By A Staff Reporter
LOS ANGELES: Amrik Singh an activist of the All India Sikh Students Federation was granted political asylum by Judge Rose C. Peters, at Los Angeles on July 17.
This is the first case of a Sikh getting political asylum in the city. The immigration and Naturalization Service has not filed any appeal against the case, which again is a first according to Attorney Mohinder Singh who represented Amrik Singh.
He had been arrested at the L.A.
International Airport on March 13 by the INS while traveling on a Canadian passport bearing the name Tara Singh Rai.
Singh was an ordinary member of the AISSF from 1972 to 80. and from 80 to 82 he was an executive member.
He was arrested by the police 10 times and bears scars of torture. The police even cut his hair two times once on February 6, 1988 at Chandni Chowk in Delhi. Earlier o January 20, 1988 the hair of Amrik singh and six other Sikhs were cut by the police in Ludhiana on January 20, 1988. 8th In California The police even attempted sexual harassment of his mother. This is the eighth case in which a Sikh client of Mohinder Singh has been granted political asylum. Another case of his is now embroiled in controversy about the right of the INS to handcuff a suspect within a court.
Satnam Singh who is in INS custody, was produced before Judge Bernard Hornbach. He could not raise his right hand at the ‘swearing in because both his hands were cuffed together.
The judge asked the INS officer to open’ the handcuffs. The INS man refused to do so. He said his supervisor had asked him not to do SO.
The judge refused to hear the case.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 28, 1989
