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A CANDLE light vigil is being organised on January
17 by various Sikh organisations in the West to
press for release of Prof Davinderpal Singh Bhullar
and other Sikh youths languishing in Indian Jails.
As per information provided by the Sikh Federation
candles will be lit at prominent places in cities
throughout the world, including India.
Sikhs in more than 100 cities around the world
are expected to take part in the protest and will
be joined by prominent non-Sikhs, such as politicians,
human rights and trade union activists.
The worldwide protests are taking place on January
17 to coincide with the 11th anniversary of the
high profile death penalty case of Prof Bhullar.
11 years earlier on January 17, 1995, Professor
Davinderpal Singh Bhullar was deported from Germany
and was handed over to the Indian authorities.
Prof Bhullar is facing charges for making an attempt
on life of the then Youth Congress leader Maninderjeet
Singh Bitta. Bhullar is accused of planting a
bomb in the car with the motive of killing Bitta
in the year 1993 after which he fled India and
sought asylum in Germany.
In UK the candle light protests will be taking
place simultaneously in twenty towns and cities,
organised by the Sikh Federation (UK), Khalsa
Human Rights, Sikh Secretariat, Young Sikhs (UK),
Sikh Student Groups, Gurdwaras and the Sadh Sangat.
The protests are being supported by Amnesty International
and other members of the World Coalition Against
the Death Penalty.
London protests will take place in the heart of
the British political circle, that is at the Houses
of Parliament in Westminster between 5pm to 7pm.
Alongside members of public, MPs and Lords will
join Sikhs to light candles celebrating life,
freedom and opposition to the death penalty. Meanwhile,
the vigil will be organised in at least 20 towns/cities
like Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Coventry,
Derby, Gravesend, Huddersfield, Leeds, Leicester,
Manchester, Nottingham, Slough, Southampton, Walsall
and Wolverhampton.
Apart from this, Sikh organisations are also gearing
up in places like Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Liverpool and Newcastle. The organising committees
have further urged more and more people to organise
similar vigils on the same day.
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