Crash site (left), Harjinder Singh (ANI)
Over 2.2 million people have signed an online petition urging Florida governor Ron DeSantis to consider leniency for Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Indian origin man facing vehicular homicide charges in the US after a fatal crash earlier this month, reported the New York Post.Singh, who entered the US illegally in 2018, is accused of making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike on August 12 while driving a tractor-trailer, leading to a crash that killed three people. If convicted, he faces up to 45 years in prison – 15 years for each count of vehicular homicide under Florida law.The petition, hosted on Change.org and signed under the name “Collective Punjabi Youth,” describes the incident as a “tragic accident – not a deliberate act.”It reads, “while accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident.”Social media has been divided over the petition, with a number of users expressing support for Singh and calling the possible sentence excessive. Many commenters, especially from the Indian diaspora, have said Singh made a mistake while working to support his family. “It was an accident. He made a terrible mistake, not a deliberate choice to harm anyone,” wrote Marvi from Sydney.Others, however, have criticised the move to seek leniency, arguing that justice must be equal for all, regardless of immigration status.Singh’s relatives in Punjab, India have also appealed for a lighter sentence. “His age is 28 years, and if he gets 45 years of jail, then you can imagine what will be the condition of his family,” a family member, Dilbagh Singh, told The Times of India.Singh reportedly fled to California after the crash but was arrested by US Marshals and returned to Florida to face trial. According to US records, Singh had entered the country illegally six years ago, mortgaging land back home. He was initially detained at the border and later released on bond while his immigration case remained pending. He had cited a fear of returning to India due to potential violence and was allowed to stay and work in the US during ongoing proceedings.Following the crash, the US department of homeland security denied him bond, calling him “a significant threat to public safety.”The case has also drawn political attention. After secretary of state Marco Rubio moved to freeze commercial driver visas in response to the crash, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, MP from Punjab raised concerns over potential discrimination.“Punjabi and Sikh drivers make up 20% of the United States’ trucking industry,” she said. “Any mass-level action against them would have a detrimental effect on trucking families and would be discriminatory.”
