Former New Zealand resident and Sikh community leader Manpreet Singh walked free on May 30, 2013 after an Indian court dropped the charges brought against him earlier by the Police.
He was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) Act on March 24, 2013 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi soon after his arrival with his family from Sydney, Australia.
He was taken into custody, while his family, comprising his wife and their two children were allowed into the country.
Manpreet faced charges of alleged seditious activities and masterminding jailbreak along with others from Sangrur prison in Punjab in 1987.
According to available information, Manpreet and 46 others, who belonged to the All India Sikh Students Federation, were arrested by the Sangrur Police 26 years ago, following an agitation. Two of them reportedly died in police custody and the others were charged and later released on bail.
He was subsequently granted a bail in 1999 after which he migrated to New Zealand.
“Manpreet fled the country and arrived in New Zealand in 1989 because he feared for his safety. The Indian Government removed his name from its ‘Black List’ and he went to India for a few weeks in 2009 and returned without any problems,” Supreme Sikh Council of New Zealand spokesman Daljit Singh said.
Wide support
He also mentioned that several organisations including his Council, six Sikh Gurdwaras, the New Zealand Kabaddi Federation, Indian Overseas Congress, Akali Dal Badal New Zealand had also expressed support to Manpreet.
Last fortnight, Sangrur District Additional Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh dismissed the case saying that the prosecution was not able to prove the charges despite a two-month long court trial involving 19 witnesses.
One of the main reasons for Manpreet’s acquittal was that the authorities in Punjab had not tapped the services of Interpol for about 14 years and had taken the opportunity of arresting him on his arrival in India. Further, the Indian Police were not able to provide evidence to prove their charges.
A New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade statement confirmed that Manpreet was a free man but said its High Commission in Delhi was seeking further clarifications from India’s External Affairs Ministry.
Following his acquittal, Manpreet said, “My family and I had complete faith in the Indian judicial system and I thank the New Zealand authorities for pleading to the Indian and Punjab Governments to speed up the case proceedings.”
Daljit Singh said that the decision was a big relief for the family as well as the Sikh community.
Balaji Chandramohan is our Correspondent based in Delhi. He followed the case of Manpreet Singh and filed this report soon after the District Court in Punjab pronounced its verdict.
