Sikhs holding protest against Indian Minister Kamal Nath at UK
London (September 28, 2010): On the visit of Indian Minister Kamal Nath’s visit to London, Sikh Federation ,UK today organized a successful protest outside the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. James (45-51 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF) between 11am and 3pm.The motive of Kamal Nath’s visit to London was to attend a Round Table Session on Highways Infrastructure at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.The protest finally forced the Minister to move the venue of Round Table Session from Crowne Plaza Hotel to Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane whereas the re-arranged meeting was disrupted by the protestors.
Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK)
Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK) stated that Kamal Nath was forced to pull out of an event at the London Business School in May 2010 fearing negative publicity because of Sikh protesters. He further stated that Sikh protests have also followed Kamal Nath in Canada and the USA in the last 12 months as the Sikh Diaspora feel increasingly frustrated that high profile figures like Kamal Nath have not been prosecuted, but in fact rewarded for killing innocent Sikhs in November 1984.
Lawsuit against Kamal Nath in US Court
The lawsuit against Minister Nath is filed under ALIEN TORT CLAIMS ACT (ATCA) AND THE TORTURE VICTIM PROTECTION ACT (TVPA) asking the U.S. Court to grant compensatory and punitive damages for Kamal Nath’s role in leading an armed mob that attacked Gurdawara Rakab Ganj Delhi on November 1, 1984 in which many Sikhs were burnt alive.
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an order in the case asking the parties to appear in the court on November 3, 2010 for a pre-trial conference to discuss “settlement, exploring contemplated motions, stipulating facts, arranging a plan and schedule for all discoveries and setting a time for trial.
The case against Kamal Nath was filed in April 2010 by plaintiffs Sikhs for Justice(SFJ), a U.S.-based non-profit human rights advocacy group and victims Jasbir Singh and Mohinder Singh.