London: A 68-year-old Indian-origin Sikh man has been sentenced to 18 weeks in prison in the UK for posting hateful social media posts against the Dalit community. Amrik Bajwa, 68, of Bowyer Drive, Slough, has been arrested by public communications network Thames Valley Police. Convicted in one case of giving objectionable/eel/dangerous messages through electronic means, has been sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment for which he has pleaded guilty before the court.
Bajwa posted a video on Tiktok on 19 July 2022 which was derogatory to the Sikh community. He was arrested on July 22, 2022. The UK-based Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA), which brought Bajwa’s TikTok video to the notice of the police, said the content was highly toxic, racist and casteist and targeted Dalit communities. ACDA said, Bajwa threatened to rape women from Dalit communities, which is an insult to them. He had claimed that he had raped their daughters, sisters and mothers in the past. The ACDA welcomed the sentence saying that the jail sentence reflects the seriousness of the damage caused to the Dalit community by Amrik Bajwa’s video.
The case first went to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charge decision, but was later referred to the Attorney General for a final decision.Earlier, Gurvinder Singh Luthra, of West London, was arrested in 2021 for being abusive and threatening on social media. He received a 16-week suspended prison sentence for making and sharing the video. Thames Valley Police launched their investigation after several communities, including ACDA, came together and complained against Bajwa’s actions.
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