Culture & Lifestyle / 12-Year-Old Sikh Boy Arrested for Alleged Backpack Bomb

12-Year-Old Sikh Boy Arrested for Alleged Backpack Bomb

Culture & Lifestyle Dec 19, 2015

by Dilshad Burman

It wasn’t until Armaan Singh’s parents called 911 worried about his whereabouts that they learned he was being held in a juvenile facility after being arrested at school earlier that day.

The 12-year-old Sikh boy is a student at Nichols Junior High School in Arlington, Texas and was accused of allegedly making a bomb threat. He was handcuffed and detained in a juvenile facility for three days and suspended from school. His family claims they received no notice from the police of his arrest or where he was being detained, nor did the school contact them before calling the authorities.

^{Authorities arrested Armaan Singh at his school.

Photo Credit: policearchives.org}

The trouble seems to have begun when a fellow student pointed out that Singh’s bag looked like it contained a bomb; it is a “power bag” with a built in cell phone charger, The Washington Post reports. Thinking it was a joke, the boy laughed it off and so did his accuser. In a video interview with The Dallas Morning News, Singh explained that the same student threatened to “tell on” him the next day. Soon after, the police detained Singh at school, questioned him and then moved him to a juvenile detention centre.

The Arlington police claims Singh confessed to telling a fellow student that he had a bomb in his backpack. According to a Facebook post that soon went viral. However, Singh’s cousin Ginee Haer said that “a bully in class thought it would be funny to accuse him of having a bomb." She further stated “my cousin is a minor and was arrested without any evidence or guardian present." Singh’s older brother Aksh also questioned why he was the only one singled out, posting on Facebook that if “he AND other students were joking about bomb threats… I demand a justified reason for why a 12-year-old INDIAN boy was taken into police custody and sent to a jail.”

^{Armaan Singh's cousin Ginee Haer's facebook post that went viral after his arrest.

Photo Credit: Ginee Haer Facebook page}

Despite unclear details, conflicting accounts of what happened and nothing suspicious being found in Singh’s backpack, he has been charged with “making a terrorist threat” according to the Dallas Morning News. He must wear an ankle bracelet and remain under house arrest until the next court date. His parents are accusing the school and authorities of discrimination and demanding all charges be dropped.

Many have blamed rising xenophobia, fear mongering and racism for the allegedly rash actions of the authorities even as police and school officials insist they acted appropriately. Authorities say there have been a number of bomb threats in Dallas area schools in recent times and do not take them lightly.

^{14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a home made clock to school in Irving, Texas.}
^{Photo Credit: Twitter – @anildash}

The incident comes just a few months after the infamous “clock kid” arrest in Irving, Texas, that saw Muslim student Ahmed Mohamed’s homemade gadget mistaken for a bomb. He was arrested and accused without proper procedure or due diligence from authorities. The boy was later found completely innocent and filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the school and local officials.

^{Article Sources: The Washington Post, The Daily Mail, U.S. Uncut

Main Image Photo Credit: Screengrab: YouTube – The Dallas Morning News}

Dilshad Burman

Author

Dilshad Burman is an award winning TV host and Canadian media personality. Born in Mumbai, India, she was surrounded by its creative energy and grew up with a passion for music, film and television. While completing her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from The University of Mumbai, she i...

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12-Year-Old Sikh Boy Arrested for Alleged Backpack Bomb

by Dilshad Burman

It wasn’t until Armaan Singh’s parents called 911 worried about his whereabouts that they learned he was being held in a juvenile facility after being arrested at school earlier that day.

Dilshad Burman

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