Bapu Surat Singh Stuck With Hefty Hospital Bill After Forceful Detention

Posted: 15 Jul 2016

LUDHIANA, Punjab—The Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMCH) has asked Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa to pay Rs. 16 Lakh (approximately $25,000 USD) in hospital bills.  Bapu Surat Singh has been detained at the DMCH several times since June 2015.  He has been force fed by the hospital authorities on orders of the Punjab Government.
Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa was last detained at the DMCH Intensive Care Unit on June 27 as he had fell unconscious.   Large police deployment surrounded his home and broke in forcefully.  The entry door, which was locked, was smashed and several belongings of the family members were taken.
While Bapu Ji is conscious now, he is still not being discharged despite repeated requests.  Ravinder Jeet Singh Gogi, told Sikh24 that a peaceful protest is being organized tomorrow, July 16, outside the DMCH against his father’s forceful detention.
Gogi had earlier told Sikh24 that “anytime the court date nears, they [the police] drop Bapu Ji off at his home in Hassanpur but later pick him up again after the court date.”  A petition is pending in the Punjab & Haryana High Court, which was filed in May 2016 by Bapu Surat Singh, asking the court to allow him to be discharged from the hospital.
Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa has also issued a press note stating that he is on a “fast till death” and he should not be given any medical treatment.  “If anything happens to me, the Punjab Government will be responsible for ignoring my plight for the political prisoners,” Bapu Surat Singh had told Sikh24 earlier in April 2016.
In January 2015, Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa went on an indefinite fast until death to seek release of political prisoners languishing in Indian jails despite having completed their sentences.  Till date, the Punjab Government has held several meetings with delegates appointed by Bapu Surat Singh, however, no action has been taken by its officials.