India Arrests Two Sikh Separatist Leaders

The blog Unique Pakistan reports on the arrest in India earlier this month of two Sikh separatist leaders, Sardar Kanwarpal Singh Dhami and Dr. Jagjit Singh Chohan. In 1987, Khalistan (an area comprising pre-1966 Punjab) declared its independence from India in a so-far unsuccessful attempt to become an independent Sikh homeland. The two Sikhs arrested spoke out and organized events in support of a free Khalistan. They were charged by authorities with "sedition, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration and statements conducing to public mischief."