Islamabad: Pakistan's first Sikh police officer has been sacked from service for being absent from office for over three months. "Superintendent Police Traffic Asif Sadiq, after an inquiry against Gulab Singh (53) for staying absent from office over three months, has dismissed him from service. He could not defend himself before an inquiry committee," traffic police spokesperson Ali Nawaz said.
I was forcibly evicted from my house: Singh
Nawaz said Singh can file an appeal in the office of the deputy inspector general traffic police against his dismissal. Last month, Singh had claimed that he was forcibly evicted by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), the parent body of Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC) from his house in a village near Lahore along with his children and wife. Singh alleged that the traffic police SP had taken action against him on the request of the ETPB.
"The board had approached the traffic police and asked SP Sadiq to pressure me to withdraw a case against the board officials for illegally evicting me and my family members from our house at Gurdwara Janaesthan Bebey Nankay, Dera Chahal Lahore," he said.
Medical certificate presented
Singh said he had an accident and presented a medical certificate along with his leave application to the department. "Since the department had no other legal point to initiate action it chose to proceed against me on the leave issue," he said, adding he was confident that the DIG traffic would listen to him and restore him during the course of appeal.
Singh said he would not withdraw his case in the court against his and his family members' illegal eviction by the ETPB. "Even the Supreme Court has taken notice of our illegal eviction and the board is worried about that," he said.
Contempt notice issued against ETPB
The Lahore's Sessions Court issued a contempt of court notice to the ETPB, that looks after the holy-places of minorities in Pakistan, and police Inspector Imtiaz Ahmed for evicting Gulab Singh and his family members from their house. Singh is the only Sikh warden in the Punjab Traffic Police who joined the service in 2006. Singh said despite the case being pending in the session court the officials of the ETPB and police raided his house on July 10 and forcibly evicted his family, declaring that it is its (ETPB) property. He alleged the board officials and the inspector tortured him and broke his arm. "The ETBP is now justifying its action saying that this land is part of the gurdwara's Langar Hall. My grandfather had been living here since 1947 and the board had no right to seal my house despite the case pending in the court," Singh said.
