British Sikhs give blood to raise human rights awareness

London: Sikhs in England will donate blood as part of a campaign inspired by a human rights activist in India to protest the mistreatment of Sikh political prisoners.

Till November 1, Sikhs across the country will visit blood donation clinics.

An internet campaign has been launched and #SikhBlood is a hot topic on Twitter, the Bristol Post reported on Tuesday.

A man from Bristol county, Dilawer Potiwal Singh (DP) said, "I have been moved by the images of Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa, who is currently on hunger strike in India to protest against the mistreatment of Sikh political prisoners. Blood donation saves lives and we are sure that hundreds of Sikhs will participate."

"This is a small sacrifice as compared with Surat Singh's hunger strike to highlight issues in India," the 45-year-old resident said.

"I would urge all the Sikhs to donate blood and play their part in this campaign," Singh said.

"We have a strong Sikh community in Bristol, so it's important for all to get involved," he said.

Surat Singh Khalsa is an 82-year-old American resident and Indian native.

He has been on hunger strike for 281 days in Punjab in an attempt to raise awareness about the Indian government's treatment of Sikh political prisoners.

(IANS)