Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Indian truck driver, has received a wave of online support after being arrested in connection with a fatal road incident. Singh, who illegally entered the United States in 2018, is facing vehicular homicide charges after allegedly making a wrong turn on a Florida highway that resulted in the deaths of three people.
At the time of the accident that took place on August 12, Singh was in California, from where he was later transferred to Florida. His commercial driver’s license was also issued in California. The incident has renewed concerns amongst some about the risks posed by undocumented migrants.
Since his arrest, an online petition calling for Singh’s release has gained significant traction, collecting 1.6 million signatures so far. The petition describes the crash as “a tragic accident — not a deliberate act,” and contends, “While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident.”
COUNTER-PETITIONS AND BACKLASH EMERGE AMID IMMIGRATION TENSIONS
The widespread support for Singh has stirred considerable backlash, with coverage appearing on conservative outlets such as Breitbart News. In a post on X, Breitbart reported, “More than 1,600,000 people have signed an online petition attributed to ‘Punjabi youth’ urging the federal government to free Harjinder Singh.”
Social media users voiced anger, with one stating, “Here are the people begging for Harjinder Singh’s leniency — we need to check their immigration status. If that were a white man, and the victims were Indian, they would never sign a petition for leniency and neither would white people, because he deserves to be punished.”
Another user argued, “He must be punished with the full force of the law and deported after the life sentence,” while another added, “What is wrong with this world? He is a ‘professional driver’ and performed an illegal manoeuvre that resulted in the deaths of 3 American citizens… Absolutely ridiculous that anyone believes he shouldn’t be appropriately punished for his actions.”
Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal also shared the news on his X account, which drew responses like “Deport them all.”
In response to the growing support for Singh, a counter-petition has been launched calling for the deportation of those backing him. The petition states, “These signatories not only undermine the legal system but also pose a potential threat to public safety by advocating leniency for someone whose actions led to irreversible consequences. It’s crucial that our country sends a clear message: we will not tolerate such recklessness, nor will we shelter those who support it.”
Following the crash, the US government announced a pause on issuing worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
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With inputs from agencies