Sikhs, Muslims to protest against Modi’s UK visit

LONDON: Prominent Sikh organisations, Gurdwaras and hundreds of mosques in Britain have unanimously decided to oppose Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here in mid-November.
Sikh organisations recently met at one of the biggest European Grdwaras - Guru Singh Sabha, Southall - to discuss the Sikh response and plan of action for the upcoming visit of the Indian premier.
Gurjeet Singh of the Sikh Federation (UK) told this correspondent that various forms of protest have been organised “ranging from Parliamentary meetings to mass demonstrations on the 12th and 13th November”.
He said that protests against Modi by non-Sikh Muslim and Indian organisations will be supported “as part of the overall strategy”.
Kashmiri youth leader Fahim Kiani informed that over 200 mosques, including Indian Gujarati Muslim organisations, had held meetings to devise a strategy to oppose visit by Modi who is widely blamed for the genocide of over 2,000 Muslims in Indian Gujarat a few years ago.
“Committees have been formed and the response is impressive. Thousands of demonstrators will come to London from all over the UK to show to the Indian government how widely hated Indian chauvinist government is. It’s leader Narendra Modi is a racist and mass murderer. He should be behind the bars for his crimes against innocent people.
He should not be welcomed,” Fahim Kiani said. He said that Kashmiri organisations were leading the charge against Modi as “under him, the genocide of Kashmiri Muslims has gone up and there is more repression in Kashmir than at anytime before”.
Sikh organisations have said that they want release of Sikh political prisoners; justice for the Sikh Genocide of November 1984; prosecution of police officers involved in human rights violations in Punjab; UN-led inquiry into the 1984 Sikh Genocide orchestrated by the Congress Party; and application of self-determination to the Sikhs, and the legitimate demand for a Sikh homeland.
Sikh organisations have said that they will first give the Indian authorities a chance to listen to their demands and accept that but if no action is taken then protests will go ahead at any cost.
Fahima Kiani said that mosques have started raising awareness about Modi visit and why his visit must be exposed.
He said that Modi has launched crackdown on all kinds of minorities in India and its important that all communities come together to oppose his “fascism”.