A new public school under construction in Fresno, California has been named in honor of the late Jaswant Singh Khalra, reports ABC30.
Khalra is known for his investigations of 25,000 deaths he connected to police in Punjab, India. He died in 1995. Six Punjab police officers served time for his abduction and murder.
The nation’s largest Sikh community lives in the state’s Central Valley.
School board president Naindeep Singh called Khalra an icon in the community.
“This is something akin to Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Sikh Punjabi community,” said Singh.
“A person who was fighting against Government oppression and ultimately paid the ultimate price.”
Singh told Indian Express he believes this is the first public school in the nation to be named after a Sikh. The Jaswant Singh Khalra Elementary School is expected to be dedicated in September.
The proposal to name the school after Khalra passed 6-0 with one abstentian.
The wife of the late Khalra expressed gratitude about the honor given to her husband.
“We got to know of this heartening development a few hours back and we really appreciate it. This only signifies that people across the world are aware of all that my husband did for protection of human rights,” said to Paramjit Kaur Khalra.
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