&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Not a murderer': Indian politician defends truck driver Harjinder Singh whose 'illegal' U-turn killed 3 in US")
Indian politician Harsimrat Kaur Badal has urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up Indian truck driver Harjinder Singh’s case with the United States government to ensure his rights. In a video statement, Badal urged the foreign minister to ensure that Harjinder is allowed to wear a ‘dastar’ and that “he is not persecuted as a murderer.” While Badal admitted that Harjinder committed a “grave mistake” which led to the death of three people in Florida, the Indian politician emphasised that “he is not a murderer and should not not treated as such.”
Meanwhile, Punjab Industry Minister Sanjeev Arora on Sunday (Aug 24) urged Jaishankar to intervene after the US paused work visas for foreign truck drivers. Acknowledging that Harjinder Singh is responsible for his mistake, Arora expressed concern over the impact of this decision on the approximately 1.5 lakh Punjabis working in the US trucking industry. he stressed that the actions of one individual should not lead to the collective punishment of an entire community. Arora highlighted the Punjabi community’s significant contribution to the US economy and requested the Ministry of External Affairs to engage with US authorities for clarification and resolution. Badal also quoted similar statistics and echoed the same sentiments, adding that a new language proficiency rule must be brought in.
Harjinder Singh and his ‘illegal’ entry
Harjinder Singh has been arrested in California and is lodged in a Florida jail. He is facing three counts of manslaughter and three counts of vehicular homicide, and under state law, each count of vehicular homicide can carry up to 15 years in prison. Florida officials claimed that Singh entered the US illegally from Mexico in 2018. Homeland Security later revealed he was granted a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in California and Washington. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office claimed Singh obtained a work permit during Trump’s presidency, but Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin countered that, stating his permit was denied in September 2020 and only approved in June 2021, under President Biden.
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Petition and counter-petition on Harjinder Singh
Harjinder Singh's case has sparked an online petition demanding his release as well as a counter-petition demanding his deportation. His petition demanding his release attracted over 2 million signatures as the supporters argued that the tragic incident was an accident rather than an intentional act. Supporters insisted that Singh should be held accountable, but not subjected to what they see as excessively harsh charges. In the counter petition, people demanded that he should face the US justice system, while also calling for scrutiny of the immigration status of all foreign truck drivers. They also argued that those defending Singh’s actions pose a potential risk to public safety by promoting leniency for conduct that resulted in three deaths.
