Akal Takht pronounces ‘tankhah’ on 2 SGPC men

The Sikh clergy that met at the Akal Takht on Tuesday pronounced ‘tankhah’ (religious atonement) on two Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) members Sukhwant Singh and Navtej Singh for violation of the Sikh Code of Conduct. The two were directed to clean shoes and utensils and listen to Gurbani for seven and 15 days, respectively. 

While Sukhwant was found guilty of attending a religious ceremony of Dera Sacha Sauda, Navtej had organised a path at a mazaar, which is prohibited in the Sikh religion. 

with thanks : indianexpress : link above for detailed news.

World Sikh University to start session from July

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced that the academic session of Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University would commence its academic session from coming July. 

Participating in the first meeting of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Fourth Centenary Memorial Trust at the university campus in Fatehgarh Sahib, Badal appreciated the decision taken by the Trust to provide additional 10 per cent seats in each course for the economically poor but brilliant students with rural background in Punjab who have passed their matriculation examination from rural schools. They would be imparted education free of charge.

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Navi Mumbai Sikhs protest over Milan turban issue

NAVI MUMBAI: 'Pagadi sambhal jatta, pagadi sambhal oye! (Take care of your turban, which is your honour)'.

During India's freedom struggle, this Punjabi song was used to instil a sense of outrage against the British. Now, Navi Mumbai Sikhs are once again up in arms to protest the humiliating security checks at international airports after golfer Jeev Milkha Singh's coach was asked to remove his turban at Milan airport.

"The Indian government must take a strong stand and stop further humiliation of Sikhs at foreign airports. The turban is not just a piece of cloth, it is a symbol of our honour, and hence, the honour of India," said a Belapur-based businessman, Amrik Singh Thikriwal (50).

"Only if the central government takes a strong stand like stopping business alliances with Italy will they realize how hurt we are," added Thikriwal.

"Some politicians have raised the turban issue in Parliament today; but this could end as mere politicking, unless the central government takes a strong stand like stopping business alliances with Italy. Only then will they realise how hurt we are,'' asserted Thikriwal. 

 

with thanks : times of India : link above for detailed news.

Sikhs in Pakistan protest against plaza construction on gurdwara land

Sikhs in Pakistan will stage a protest in Lahore on Friday over the construction of a plaza on gurdwara land.

They will stage a sit-in in front of the Punjab Assembly for two hours against the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) administration, Sikh leaders told The Express Tribune.

Former Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Perbandhak Committee (PSGPC) President Sardar Bishon Singh said that if the government failed to stop the construction of a plaza over Gurdwara Deewan Khana, Indian Sikhs would join their protest and send delegations to Pakistan to record their disapproval.

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Dishonour to Sikhs a national insult: Govt

India on Wednesday said dishonour to the Sikhs is a national insult and the government takes serious note of the incident in which golfer Jeev Milkha Singh’s coach Amritinder Singh was forced to remove his turban at Milan airport last week. 

Assuring the Rajya Sabha that the issue would be taken up with Italy, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said, “Whenever there is an insult to Sikhs, we take it as national insult. We take it up in that spirit.” 

He was responding to senior BJP leader S. S. Ahluwalia who said during Zero Hour that the Indian government was not able to convince Italy that turban for Sikhs was a symbol of religious respect. 

with thanks : thehindu : link above for detailed news.

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Election victory cannot wipe away any crime: Sushma

New Delhi: Citing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 sectarian violence in Gujarat, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was rewriting criminal jurisprudence by bringing in the 2009 electoral victory to defend his government on the diplomatic cables revealed by WikiLeaks on what has come to be known as the cash-for-votes scam. 

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Australia's Victoria police inducts first turban wearing Sikh

MELBOURNE: Police in Australia's Victoria state today inducted its first officer from Sikh community who will wear a newly designed police turban, a media report said today.

Australia's Victoria police today inducted its first officer from Sikh community who will wear a newly designed police turban, a media report said today.

The first officer Constable Amitoj Singh who graduated from the Police Academy would wear a newly designed police-issue turban, featuring the service's checker board pattern.

Singh has been assigned suburb of Endeavour Hills from next week. On his induction, Singh was quoted as saying that the community was in the Sikh blood. 

with thanks : TOI : link above for detailed news.

US court asks Congress to answer charges on 1984 attacks on Sikhs

New York, March 23 (IANS) India's Congress party has been asked to respond by April 1 to "summons" issued by a US court to answer charges of "conspiring, aiding, abetting and organizing" attacks on Sikhs in November 1984.

The US District Court for the Southern District of New York issued the summons March 1 in response to a class action law suit filed by "Sikhs For Justice" (SFJ) a US based human rights group along with several Sikh witnesses and survivors of the 1984 attacks.

"if the Congress party did not respond to the summons of the US Federal Court by April 1, 2011, SFJ will ask the court to enter a default against Congress (I)," SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said Tuesday.

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India protests after Sikh golf coach forced to remove turban at Italian airport security

NEW DELHI — India summoned the Italian ambassador Wednesday to protest demands by Milan airport officials that a world-class golfer’s Sikh coach remove his turban during a security check a day earlier.

It was the second time in a week that Jeev Milkha Singh’s coach Amritinder Singh had his turban removed and frisked in the northern Italian city.

Sikhs worldwide object to such searches as discriminatory and unnecessary in a world with machines for body scanning and metal detection.

Foreign Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna condemned the searches and said the religious practices of all Indians must be respected.

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1984 Anti Sikh riot: Man moves HC with a plea for compensation

New Delhi, Mar 21 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today sought a response from the city government on a man's contempt plea that the despite the court's direction, the competent authority has failed to decide on his plea for compensation on account of death of two minor children in 1984 Anti-Sikh riot. Justice S Muralidhar issued a notice to the Divisional Commissioner (Revenue) and Sub-Divisional Magistrate(SDM) Head Quarters of Delhi government and sought a reply by April 21. Filing a petition, Hukum Singh claimed Rs 14 lakh as compensation(Rs 7 lakh for each child) and alleged his two sons--an eight-year and a four-year-old--were killed in an attack by a mob at Vishwas Nagar area in East Delhi on November 1, 1984.

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