The survey shows that 45 percent Sikhs either “highly distrust” or “somewhat distrust” the police, which is much higher compared to 32 percent among Muslims, 31 percent among Christians, 27 percent among upper castes, 29 percent among SCs and 37 percent among STs.

According to the survey, the fear of the police among Sikhs is much higher than the national average, which is the case with Muslims as well. But there is a crucial difference. While the fear of police is disproportionately higher among poorer sections in all communities, Sikhs are unique in the fact that even upper classes expressed a fear of the police.

“In comparison to the response of upper classes from other religions, the Sikh upper class is much more likely to be scared (42 percent) as against upper class Hindus (14 per cent) or upper class Muslims (9 percent),” the survey observes.

This partly explains why upper class Sikhs come out in protest against the police much more than Muslims, even though both communities expressed a fear of the police. While there seems to be a disconnect in the perception of rich and poor Muslims, the sentiment among Sikhs is more united across classes.

In yet another aspect – positive or negative view of the police – the negative perception was higher among Sikhs than other communities. 49 percent Sikhs said they have a somewhat or highly negative view of the police, compared to 36 percent among Muslims 33 percent among Hindus and 22 percent among Christians.