By Gurmukh Singh, IANS
Toronto : Failed refugee claimant Laibar Singh, who was twice stopped from being deported by his supporters and is now hiding in the sanctuary of a Sikh temple in Canada, has only himself to blame for his predicament.
Indo-Canadians who have been following Singh’s case told IANS that his poor police record in India and contradictory statements before Canadian authorities made him suspect, leading to the rejection of his case for refugee status.
Singh had entered Canada on a fake passport in 2003 and sought refugee status before aneurysm left him paralysed in 2006. Having lost his case and exhausted all his appeals, he was ordered deported last July.
Since then, his supporters have kept him hidden in different gurdwaras, won him three court stays on his deportation order and twice foiled police bids to deport him.
They say Singh should be allowed to stay on compassionate grounds since he will not get proper medical care in India.
However, sources familiar with Singh’s case said there are as many 35 points that go against him. His statements to immigration authorities are contradictory. When he entered Canada, he said he was not affiliated to any organization in India. When he applied for refugee status, he said he was affiliated to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
The BSP letterhead he gave had phone numbers that turned out to be wrong when a judge got them verified.
The sources said Singh’s poor police record in Punjab also went against him.
Singh, a former soldier, was arrested for alleged possession of illegal weapons. Residents of his Punjab village arranged for his release. Later, a fugitive who had escaped from police custody was reportedly found at his home, leading to his arrest again. Singh was beaten up and kept in police custody for five days, but released when his neighbours vouched for him, a source said.
Unable to meet his legal expenses, Singh is said to have fled from Punjab to neighbouring Rajasthan state.
He was to pay Rs.50,000 in legal fees in Punjab to fight his case when he fled to Rajasthan, where he paid Rs.800,000 to an agent to come to Canada on a fake passport.
The sources are asking how someone who could not raise Rs.50,000 to pay lawyers could raise Rs.800,000.
Meanwhile, the president of the Surrey Sikh temple where Singh is currently sheltered told IANS Tuesday that they are “ready for the long haul” to keep the disabled man in Canada.
“We don’t know what the government will do next as the deportation order stays,” said Balwant Gill, the president.
Asked whether his supporters will again block the police in their bid to arrest Singh for deportation, Gill said: “No comments. But I am against any unlawful thing. They (the police) can come any time and we will cooperate. And it is up to the people how they react.”
A widower, Singh has four children in Punjab.