Three Khalistan extremists have been
sentenced for the attempted murder of popular Auckland-based radio host Harnek
Singh, who has been vocal against the ideology of Khalistan, reported The
Australia Today.
Sarvjeet Sidhu, aged 27, pleaded guilty
to attempted murder, while Sukhpreet Singh, aged 44, was found guilty of being
an accessory.
The third individual, a 48-year-old
Auckland resident with interim name suppression, planned the attack, harbouring
resentment against Harnek Singh for his vocal opposition to the separatist
movement, The Australia Today reported, citing NZ Herald.
During the hearing, Judge Mark Woolford
emphasised the need for community protection and a strong deterrence against
religious fanaticism.
The attack occurred on December 23 in
2020, when Harnek Singh was ambushed by a group of religious extremists in his
driveway. He suffered over 40 stab wounds and required more than 350 stitches
and multiple surgeries to recover.
Judge Woolford remarked, “It bears all
the hallmarks of religious fanaticism… Sentencing in this context requires a
different approach. The emphasis must be placed on protecting the community
from further violence and it is essential to send a strong message of
deterrence to others.”
Harnek Singh, also known as Nekki, had
been followed by three cars full of men before the attackers stabbed him “within
an inch of his life.”
He managed to lock the door of his
vehicle and attract neighbours’ attention by sounding the horn, preventing
potential bleeding to death from the extensive stab wounds, as per The
Australia Today.
Earlier, Avtar Singh, a former
bodybuilder, told the court he used to be friends with the man with name
suppression, however, he soon stopped associating with the man whom he labelled
a “thug” and “mafia” in 2018. “He has a way around people, especially broken
people,” Singh said.
Avtar’s friend Baljinder told the court
he’d been asked to kill Harnek, but declined. He added that on December 23,
Jaspal Singh rang him, “Job is done, he is no longer going to be on the radio.”
The report stated there is a 48-year-old
defendant (with interim name suppression) who was not present at the time of
the attack. This man, the court was told, harboured a years-long resentment
against Hranek Singh as the popular Kiwi radio host was vocal against the
Khalistan.
“Harnek Singh told the courtroom that
his opinions regarding Sikhism probably fall more along the liberal end of the
spectrum while the majority of his critics were more on the fundamentalist or
conservative side,” as reported by The Australia Today.
In a victim impact statement read aloud
by prosecutors, Harnek Singh described the ongoing fear his family faces, “My
family faces fear each day when the sun goes down.”
He expressed gratitude to the New
Zealand justice system for ensuring that “no one is above the law, not even
religion.”
Harnek Singh addressed the defendants
directly, stating, “You came to kill me. You tried to silence me. You wanted to
send a chilling message to all those who express their disagreement with your
unorthodox religious views. But you failed.”
He continued, “I will continue to
express my opinions and beliefs as I always have. The only chilling message you
have managed to send is to people with the same views and opinion as yours that
actions have consequences and that in a country like New Zealand, the law does
not bend for you if your wrongful acts are in the name of God.”
Harnek Singh’s words resonated with the
judge and he repeated them as he sentenced the defendant, The Australia Today
reported, citing NZ Herald.
The 48-year-old mastermind behind the
attack received a sentence of 13-and-a-half years, with a minimum period of
imprisonment of nine years before parole eligibility. Sarvjeet Sidhu was
sentenced to nine-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, while Sukhpreet Singh
received six months of home detention.
Notably, two men, Jagraj Singh and
Gurbinder Singh, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence, while two others,
Jobanpreet Singh and Hardeep Singh Sandhu, await sentencing early next year for
their involvement in the attempted murder of Harnek Singh.
ANI
