective activism of Sikh political figures in the diaspora, reminding them that Sikh rights are not bound by geography.

“Where are the Sikh MPs, ministers and activists who never hesitate to speak on Sikh issues in India? Does their voice falter when Sikh identity is trampled in America?” GK asked.

Drawing a parallel with the collective Sikh response to France’s turban ban, GK reminded the community that the fight for adorning the turban has always been a global fight.

“When France banned the turban in schools and official documents, Sikhs stood together, across borders, without bothering for visa before raising their voice. Why the hesitation now?” he said.

GK also criticised the Indian government for failing to send its own aircraft to bring back the deportees, calling it a national embarrassment. He was equally critical of Sikh American activists and dozen-plus Sikh MPs in Canada and 11 in the UK.

“If Sikh leaders in the West remain mute when our own people are shamed, they set a dangerous precedent — that Sikh identity can be violated without consequence,” GK warned.

He urged Sikh diaspora to demand accountability.