Sikhs fear for their safety, MPs tell minister

Sikh activists protesting outside the Indian High Commission in London

MPs from constituencies with large Sikh communities have met Security Minister Tom Tugendhat to discuss safety concerns of their constituents.

Earlier this month, it was reported that several supporters of an independent Sikh homeland were warned that there were threats to their lives.

One MP said concerns were widespread among British Sikhs, including among those who were not activists.

Sikh groups blame India. There has been no official confirmation.

Fears have been growing following global incidents relating to Sikh activists.

In September, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there were credible reasons to believe the Indian state was involved in the death of a Sikh activist outside a gurdwara in a Vancouver suburb.

The Indian government also strenuously denied the accusations.

Then in November, US prosecutors said an Indian agent had been behind an unsuccessful plot to kill a Sikh separatist in New York.

"This is really serious information," says Preet Kaur Gill, the MP for Birmingham Edgbaston who led the group that met the Security Minister.

Ms Gill says the concerns are widespread among British Sikhs - including among those who are not involved in activism.

"I am getting lots of people coming to my constituency who travel back and forth to India saying, 'we're really worried in a way I've never ever been worried before'," she said.

"What the Sikh community is rightfully seeking is assurances that threats are being dealt with swiftly and very, very seriously by this government."

The eight MPs at the meeting urged the security minister to clarify what kind of police protection the activists whose life is deemed in danger should receive, and raised the case of Avtar Singh Khanda, a Sikh activist who died suddenly in Birmingham last spring.

Mr Khanda had been investigated by Indian intelligence services after he took part in a protest in front of the Indian High Commission in London.

His family says that he had been threatened before his death, and that his relatives in India had been harassed by the police.

West Midlands Police concluded that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Khanda's death. His family has called for an inquest.

Ms Gill says she asked the security minister to visit the local community to explain what had been done to look into the matter.

A spokesman for the government told the BBC that it "continually" assesses potential threats in the UK, and that it took "the protection of individuals' rights, freedom, and safety in the UK seriously".

"The UK is proud of its diverse communities, and British Sikhs contribute immensely to the strength of our society," it added.

- additional reporting by Sara Monetta