Amrik Singh Bajwa has been given an 18-week custodial sentence by a United Kingdom court after posting a casteist offensive message on social media.
Bajwa was arrested following a Thames Valley Police investigation and was charged with an offence contrary to section 127(1)(a) and (3) of the Communications Act 2003 for sending an offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing message/matter, Caste Watch UK, a UK collective said on 4 April.
Bajwa posted the grossly offensive message on Tik Tok on 19 July last year.
The post deliberately targeted the so-called Chamaar’ and “Choohra’ Dalit communities hurling sexual abuse, and obscenities with threats of rape. In the Tik Tok message, Bajwa also glorified the upper caste Hindu community ‘Jat’ for sexually abusing Dalit women in Indian villages as a matter of pride.
Members of Bhagwan Valmik Sabha, Southall, Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha (UK and Europe), Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha, Gravesend, and Sikh Federation were present outside Slough Magistrates Court during the court proceedings.
“This matter first went to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision but was subsequently escalated to the Attorney General for a final decision. It is perhaps the first case of its kind in the UK where Caste based slurs and sexual hate speech has been prosecuted,” said Caste Watch UK.
“It was criminally reckless for Mr. Amrik Singh Bajwa to post this casteist material online for others to view. It shows the contempt of one caste group for another caste group, a practice familiar in countries like India, and shows signs of replication in Britain. His criminal conviction will send a strong message that such caste hate speech and abuse will not be tolerated in Britain,” a spokesperson for Caste Watch UK said.
Note: The previous headline of the news article incorrectly identified the offender as a Jat Hindu. As the convict’s religious affiliation was not disclosed, we have updated the title. We apologize for any confusion caused by the mistake.
