Human rights violation: Punjab CM served US court summons

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is on a visit to the United States, has been served the summons issued by a US court in a human rights violation case for alleged torture of Sikhs in his state, according to petitioners.

The summons, issued by the US district court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, were served to Badal on Thursday at Oak Creek High School, said a press statement issued by the New York-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the petitioner in the case against the Punjab chief minister.

Badal, who is in the US on a personal visit and would be attending the memorial service on Friday for six Sikh worshippers shot dead by a lone gunman in a Wisconsin gurdwara, was not available for comment.

He has time until August 30 to respond to the US court summons which alleges police custodial torture, shielding of the police officers responsible for the extra judicial killings and continuous human rights violations against the Sikh community in Punjab, said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the SFJ legal advisor.

The lawsuit has been filed under Alien Torts Claims Act and Torture Victims Protection Act.

A day earlier, Badal had told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he had not seen the summons and as such had declined to comment on the court case.