A 57-year-old kidnapped Sikh activist, was found dead in California  Avtar Singh, who was kidnapped in broad daylight from a gurdwara in Tracy, US, has been found dead, police have confirmed, though a formal identification is pending.  Tracy is a rapidly growing city in California's San Joaquin County.  Avtar Singh, a longtime sevadar at the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash complex in Tracy, was reportedly kidnapped last week by three men dressed in dark clothes. 

CCTV footage cited by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office shows Singh being forced into a white SUV. Authorities said he appeared to enter the vehicle against his will.  Officials began investigation later that evening after responding to the 16000 block of West Grant Line Road in Tracy regarding his disappearance.  A body was found along State Highway 128 near Lake Berryessa in Napa County, prompting road closures between Monticello Dam and Wragg Canyon Road.

The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said the case has been turned over to San Joaquin County authorities and indicated that the person did not appear to have died in Napa County.  While officials have not formally confirmed the identity of the deceased, friends and community members said Singh has died. A GoFundMe page set up for his family states that he leaves behind wife and six-month-old triplets. 

Singh served the Tracy gurdwara for more than 20 years as a dedicated volunteer and 'langri', and was known for his humility and devotion. Community members described his death as a devastating loss that has shaken the local Sikhs.  Mostly, the members of Sikh community, living abroad, are mostly under threat from Indian Hindutva RSS-dominated agency, RAW, on demand of their separate Sikh identity and a separate Khalistan state. 

On 18 June 2023, Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot and killed in his pickup truck by two masked gunmen in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia when he walked out of the gurdwara.  The 45-year-old activist was a prominent member of the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and was organizing the Khalistan Referendum campaign. The Indian government was involved in the fatal shooting of a Canadian Sikh leader. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)