Militants Reportedly Shot Activist Charanjeet Singh in His Own Grocery Store
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to the reported militant attack that tragically claimed the life of UNITED SIKHS Volunteer Charanjeet Singh, 52, the global nonprofit organization today urged United States and Pakistan government officials to provide necessary security measures for the local Sikh community.
Immediately after news of the crime broke, UNITED SIKHS reached out to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Peshawar Mayor Muhammad Asim Khan, the U.S. Consulate, Dept. of State and Commission on International Religious Freedom to address the heinous violation of human rights.
“We call upon the government to urgently implement additional security measures to protect the Sikh community, as we are in a state of shock at this horrific crime," said UNITED SIKHS Pakistan Coordinator Herdyal Singh, who is related to the victim. “Our International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy legal division is actively working with local authorities to ensure the perpetrators are apprehended swiftly and justice is served. We ask anyone with any information on the attack to come forward.”
A father of three (one daughter, 16, and two sons, 18 and 20), Charanjeet Singh opened his shop in Peshawar to provide for his family. He volunteered with UNITED SIKHS on a number of international relief efforts, including assistance programs for Pakistan’s internally displaced people. He is being remembered by the community as a beloved human rights and interfaith activist.
In light of this tragic news, UNITED SIKHS also remind the global Sikh community to be vigilant against hate crimes and report them immediately to our ICHRA legal team via the online reporting form: http://www.unitedsikhs.org/hate_crime/usa/hc.php
ABOUT UNITED SIKHS UNITED SIKHS is a United Nations-affiliated, global charity that advocates for civil and human rights. Our International Civil & Human Rights Advocacy helps advance the economic, social and spiritual empowerment of minorities and other marginalized groups and individuals in need, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social status, age or ability. We achieve this by protecting and enforcing the civil and human rights of minorities and marginalized groups in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
