[3] On 11 February 2015, Surat Singh Khalsa wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi explaining the motive of his hunger strike.

[3] In his letter, Surat Singh Khalsa summed up his demands in two points: A number of Sikh political prisoners are languishing in jails despite having completed their sentences.

There are at least 8 such prisoners who have been sentenced under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act for their involvement in a bank robbery case that took place in Ludhiana.

[5] On 5 December 2015, a viral video began circulating showing a man purported to be Khalsa eating in a hospital setting.

[8] At time of his arrest, Surat Singh Khalsa was peacefully protesting for release of Sikh political prisoners who have completed their terms.

[12] Before his formal detention, Surat Singh Khalsa was picked up from his residence in Hassanpur on 8 February 2015, where he had commenced his hunger strike.

[14] After being released on 23 April 2015, he was once again picked up on 1 June and detained at the Ludhiana's DMC Hero Heart Hospital for 18 days.

During a protest rally at Punjab Legislative Assembly in February 1986, an unprovoked police firing resulted in Surat Singh Khalsa being hit by a bullet on his legs.

He continued to remain politically active and was detained in various jails, including Chandigarh, Nabha, Patiala and Amritsar in Punjab, as well as Kurukshetra, Rohtak and Ambala in Haryana during 1980s.