Tarn Taran boy died in US prison: Association

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 9

The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) has claimed that an Indian-origin Sikh boy, identified as Simratpal Singh (21), died in the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at La Paz County Jail on May 3, 2019. The cause of death had not been ascertained, it said.

Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director, NAPA, disclosed this to the media here on Monday.In January, the NAPA had sent a query to the ICE under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the cause of Simratpal’s death.

In its response dated March 2, the ICE stated, “Due to the open status of ongoing investigations, the ICE has determined that the information you are requesting is withholdable in its entirety… the release of (information) could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.”

Simratpal was a native of Tarn Taran. He had gone to the US via Mexico in December 2018. Chahal said Simratpal was sent to the ICE’s custody on May 2, 2019, was lodged at the La Paz County Jail while he awaited transfer to an ICE facility. During his detention, jail officials found him unresponsive.

“As per the ICE authorities, local paramedics were called, and Simratpal was transported to La Paz Regional Hospital in Parker (Arizona). Subsequently, he was airlifted to a hospital in Goodyear (Arizona), where doctors declared him dead on May 3, 2019. The ICE claimed it had notified the Indian consulate about the death,” the NAPA executive director said.

Simratpal’s sister, a resident of Tarn Taran’s Bachre village, told The Tribune, “After his arrest in Arizona, we had furnished a Rs53 lakh bond for his release. He was accused of sexual assault, the charhe he denied. We demand access to cameras installed in a bus where the alleged sexual assault took place.”