London: The Sikh Federation (UK) has written to Yvette Cooper, the newly appointed Foreign Secretary, urging her to urgently act on three key issues that could determine Labour’s relationship with the British Sikh community. The letter warns that unless progress is seen soon, “the British Sikh community need to see progress on these three issues or there is a danger Labour will lose the Sikh vote.”
Judge-Led Public Inquiry on 1984
The Federation’s first demand is for Labour to honour its promise of a judge-led public inquiry into UK involvement in the June 1984 attack on the Golden Temple Complex and anti-Sikh measures under Margaret Thatcher. The group noted that they have been waiting since Labour came to power and accused David Lammy of “adopting a wall of silence.”
The letter stated:
“We waited patiently for six months for action from the Labour leadership and government when they came to power to honour a promise they made in Opposition.”
According to the Federation, nearly 100 Labour MPs, including Ministers, now support the call for an inquiry, with some requesting their details be kept confidential. A “no platform” policy for silent Labour MPs has already been introduced, and further pressure is expected when Parliament returns, including backing from opposition parties.
Release of Jagtar Singh Johal
The second issue raised is the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, detained in India since 2017. The Federation expressed disappointment that Lammy failed to robustly pursue Johal’s release after he was acquitted in one case earlier this year. The letter requests reassurance from Yvette Cooper that she will push for his return and continue the monthly update arrangement promised in July, ahead of the 8th anniversary of Johal’s detention in November.The third issue concerns transnational repression of Sikh activists by the Indian government. The Federation highlighted the recent report of the Joint Human Rights Committee, published on 30 July, which named India as one of twelve countries of concern. The letter emphasized:
“Around one-fifth of the submissions published by the Committee mentioned the threat of the Indian government to Sikh activists in Britain.”
With the government response to the Committee’s report due by the end of September, the Sikh Federation reminded Cooper that the Committee’s Chair, Sir David Alton, has already written to the Foreign Office stressing the need to follow up on the Federation’s 32-page confidential submission.
The Sikh Federation (UK) has made clear that these three issues will be the test of Labour’s credibility with British Sikhs under Yvette Cooper’s leadership at the Foreign Office.
