"As soon as the doors open, there's 10 of them waiting for me."
A Sikh activist has accused police of racial profiling after he was detained at Gatwick Airport and interrogated for “three hours”.
Kaldip Singh Lehal, known as Deepa Singh for his activism, was detained on Christmas Day after going on a winter break.
He was detained under Section 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
This allows examining officers to stop and question people entering and leaving the UK. When necessary, this may also involve detaining and searching individuals.
He recalled: “When we got back to Gatwick they said there were technical difficulties. Then, 25 minutes later we were free to go.
“As soon as the doors open, there’s 10 of them waiting for me.
“They opened the doors and I saw the high vis’, I didn’t think anything of it. As I walked towards them they were like can you come this way. They had my luggage ready.
“It was in front of everyone on the plane. I felt embarrassed and ashamed.”
According to Mr Singh, he was taken to a room with cameras where his DNA and “pictures from so many different angles” were taken.
He was allegedly made to hand over his devices and passwords before being interrogated for over three hours.
Mr Singh told MyLondon: “I’m an activist. I’m very vocal.
“So for that reason, it feels like they are trying to convict me without doing anything wrong.
“Just by being a voice for my community. I want to know why they are targeting me, is it because I wear a turban and a beard? And who are they giving this information to, are they putting my life in danger?”
In 2018, Mr Singh and four other Sikh activists had their homes raided.
They believed the raids were orchestrated by the Indian government, something that has been denied.
In a statement, police said the operation was carried out based on intelligence related to terror offences relating to activity in India and fraud offences. No arrests were made.
Mr Singh said: “What they are trying to do is suppress us from speaking out against the collusion between India and the UK.
“I’m not a terrorist. Why are you making me feel like a terrorist or even putting us in the same league?
“I’m ashamed and there is some sort of trauma towards it.
“How can the UK counter-terrorism unit gather intelligence and profile activists like myself to give to India just like they did to Jagtar Singh Johal which led to his torture?
“I’m just overthinking a lot of things.
“I’d also like to thank those few individuals from the community who supported my wife at the time of me being detained.”
Mr Singh had never left the UK before 2023. He now fears his family and friends will be concerned about travelling with him.
A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing south east said:
“CTPSE officers carried out a Schedule 7 stop of a 43-year-old man at Gatwick Airport on Christmas Day.
“He has subsequently been released. We would not provide further details and are not confirming his identity.”
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