Sukhbir Badal urges Rajnath Singh to review black list of Sikhs maintained by the Union Home Ministry

Chandigarh, December 17, 2014: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today urged Union Home minister Rajnath Singh to review the black list of Sikhs maintained by his ministry and delete all names who were not required for any crime in Punjab.

Disclosing this here today, the Deputy CM's Media Advisor Jangveer Singh said Badal had written to the Union Home minister to draw the latter's attention to the black list maintained by the Foreigners Division of the Home ministry which was causing harassment to Sikhs because it was full of discrepancies and inaccuracies.

The letter said Sikhs with names similar to those contained in the black list were being harassed at various airports. Badal said foreign nationals also did not understand differences in appearances of Sikhs which resulted in a sense of discrimination among those who were type cast as anti nationals for no fault of theirs.

The Deputy CM also brought to the notice of the Home minister that the Punjab government was continuously receiving complaints from Punjabis settled abroad that the maintenance of the black list was causing problems for everyone. "They have demanded that this list should be reviewed and even done away with", Badal said.

The letter said according to information available with the Punjab government, there were 63 foreign nationals on the black list maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs (as communicated to the Punjab government) for the purpose of visa restrictions. He said out of these the identity of 31 persons could not be ascertained in the absence of complete particulars. "Out of the remaining 32 persons also there is a need to review the list in consultation with the Punjab government for deletion of names of all persons who are not required for any crime in Punjab", he added.

Badal also brought to the notice of Rajnath Singh that presently there was no mechanism to review the black list periodically. "You would also agree that there is no tangible benefit in keeping names of persons whose identities are not fully determined on the black list. In fact the maintenance of this list has resulted in alienation of a section of Sikh Diaspora without any substantial national security advantages", he said in the letter. 

Requesting that the names of persons against whom there were no cases or legal proceedings pending should be removed from the black list, Badal also urged for a review of the list on a regular basis.

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