wfn.org | Sikh Community Update: ENSAAF - Sikh Falsely Arrested by

[World Sikh Council - America Region <contact@worldsikhcouncil.org>]

Statement by ENSAAF

January 6, 2006 408.727.6122

INDIAN POLICE RELEASE AJMER SINGH

(San Francisco, CA) The Indian police have released Sikh author Ajmer
Singh, arbitrarily detained the night of January 5, 2005. Despite denials
of his detention by Chandigarh and Punjab police, his lawyer Navkiran
Singh learned that Ajmer Singh was being detained by Sector 11 Crime
Branch police.  Ajmer Singh?s lawyer announced this finding at a press
conference, forcing the police to acknowledge the detention and bring
Ajmer Singh before a magistrate within 24 hours, as required by law.

There is no pending case against Ajmer Singh, and the police did not find
anything incriminating among his confiscated papers.  Thus, the magistrate
ordered the release of Ajmer Singh during the afternoon of January 6th
(local time), after announcing that the police had falsely arrested
him. Ajmer Singh was not tortured or mistreated during his detention.

The police returned the items they had confiscated from Ajmer Singh?s
study. However, during their search of his study the night before,
they thrashed the room, even tearing up documents.

As indicated in our previous communication, Ajmer Singh?s detention
was arbitrary because the police failed to invoke a legal basis for the
deprivation of liberty, violated Indian laws on arrest and detention,
and indicated by their actions that they targeted Ajmer Singh for the
exercise of his freedom of opinion and expression.

ENSAAF (http://www.ensaaf.org), a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization fighting impunity in India, works to bring perpetrators to
justice, investigates and exposes human rights violations, and organizes
survivors to engage in advocacy.

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ENSAAF ( http://www.ensaaf.org), a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization fighting impunity in India, works to bring perpetrators to
justice, investigates and exposes human rights violations, and organizes
survivors to engage in advocacy.

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World Sikh Council - America Region is not a supporter, co-sponsor or
organizer of the article(s) or event(s), unless listed otherwise.

World Sikh Council ­ America Region (WSC-AR) P.O. Box 3635,
Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA Phone: 614-210-0591, Fax: 419-535-6794 Email:
contact@worldsikhcouncil.org Website: http://www.worldsikhcouncil.org

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