Round 12 years in the past, Sukhwinder Singh aka Sukh Gill, from Tota Singh Wala village of Punjab’s Moga district, labored as an orchestra dancer. Performing with bhangra teams at weddings and different occasions, he would additionally strive arms at appearing and work in low funds brief Punjabi movies.
He would additionally put up his images with showbiz business stalwarts—from Gurdas Maan to Neeru Bajwa and Diljit Dosanjh—to flaunt his contacts.
Later in 2016, Gill turned a “information reporter”, interviewing politicians for native TV and net channels. Across the identical time, he additionally turned an office-bearer within the then ruling Shiromani Akali Dal’s Moga unit. He then began posting his images with a number of Punjab politicians whereas “interviewing” them.
Presently, Gill is the “state president” of his self-styled farmer union, the Moga-based Bhartiya Kisan Union (Totewal).
Sukh Gill has been booked by police over an immigration fraud of Rs 45 lakh on a grievance lodged by Jaswinder Singh, 21, one of many 127 folks from Punjab deported by the US not too long ago. As per the FIR, Gill, who additionally runs immigration enterprise, allegedly took Rs 45 lakh from Jaswinder, who’s from Moga, on the pretext of sending him to the US “legally by way of flight” and likewise “prepare his work allow for 3 years” however as an alternative despatched him by way of the unlawful “dunki route”.
Based on farmer leaders in Punjab and people from his personal village, Gill was by no means a “farmer chief” till 2021, when the farmers’ protest pressured the Centre to roll again three controversial legal guidelines. “Until then, he used to introduce himself as an area net channel reporter and would generally journey to Delhi borders to interview protesting farmers. It was solely after Delhi Morcha 1.0 was gained and farmer points grabbed highlight at nationwide degree that he began portraying himself as a farm chief,” mentioned an aged villager from Tote Singh Wala.
Forward of the 2022 Punjab Meeting polls, Gill once more bought energetic as SAD member and campaigned for the late jathedar Tota Singh, who had contested unsuccessfully from Dharamkot.
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As famers’ points continued to assemble steam nationally, Gill formally joined Bhartiya Kisan Union (Punjab) because the union’s state normal secretary by the top of 2022. Within the meantime, he additionally opened his immigration-cum-travel agency Fateh Immigrations, which promised to ship folks to the US, UK, Canada and different nations “legally”.
Nevertheless, he was requested to resign from the BKU (Punjab), following which he floated his personal BKU (Totewal) in 2024, mentioned Furman Singh Sandhu, president of BKU (Punjab). The BKU Punjab is part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which had led the agitation in opposition to the three farm legal guidelines.
“We took him in our union assuming he was an informed individual and had been a journalist. However quickly I began receiving a number of complaints in opposition to him. Our union by no means takes any cash for distributing flags/badges to farmers however I used to be knowledgeable that he was gathering cash in our title. Then some folks complained that he took cash from them on the pretext of sending them overseas they usually mentioned they might protest outdoors our union’s workplace. Our union had nothing to do together with his immigration enterprise… He had nothing to do with farmers till 2021. He was an orchestra dancer after which an area reporter,” says Sandhu.
Of late, Gill was additionally a daily attendee at Quami Insaaf Morcha, the indefinite protest ongoing in Mohali in search of the discharge of bandhi Singhs (Sikh prisoners).
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After registration of the FIR in opposition to Gill, farmer unions in Punjab are contemplating operating background checks on their senior members to remove any such embarrassment in future. “This impacts each the union’s fame and our trigger,” mentioned Sandhu.
“Although his father owned a small piece of land and did farming, Sukh Gill was by no means primarily a farmer. He modified a number of professions after which turned a farm union chief together with opening immigration enterprise. His union BKU (Totewal) doesn’t get pleasure from a lot assist past Moga,” mentioned a villager from Tota Singh Wala.
Two earlier FIRs
Inspector Iqbal Hussain, station home officer of the Fatehgarh Panjtoor police station, mentioned two earlier FIRs had been registered in opposition to Sukh Gill.
In 2016, he was booked for alleged dishonest and extortion on the grievance of 1 Balwinder Singh, then a member of the BKU (Mann). Within the FIR registered on the Sadar Moga police station, Balwinder accused Sukh Gill and Amardeep Kaur, additionally a dancer, of extorting Rs 19,000 from him after participating him to resolve a matrimonial dispute. Nevertheless, a court docket acquitted each within the case.
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In 2015, Gill was booked in a dowry and bigamy case at Ferozepur’s Zira police station. Nevertheless, a compromise was reached with the complainant.
‘Immigration with out IELTS’
Saying the inauguration of the workplace of his journey company in Dharamkot in October 2022, Gill wrote on Fb that aspirants who’ve secured decrease IELTS bands and even those that by no means appeared within the English proficiency examination in any respect may additionally contact him for transferring overseas and that he would “fulfil dream of such aspirants to succeed in US, UK, Canada and Australia”. He additional provided to supply a UK vacationer visa inside 5 days, US research visa and admission in reputed schools and universities, partner visa for a number of nations, and visas additionally for many who have already confronted refusals and bans. He additionally claimed to supply visas for Portugal, Spain, Italy, Serbia, France and Germany.
The contemporary FIR
The police on February 18 booked Gill for allegedly duping US deportee Jaswinder Singh of Rs 45 lakh and sending him overseas by way of the unlawful “dunki route”. In his grievance, Jaswinder mentioned he had bought his household’s land and buffaloes to rearrange the cash he allegedly paid Gill.
The FIR was registered on the Dharamkot police station in opposition to Gill, his mom Pritam Kaur, enterprise accomplice Talwinder Singh and one Gurpreet Singh beneath sections 143, 318(4) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and part 24 of the Emigration Act.
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Jaswinder alleged that Gill promised that he would ship him to America legally and likewise prepare his work allow for 3 years. As per the FIR, in November 2024, Gill took Jaswinder to an workplace in Chandigarh’s Elante Mall, which he claimed was the “US embassy’s workplace”, the place he was allegedly requested to submit some paperwork and pay Rs 14,000 as “charges”.
After some days, Gill allegedly knowledgeable him that his US visa had arrived and he was made to board a flight after paying Rs 30 lakh. He added that it was solely after he reached Prague in Czech Republic that he bought to know that he was given a Schengen visa, not a US one.
Jaswinder additional alleged that he was saved captive at a lodge in Prague by Gill’s aides, who demanded the pending quantity be cleared first.
After extra money was transferred, Jaswinder was made to board a flight from Prague to Spain. After reaching Spain, Jaswinder’s household was allegedly requested to pay Rs 3.50 lakh extra, and he took one other flight to El Salvador.
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The FIR says Jaswinder then undertook the “dunki route” by the Panama jungle to succeed in the US-Mexico border on January 27, the place he was arrested after crossing the border illegally and deported on February 13.
Gill’s telephone was switched off and he couldn’t be contacted for remark. He’s but to be arrested, mentioned Inspector Jatinder Singh, SHO of Dharamkot.
