A prominent Sikh human rights activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra, has earlier grabbed headlines, as Diljit Dosanjh is reportedly making a biopic on him. As soon as it was announced that Diljit Dosanjh would be essaying the role of Jaswant Singh Khalra in his biopic, a lot of feathers were apparently ruffled. This is because Khalra compiled a list of missing Sikh men after the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots and Indira Gandhi's murder because, at the time, the police were allegedly accused of staging shootouts in which unarmed suspects were killed and of detaining suspects for any reason.
Jaswant Singh Khalra was born on November 2, 1952, in Amritsar, Punjab. He served as the director of a bank in Amritsar, Punjab, during the period of military administration in that province. Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted by some people on September 6, 1995, when he was washing his car in front of his home. Later, it was discovered that Jaswant Singh had been abducted by Punjab Police agents and taken to the Jabhal Police Station.
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Although witnesses asserted that former police head Kanwar Pal Singh Gill (KPS Gill) was involved in the plot to kidnap Jaswant, authorities denied ever having him in custody and maintained that they were unaware of his background. Evidence that he was detained at a Tarn Taran police station was discovered by the CBI in 1996. The organisation suggested that nine Punjab police officers be charged with murder and kidnapping. However, it took ten years before the accused were charged.
On November 18, 2005, six Punjab police officers including Satnam Singh, Surinder Pal Singh, Jasbir Singh (all former sub inspectors) and Prithipal Singh (former head constable) were found guilty and given seven years in prison for kidnapping and killing Khalra.
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Memorial
On August 26, 2017, the Fresno City Council gave its approval to the proposal to rename Victoria Park in honour of Jaswant Singh Khalra. Jaswant Singh Khalra is like Martin Luther King Jr. for the Punjabi/Sikh community, stated council member Oliver Baines after presenting the motion to the City Council. Jaswant Singh Khalra's killer has not yet been apprehended. The investigation into Singh's case is still open.