More than 2.2 million individuals have signed an online petition appealing to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to consider clemency for Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old man of Indian descent who is facing vehicular homicide charges in the United States following a fatal accident.
Singh, who entered the United States unlawfully in 2018, is alleged to have made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike on August 12 while operating a tractor-trailer, resulting in a collision that claimed the lives of three individuals. If found guilty, he could face a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison—15 years for each count of vehicular homicide according to Florida law.
The petition, which is hosted on Change.org and signed under the title “Collective Punjabi Youth,” characterizes the event as a “tragic accident – not a deliberate act.”
It states, “while accountability is important, the harshness of the charges against him does not correspond with the specifics of the incident.”
Public opinion on social media has been polarized regarding the petition, with several users voicing their support for Singh and deeming the potential sentence as excessive. Numerous commenters, particularly from the Indian diaspora, have asserted that Singh made an error while striving to provide for his family. “It was an accident. He made a grave mistake, not a conscious decision to harm anyone,”.
Conversely, some have condemned the initiative to seek leniency, contending that justice should be impartial for everyone, irrespective of immigration status.
Singh’s family members in Punjab, India have also made a plea for a more lenient sentence. “He is only 28 years old, and if he receives a 45-year prison term, one can only imagine the impact on his family,” a relative of Dilbagh Singh.
Singh allegedly fled to California following the crash but was apprehended by US Marshals and brought back to Florida to stand trial. US records indicate that Singh had entered the country unlawfully six years prior, having mortgaged land in his home country. Initially, he was detained at the border but was subsequently released on bond while his immigration case was still pending. He expressed a fear of returning to India due to the risk of violence and was permitted to remain and work in the US during the ongoing legal proceedings.
In the aftermath of the crash, the US Department of Homeland Security denied him bond, labeling him as “a significant threat to public safety.”
The case has also attracted political scrutiny. Following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to freeze commercial driver visas in light of the crash, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a Member of Parliament from Punjab, voiced concerns regarding potential discrimination.
“Punjabi and Sikh drivers constitute 20% of the trucking industry in the United States,” she stated. “Any widespread action against them would adversely impact trucking families and would be discriminatory.”
