Bandi Singh Protesters Caned; Sikh YouTube Channel Blocked & Restored

On 7 Jan, hundreds of protesters under the banner of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha (Community Justice Front) clashed with police near Chandigarh while attempting to march toward Panjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann’s residence. The protesters were demanding the release of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) who have completed their sentences, along with justice in past sacrilege and police-firing incidents (WD Vol 2, Issue 25, Story 6). Police tear gassed them, used water cannons and cane charged the crowd to disperse them, resulting in many injuries, including to three police officers. Tarsem Singh—father of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh—claimed he was placed under house arrest in Amritsar to prevent him from attending the protest. All major entry and exit points from SAS Nagar towards Chandigarh were sealed. Police from SAS Nagar and nearby districts were deployed and many roads leading to Chandigarh from SAS Nagar were barricaded completely, leaving commuters stranded. There were massive traffic jams on the inner roads of the city as commuters tried to find alternative routes for their work. Amid these developments, on 7 Jan, Sikh Siyasat (politics) News (SSN) experienced an abrupt removal of its long-standing YouTube channel. YouTube informed the SSN editorial team that someone had hacked the site and violated YouTube community standards. While earlier bans on SSN were country specific, this time it was worldwide. Parmjeet Singh Gazi, SSN’s chief editor said, ‘Upon learning of the channel’s removal, we immediately launched an investigation and determined that it had indeed been hacked. We then raised our concerns with YouTube.’ The channel was restored by YouTube on 9 Jan. However, the exact source of the hacking remains unidentified. Gazi mentioned an internal cybersecurity audit is underway to identify any vulnerabilities and address potential security lapses.