The organization claims that there are more than 35,000 Sikh Americans who live and work in the City of Bakersfield.
A Sikh grassroots community-building organization Jakara Movement has moved a petition to rename a park in Bakersfield, California, after Jaswant Singh Khalra, a Sikh human rights activist from Punjab.
“Rename Stonecreek Park to Jaswant Singh Khalra Park and honor Bakersfield’s Sikh community and the entire region in honor of human rights,” the organization says on its website. According to the petition, an early housing development named the park the ‘Stonecreek Park,’ which the organization claims is not in sync with the changing demographics of the city.
The non-profit, which has already collected signatures from 570 people, hosted a march which was attended by more than 100 people. The organization, along with community members, plan to meet Councilman Chris Parlier and other city officials for support.
“Jaswant Singh Khalra (1952-1995) was a human rights activist from Punjab (India). When Punjab entered a dark period during the 1990s, Jaswant Singh made a vow to the families of his colleagues that had been unjustly killed to discover the truth,” according to the organization. “He advocated for human rights and traveled to Canada, UK, and the US to tell the world what was happening.”
Reportedly, in September, 1995, Khalra was abducted from his house and taken to Jhabal police station where he was tortured and murdered.
The organization claims that there are more than 35,000 Sikh Americans who live and work in the City of Bakersfield.
“The City of Bakersfield has recognized and acknowledges the atrocities of the 1984 Genocide in passing A Resolution of the Council of the City of Bakersfield, commemorating the November 1984 violence in India as Sikh genocide,” according to the organization’s website.
The petition ends with a statement that compares Khalra with Martin Luther King Jr. and seeks to honor his legacy by renaming Stonecreek Park.