Punjab truck driver faces death sentence in Saudi Arabia; The Great Khali and Diljit Dosanjh seek help
PTC Web Desk: A campaign seeking help for a Punjab truck driver facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia in a drugs case has gained momentum, with wrestler Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known as The Great Khali, and Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh publicly speaking about the case.
Baljinder Singh, a resident of Sujanpur in Pathankot district, has been in custody in Saudi Arabia since February 6, 2024, according to his family. He had worked as a truck driver in Dubai for around a decade and regularly transported goods between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Family says he was unaware of the drugs
According to Baljinder's family, an acquaintance in Dubai asked him to take a package to Saudi Arabia, claiming that it contained medicines for his elderly father.
Baljinder's father, Jaswinder Singh, said his son initially refused twice because he did not know what the package contained. The family claims he eventually agreed after being shown a video of the man's sick father.
The family says narcotics were later found in the package during scanning at the UAE-Saudi border, following which Baljinder was arrested.
His relatives maintain that he had no knowledge of any drugs being carried in the package.
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Family seeks govt intervention
According to the family, a Saudi court convicted Baljinder in a drug trafficking case and sentenced him to death. His wife said the sentence was upheld by higher courts and that an appeal seeking royal clemency was also rejected.
Neither Saudi authorities nor the Indian government has publicly confirmed the death sentence based on the information available to the family.
On September 21, his wife Sunil Lata submitted a representation seeking intervention to former MP and BJP leader Avinash Rai Khanna in Hoshiarpur. Khanna subsequently forwarded the representation to the Ministry of External Affairs and urged the Centre to take up the matter with the Saudi authorities.
The Great Khali appeals for support
The issue gained wider attention after Baljinder's family shared a video appealing for help.
The Great Khali later posted a video on Instagram asking people to support the family and raise their voice over the case. He referred to the family's claim that Baljinder had been wrongly implicated.
Diljit Dosanjh also addressed the matter during an Instagram Live session after fans asked him about it. He said he did not have complete information about the case but urged the government to ensure that the matter is properly investigated and that no innocent person is punished.
Family appeals for clemency
Baljinder's parents, Gurmeet Kaur and Jaswinder Singh, have been approaching the Punjab government and the Ministry of External Affairs for help.
The family describes Baljinder as an Amritdhari Sikh and says he has no connection with drugs. They say he is the main earning member of the family and that his wife and two children are currently living in India.
The family is seeking every possible legal and diplomatic intervention, including commutation of the death sentence, and is hoping that Baljinder can eventually return home.
- PTC NEWS
