Radio Silence by Sikh Diaspora on Turban-stripped US Deportees

Delhi-based Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Manjit Singh GK criticized the Sikh diaspora over the mistreatment of Sikh deportees by US authorities, who were forcibly stripped of their turbans before being deported. GK questioned the selective activism of Sikh leaders in Canada, the UK, and the US, asking, ‘Where is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?’ He drew parallels to the global Sikh response to France’s turban ban, urging the diaspora to demand accountability for the humiliation faced by Sikh deportees. Over the last four decades, many in the Sikh diaspora have been vocal in their protest against India on how the country mistreats the Sikhs but this time even the diaspora in countries other than the US have maintained radio silence on how the Trump administration in the US handcuffed and deported migrants without their turbans. While the diaspora's loud demonstrations, anti-India slogans, posters, floats in parades do not affect Sikhs much in Panjab where Sikhs are a majority, it does affect the Inspora Sikhs who live outside Panjab within India and constitute about 17% of the community but are a minuscule minority everywhere. On a positive note, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has raised concerns with the US over the treatment of Sikh deportees, emphasizing the need to respect religious sensitivities. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that women and children were not shackled during deportation. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee condemned the mistreatment and provided turbans to deportees upon their arrival in Amritsar. The US has deported over 335 Indian nationals, one-third of them from Panjab, since 5 Feb. Now Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica have agreed to temporarily house some deportees as part of a broader US deportation plan. However, there has been no reported attempt by the Sikh diaspora to aid those countries to set up camps, or provide relief to the deportees.