Sikhs Attacked in Haryana & Himachal Pradesh

On 10 Jun, in the late evening, 45-year-old Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Kaithal in Haryana was allegedly called a Khalistani and beaten-up. The incident took place after an argument over Sukhwinder stopping his two-wheeler close to a level-crossing and the ensuing argument got heated. The victim runs a furniture showroom in Kaithal. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has condemned the incident and the farmers unions in Haryana have expressed solidarity with the victim. On 14 Jun, Haryana police arrested the accused Ishu, a resident of Singwal village in Jind and Sunil, a resident of Shergarh village, Superintendent of Police, Kaithal, Upasana told reporters in Kaithal. On 17 Jun, a Panjab-origin non-resident Indian (NRI) Kawaljit Singh, and his Spanish national wife alleged they were assaulted by a group of men after an argument over parking when he was visiting Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh (HP). The HP  police denied the attack was because Kanwaljit is Panjabi and said the incident is not linked to any interstate or inter-community dispute. Panjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said the Panjab police will file a zero First Information Report, Amritsar Member of Parliament (MP) Gurjeet Singh Aujla and SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia have demanded action from the HP  govt. in the case. Majithia and Aujla even suggested that the attack was linked to the recent incident involving actor and BJP MP from Mandi, HP, Kangana Ranaut, who was recently slapped by a CISF woman constable at Chandigarh airport (SDW Vol. 2 Issue 24, Story 7). Though places in HP  are popular tourist spots for Panjabis, now a voice is rising on social media that Panjabis should drop HP and come to Kashmir.