By Hans Paul Sandhu
NEPEAN, Ontario, (Canada): On June 26, 1989, Her Excellency, The Governor General of Canada Awarded the medal of bravery to Mr. Roop Singh Sandhu.
Roop Singh saved the life of a three year old child who had fallen from an apartment balcony on May 28, 1988, in Toronto Ontario. The little boy had pushed a chair onto the balcony and climbed on the railing where he lost his grip and was dangling over the edge. Mr. Sandhu heard screams, raced toward the building and stood beneath the balcony. Within seconds the 16 kilo child fell. Roop Singh managed to break the child’s fall. The child suffered only minor injuries.
Mr. Sandhu was cited for valour by the Toronto Police. The Mayor of North York, Mel Lastman, gave him a Life Saving Award on June 11, 1988.
The Macauliffe Institute recognized Mr. Sandhu’s act of bravery at their Symposium in Toronto, August of 1988.
The Sikh community should be very proud of Roop. He is a national hero, a celebrity. He came to Canada from India less than four years ago.
There is another man who deserves an honorable mention in the Roop Sandhu story. Bikram Singh Basarke read the story. A real hero had emerged at a time, when Sikhs were being maligned by the Indian government as well as Canadian media.
The Macauliffe Institute award came because of Basarke’s lobbying, recommendation for a Governor General’s Medal, and lobbying different groups to support his recommendation. The Canadian Ethno cultural Council, NACOI, and the Ottawa Sikh Society, as well as many friends also wrote in their support.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 25, 1989
