Kaur concerns: Grooming crisis faces Sikh diaspora, alleges BJP

Amritsar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for international intervention over the alleged "K2K" phenomenon, claiming Sikh women in the United Kingdom and Pakistan are being targeted systematically for forced religious conversion.Blackmail, social media traps, and forced marriages are being used to strip young Sikh women of their identities, the new claims from India suggest. Punjab BJP spokesperson Sarchand Singh on Monday categorised the trend — referred to as "Kaur to Khan" — as a coordinated effort to entrap young women through social media manipulation, emotional blackmail, and coercion. The intervention follows a series of high-profile incidents that have sparked outrage within the global Sikh diaspora and raised questions regarding the efficacy of law enforcement in Western democracies.UK's Grooming GangsSarchand Singh highlighted a recent case in West London where the community was reportedly forced to take matters into its own hands at Hounslow, West London, when a 16-year-old Sikh girl was allegedly held in a flat over there and subjected to psychological pressure to convert. Local Sikh groups intervened to "rescue" the teenager after claiming police had failed to act swiftly."If the videos circulating on social media are any indication, the community had to step in because law enforcement agencies allegedly failed to act in time," Sarchand Singh said. "This raises a serious question — are daughters of minority communities truly safe even in modern democratic societies?"Pak Pilgrimage: Regional ConcernsThe BJP spokesperson also drew attention to recurring reports of abductions and forced conversions in Pakistan, citing the well-known cases of Jagjit Kaur (Nankana Sahib) and Bulbul Kaur (Hasan Abdal). More recently, the case of Indian citizen Sarabjit Kaur (alias Noor Hassan) has fueled the controversy. While initial reports from Pakistan suggested her conversion during a pilgrimage was voluntary, Sarchand Singh alleged she may have been trapped via social media and blackmailed with private images.A Global Human Rights IssueThe BJP is now urging human rights organisations to look beyond the religious dimensions of the "K2K" trend and view it as a fundamental violation of women's safety and dignity. "This is not merely about religion," Mr Singh said. "It is about the safety, dignity and freedom of women. Any attempt to manipulate or coerce young girls into changing their identity must be condemned globally."The party's stance signals an intent to elevate the issue within international diplomatic circles, arguing that the grooming networks represent a sophisticated threat to the religious identity of the Sikh community worldwide. MSID:: 129609355 413 |