Afghan Sikhs arrive in Delhi with ashes of man killed in Kabul gurdwara attack

A special flight ferrying a group of 11 Afghan Sikhs, including Raghbir Singh who was injured in the Kabul gurdwara attack, arrived at New Delhi on Thursday

A special flight ferrying a group of 11 Afghan Sikhs arrived at New Delhi from Kabul on Thursday.

Family members of Sawinder Singh, who was killed in the Kabul gurdwara attack, break down after receiving his ashes at the IGI Airport in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Photo)

Besides Raghbir Singh, who was injured in the Karte Parwan Gurdwara attack in Kabul on June 18, the Afghan carrier Kam Air flight was ferrying the ashes of Sawinder Singh, who was killed in the terror attack.

The Indian government had on June 19 granted emergency e-visas to 111 Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan, hours after a terrorist group attacked the Karte Parwan gurdwara in Kabul’s Bagh-e-Bala neighbourhood, killing Sawinder Singh and a Muslim security guard. Sawinder Singh ran a “paan” shop in Kabul and lived in the gurdwara.

Officials of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Afghan Hindu and Sikh community leaders were present at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to facilitate the arriving Afghan Sikhs. Emotional scenes were seen as Sawinder Singh’s family members, who live in Delhi, received his ashes.

SGPC funds airfare of Afghan Sikhs

The SGPC is funding the airfare of distressed Afghan minorities as a part of a humanitarian initiative taken in coordination with the Indian World Forum and Government of India. According to a release, ₹2.86 lakh were provided for the travel of the first batch that arrived on Thursday. The apex gurdwara body also reiterated its promise to provide financial aid to those seeking rehabilitation in India.

SGPC member Amarjit Singh Chawla said the group was taken to Gurdwara Guru Arjan Dev Ji at Tilak Nagar in New Delhi, where they were welcomed by community members gathered in large numbers.

Religious minorities, including Sikhs, have been targets of violence in Afghanistan. In October last year, terrorists entered a gurdwara in the Kart-e-Parwan district of Kabul and tied up the guards. In March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul’s Short Bazaar area, in which 27 Sikhs were killed and several were injured. The Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for all these attacks.