UPDATE on Gurinder Singh

A few days ago, I posted a story about this young Sikh boy, Gurinder Singh who turned up abandoned in London and a family that claimed he was their kinapped son. Since then, another family, this time in Punjab, has stepped forward to claim him. The rub here seems to be that the reputed father and mother, who are separated. are each illegally in different countries. An uncle has, therefore, stepped forward to claim this unfortunate child. An uncle is, I believe, a close enough relative to perform a DNA test on. Let it be done at once! This little boy needs his family as soon as possible.

Something else seems very strange here. Gurinder seems to be either unable or unwilling to give anyone any clue as to his family. Even if he was kidnapped three years ago, I know from my experience with my own son that children of that age are quite aware of everything going on around them.. Is he just being stubborn? Or has he been so severely taumatised that he has amnesia? Or is he afraid to talk? Or is it something else entirely? This is a mystery that needs to be solved.

This seems to be the week of the exposed kesh.

From the Daily Mail:

Indian police probe 'human traffic' link to nine-year-old Sikh boy abandoned in London

Last updated at 12:10pm on 4th April 2008

Abandoned: Gurinder Singh has been unable to name any relatives to police and social workers

Police in India believe they are closer to solving the mystery of a nine-year-old Sikh boy abandoned in London.

The child, Gurinder Singh, was found in a health centre in Southall unable to speak English.

He told police he had been living in Southall for three years with his "white uncle".

However, doubts have been raised over this account due to the boy's lack of native tongue.

Since he was found, police and social workers have been trying to piece together the life of the boy, who was unable to name any relatives.

But police in India are taking seriously a claim by a family in the Punjab that the child is theirs.

At first they thought he was an orphan after he told British police that his parents had died before he came to the UK, around two or three years ago.

Police said he had never been to school and lacked the social skills of most children his age.

Kuldip Singh, a Sikh from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, Northern India, said he had no doubt Gurinder was in fact his nephew Gurinderjit.

"We have recognised the photos and the markings on him," he said. "It confirmed that the boy is our son. A DNA test could quickly confirm this."

Mr Singh, a farmer, said Gurinderjit is the son of his younger brother Mohinder. He claimed the boy's mother Deepinder Kaur, who is estranged from her husband, last month entered the UK illegally.

He said: "Kaur, along with Gurinderjit, went to Malaysia then to France and later entered England in the second week of March 2008. Gurinderjit's mother is involved in human trafficking. She abandoned him there after illegally entering that country."

Singh said the claim was being made on behalf of Gurinderjit's father who was living illegally in another western country.

"The father cannot come out openly, so being his elder brother I have come forward to claim my nephew," he said.

Local MP Avinash Rai Khanna, who is backing the family's claim, said he would be taking the case to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Police in India said they had liaised with British authorities and were forwarding information on the boy, which they said they were "taking seriously".

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Abandoned Sikh boy...

Today, at least for this post, I am taking a break from the war between Israel and Hamas with all its horrors. Yes, it continues. Of course.

Today, however, I have an update on an old story from April of last year. Does everybody remember the story of the little Sikh boy with the beautiful kesh found wandering around Southall, London? If you don't, please go and read the strange story of Gurinder Singh. The mystery of who he is and why he was alone in a strange country where he didn't even speak the language seems to have been solved by the power of DNA. (Every time I look at this picture, I have a burning desire to tie a patka on him. He looks very, very exposed and vulnerable, even with the brave smile on his face. Especially with that brave smile on his face. That mother thing, I guess!)

Read on...

FROM THAINDIAN NEWS

DNA test confirms abandoned London boy is from Punjab
January 4th, 2009 - 11:55 pm ICT by IANS
Hoshiarpur, Jan 4 (IANS) The DNA tests of an 11-year-old Sikh boy found abandoned in London last year have established that he belongs to a family near Tanda town in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district and would be returning home soon, family members said Sunday.Several families, including those from Punjab and Bihar, had laid claim to the boy after he was found abandoned in London’s Asian-dominated Southall area.

Clearly a case of rampant illegal trafficking from Punjab, the boy, Gurinderjit Singh, had no idea how he landed in London and could converse only in Punjabi in the English-speaking country.

The confirmation of the DNA tests has been informed to Hoshiarpur’s Lok Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee through an official communication.

“Our High Commission at London has informed that as per DNA report of Oct 27, 2008, Kuldeep Singh has been identified as the paternal uncle of Gurinderjit Singh,” the minister wrote to the MP.

“The child - at present under interim care of Ealing Council, London - has desired to return to India to stay with his paternal uncle. A local court has consented that the council should make plans for the child’s future and send him back to India,” according to the communique.

Kuldeep Singh, a farmer who lives in a village near Tanda town, 180 km from Chandigarh, had laid claim to the boy after media reports about him.

“We are overjoyed with this news. We are eagerly waiting for him to return and his ordeal to end,” Kuldeep Singh said from his village.

A court in London has decreed that the boy should be sent to India in the custody of his paternal uncle. It stated that the boy should not be handed over to his mother at all.

The boy is believed to have been abandoned by his mother, who entered Britain illegally through France. The boy’s father, who himself is an illegal immigrant in a European country, also could not come forward to claim his son for the risk of being deported.

All's well that ends well, right?

WRONG!

We are Sikhs and nothing can be simple and clear cut. At least little Gurinder Singh his Didi ji, Navjit Kaur, seems more interested in bringing her brother home than in using him in some sort of a power struggle. I also note in this second story, just barely mentioned, there is also a daughter missing We move on to this second story...

Also FROM THAINDIAN NEWS:

London’s abandoned Sikh boy now has family trouble brewing

January 7th, 2009 - 2:06 pm ICT by IANS -Tanda (Punjab), Jan 7 (IANS) A Sikh boy found abandoned in London last year is headed for family trouble in India even before he sets foot on home soil to be reunited with relatives.As if last year’s drama of 11-year-old Gurinderjit Singh’s mysterious appearance outside a clinic in the Asian-dominated Southall area was not enough, his maternal family has now demanded the boy’s custody.

A London court had recently decreed that the boy be sent back to his paternal family in a village near this town in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, 180 km from Chandigarh, after his DNA samples matched with his paternal uncle Kuldeep Singh.

The boy is believed to have been abandoned by his mother, who entered Britain illegally through France. The boy’s father, who himself is an illegal immigrant in a European country, also could not come forward to claim his son as he risked deportation.

But just before the boy is headed for home to be reunited with relatives, his maternal family has threatened to take legal recourse to seek his custody.

“We want his custody. We had spent money to send his father abroad. Our daughter is also missing. His (the boy’s) sister also lives with us. We will take legal help to get his custody,” Mohinder Singh, the abandoned boy’s maternal grandfather, told IANS at his home in Jalalabad village in Hoshiarpur district.

Gurinderjit’s 13-year-old sister, Navjit Kaur, is also waiting to meet up with her brother.

“I have been missing him for so long. I want to be united with him now,” she said.

But his paternal uncle, Kuldeep Singh, disputed the claim of the maternal family.

“He is being sent to us under court orders from London. No one else has any claim on him. We have proceeded legally. Where was this family when the boy was found abandoned last year. We sent DNA samples from here to get him back. A divorce case of his father and mother is already on. We will not let anyone take him,” Kuldeep Singh told IANS.

“We are overjoyed with this news of his return. We are eagerly waiting for him to return and his ordeal to end,” he said.

Several families, including those from Punjab and Bihar, had laid claim over the boy after he was found abandoned in London’s Asian-dominated Southall area last year.

Clearly a case of rampant illegal trafficking from Punjab, the boy had no idea how he landed in London and could converse only in Punjabi in the English-speaking country. Investigations into his case in London had revealed that he was abandoned by his mother after she illegally came to Britain from France.

The boy’s ordeal seems to be headed for a conclusion after the latest decree by the London court to send him back to his paternal family. The confirmation of the DNA tests was conveyed to Hoshiarpur’s Lok Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee through an official communication.

“Our High Commission at London has informed that as per DNA report of October 27, 2008, Kuldeep Singh has been identified as the paternal uncle of Gurinderjit Singh, the child - presently under interim care of Ealing Council, London - has desired to return to India to stay with his paternal uncle. A local court has consented that the council should make plans for the child’s future and send him back to India,” the minister wrote to the MP.

Dumped’ Sikh boy to return to Punjab

We have been following the strange saga of Gurinder Singh since March of 2008, nearly two years. The two most recent posts are here, in case you'd like to review the case.  Or click on "Gurinder Singh" in the labels in the sidebar.  I look forward to reading about this chapter in his life when he writes his autobiography.  How could these events possibly affect a young boy of his age?  He has kept kesh which says something.   'Dumped' Sikh boy to return to Punjab

Young Sikh boy who was found in Southall, abandoned by his parents two years ago, finally has permission to go back to the Punjab to stay with his uncle. Gurinderjit Singh who is now twelve-years-old has been given temporary travel documents by the Home He still has his long hair and has maintained his Sikh identity even under the care of foster parents. This story that shook the Sikh community in Britain and resulted in many childless couples claiming he was there son now has some consolidation for the young boy dumped by his parents. It is believed that his parents are both illegal immigrants in Europe. In an interview last year the paternal grandmother claimed her daughter has sought a better life for her son and sent him to Britain. The grandparents wanted Gurinder to come and live with them, as his elder sister has been left in their care by the parents. But Gurinder will stay with his paternal uncle, Kuldip Singh, a farmer in Punjab state. Both parents have never come forward.  The decision to allow him to return to India is the culmination of a protracted legal battle. The London Borough of Ealing took the unprecedented step of petitioning the Punjab and Haryana high court in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh over the issue. On Wednesday, the ministry of external affairs finally granted Gurinderjit an emergency certificate for travel. 'Constitutional violation' Lawyer Anil Malhotra, who represented Ealing in the court, told the BBC that "winning Gurrinderjit's right to come back to his home in India has been a major challenge". The young Sikh boy has been living in foster care in the UK, the boy had been denied travel documents because neither of his parents was available to support his application at India's high commission in London. According to Mr Malhotra, "his father Mohinder Singh is living in Italy and mother Deepinder Kaur was reported to be in the UK but had abandoned the boy and not responded thereafter". The BBC reported Following the petition filed by Ealing in November, the high court agreed that to deny Gurrinderjit a passport could be construed as a violation of the Indian constitution which guarantees every citizen the right to life and liberty. A BBC correspondent in Punjab says that while the judicial intervention seems to have nudged the Indian authorities into issuing the travel documents, they have agreed to do so only on the condition that the London Borough of Ealing would be responsible "to take the child safely and hand him over to the identified paternal or maternal guardian in India". Gurrinderjit is now expected to fly back under the care of a British social worker on his 12th birthday on 21 April.

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Could It Be?

Is Gurinder Singh really Shintu Kumar? A simple DNA test should answer this without question.

From Rediff:

Woman from Bihar claims lost London Sikh boy is her son

PTI March 26, 2008 03:36 IST

A family from Bihar claims that a nine-year-old Sikh boy found abandoned at a London bus stop last week, is their son and was kidnapped three years ago.

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the matter and has not ruled out that it could be a case of child trafficking, given that the boy apparently lived with a European for three years.

Gurrinder Singh, who speaks only Punjabi, was found in Harrington Road, Southall area last week, the BBC said.

It said one Bindiya Devi of Aurangabad town in Bihar claimed Gurrinder's name is Shintu Kumar and he was abducted on March 3, 2005. The family claimed to have seen the boy's photo flashed on a TV channel and instantly recognised him.

Bihar legislator Bhim Singh endorsed the family's claim and said Shintu was his nephew, while the Aurangabad police is reportedly investigating the matter.

Gurrinder told city police that a European in his 30s who he called 'uncle' left him at the bus stop after they had lived together for three years. The boy apparently told them that his parents were dead and the police had begun a probe into whether he was a victim of child trafficking.

Bhim Singh told BBC News that he had raised the issue in Bihar Legislative Council. "I discussed it at length with the chief minister," he said.

Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Ganesh Kumar said four people were on trial in connection with the abduction but the boy was never found.

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Nine-yr-old Sikh boy left alone on London street

This story has captured my attention. Who is this young Gurinder Singh? Why was he alone in London? Who was the 'white' uncle? We all know ' uncle' can be just about any man of his father's generation. Look at that haunted little face.

Let me be blunt. I think it likely that this child is a victim of human trafficking, probably for the sex trade. Whatever it is, our little brother needs our help. I know - courtesy of Sitemeter - this blog has regular readers in London. Somebody knows who he is and what his story is. Let's get to the bottom of this. Although it's impossible to tell for sure from this picture, it looks like Gurinder still has his kesh. The thought of some pervert...

Let's get to the bottom of this. Quickly, for his sake!

Nine-yr-old Sikh boy left alone on London street

Akhilesh Patel

Monday, March 24, 2008 (London)

It's a mystery Scotland Yard are finding hard to solve. A nine-year-old Sikh boy, who speaks only Punjabi, was left on a west London street.

The boy said he doesn't know who left him there, nor is he revealing the identities of any of his relatives. He told the police that he was brought to the UK two to three years ago but doesn't know from which country.

Southall, that has a significant Punjabi population, is worried for the boy. They want something to be done and are trying to find out more but the details of what happened are not clear yet.

The boy claimed that he was kept indoors for a long time by a white uncle. Beyond that he cannot say anything.

It was last Tuesday that Gurinder was left behind by his white uncle. Clueless, he walked into a health clinic nearby and the police were later notified.

Gurinder is now in the care of the London department of social services. Police are trying to find out how he got here. Virendra Sharma, MP, Ealing Southall said he's being looked after well.

At present the agencies are working on the child's welfare, giving him counselling, support, interpreters in Punjabi and foster parents of the same background. So support is being given.

Police are looking into the child trafficking angle and are appealing for any information about the boy.

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