Control of gurdwaras in Haryana: SC orders for status quo

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has directed the SGPC and newly formed Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) to maintain status quo on the management control of gurdwaras prevailing at 2:30pm on Thursday in Haryana till further orders. 

During the hearing, the Haryana government informed the SC that the new state committee has forcibly taken control of Sikh gurdwaras in the state. 

The SC asked Haryana DGP and district administration to maintain status quo with regard to gurdwaras and not permit any violence. 

The next hearing in the case would take place on August 25. 

With thanks : Times of India : LINK : for detailed news.

Sikhs targeted in Pakistan : Times Now :

Protests erupted in Pakistan's Peshawar city after unidentified gunmen opened fire in a market area killing a Sikh businessman and injuring several others. Infuriated Sikhs took to the streets protesting against targeted killings of people from the Sikh community.

LINK to view the Video

HSGPC continues siege of Kurukshetra gurdwara

IANS  |  Chandigarh   August 3, 2014 

Members of the newly-constituted Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC) Sunday continued their siege of Kurukshetra's Gurdwara Chatti Patshahi on the second day of their bid to take over the Sikh shrine.

Even though there were not many people from the HSGPC side till afternoon, tension built up after 3 p.m. as some protestors tried to breach the police barrier near the gurdwara. However, police prevented them from proceeding ahead.

Heavy police deployment was seen near the gurdwara Sunday. Leaders of the HSGPC and their supporters had Saturday laid siege just 100 feet from the gurdwara, one of the state's biggest, in Kurukshetra, about 110 km from here. Those trying to take control of the shrine breached two police barriers Saturday along the route.

Members of the task force and other volunteers of the Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which still controls Sikh shrines in Haryana, were inside the shrine premises, ready to resist any attempt for a forcible take over. Many people from both sides were carrying traditional weapons like swords, spears and sticks.

A high-level delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal, comprising SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, Akali Dal general secretary and former union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and others met Haryana's new Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki at Haryana Raj Bhawan here Sunday and demanded immediate review of the Act passed by the Haryana Assembly allowing the creation of the HSGPC.

The delegation told the governor that by enacting this measure unconstitutionally, the Haryana assembly had violated the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925. They urged the governor to direct the Haryana government to stop the "illegal" HSGPC from forcible takeover of Haryana's Sikh shrines.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said Sunday that the forcible takeover of Haryana gurdwaras would not be allowed at any cost.

The HSPGC had Friday asked the SGPC to hand over records of the Haryana gurdwaras to it, but the latter categorically refused to do so.

Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the SGPC are locked in a bitter controversy with Haryana's Bhupinder Singh Hooda government over the creation of the HSGPC.

On June 11, the Haryana assembly had passed a bill under which a new committee would be set up to manage gurdwaras in the state. The Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Bill, 2014, got the assent of the state governor June 14.

The SGPC, the mini-parliament of Sikh religious affairs, which controls gurdwaras across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, will lose control over gurdwaras in Haryana with the new law.

The SGPC, which has a Rs.950 crore annual budget, controls majority of the gurdwaras in Punjab, including the holiest of all Sikh shrines 'Harmandar Sahib' (popularly known as Golden Temple) in Amritsar.

with thanks : Business Standard : LINK

The 'Flying Sikh' who won India's first Commonwealth gold

When Milkha Singh took to the track at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff most people had never heard of him. But he was to make history there and is now hailed as one of India's greatest athletes.

It was the night before the 440 yards final at the British Empire and Commonwealth games in Cardiff and Milkha Singh was having trouble sleeping.

"When a person makes it to the final he is under so much stress that he is unable to sleep," recalls Singh. "It was a very difficult night."

Singh had won two gold medals at the Asian Games in Tokyo just a month before, but the Commonwealth Games were different.

with thanks : BBC News : LINK : for detailed news.

Saharanpur violence: Sikh delegation demands judicial probe

A Sikh delegation, led by Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay, today met Union Minister Jitendra Singh and demanded a judicial probe in recent violent clash between two groups in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur. 

The delegation handed over a memorandum to Singh, Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office. 

It is important that the central government take up the matter and examine possibilities of making the Government of Uttar Pradesh to order a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge into the riots at Saharanpur on July 26, said the memorandum. 

Jitendra Singh gave them a patient hearing and assured them that Government stands for communal harmony and disapproves of the violence against any community. 

With thanks : Business Standard : LINK : for detailed news.

Badal asks Mulayam for compensation to Saharanpur Sikhs

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Wednesday urged Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to personally intervene to ensure compensation for the Sikh families who were affected by recent riots in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur town.

In a telephonic conversation, Badal urged Mulayam Singh to ensure security for the Sikhs living in Uttar Pradesh. Mulayam Singh, whose son Akhilesh Yadav is the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, told him that the state government would do everything to help Sikhs.

Badal called up Mulayam Singh as a delegation of Sikhs from Saharanpur met him here Wednesday and sought help for those affected by the riots.

They also urged Badal to press the Uttar Pradesh government for cancellation of false cases against the members of Sikh community in Saharanpur.

with thanks : Business Standard : LINK : for detailed news.

HSGPC meeting postponed till Thursday

The first meeting of the Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC) which was scheduled to be held in Manji Sahib Gurudrwara here was postponed till July 31. 

HSGPC general secretary Joga Singh told reporters today that the meeting had been postponed owing to the death of a nephew of senior vice president of HSGPC Didar Singh Nalvi.

However, HSGPC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda, and executive committee members Sant Gurmit Singh, Avtar Singh Chakku and Majit Singh besides Joga Singh arrived at the meeting site. 

Members of the 41-member ad hoc committee Sarjit Singh and Apaar Singh were also present in the gurudwara despite the meeting having been postponed.

with thanks : Business Standard : LINK : for detailed news.

Sd Paramjit Singh Sarna will go to Saharanpur with Shahi Imam

Saharanpur violence: Akali delegation meets Akhilesh

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Monday assured a Shiromani Akali Dal delegation that his government was committed to provide security and justice to all people in the state and compensation would be paid to the victims of the communal clash in Saharanpur town.

He also reiterated the resolve of the Samajwadi Party (SP) government to ensure that the people behind the violence, that left three people dead and over three dozen people injured, were brought to justice and punished as per law.

The delegation of Punjab's ruling party that met the chief minister in Lucknow urged him to provide adequate compensation to Sikhs who became victims of the violence. They also urged him to ensure the safety of Sikhs and asked him to allow construction of the gurdwara as per the norms under the ambit of law, an Akali Dal spokesman said in Chandigarh.

The delegation comprised Rajya Sabha member and former union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Punjab Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal and former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia.

Dhindsa said that Akhilesh Yadav told the delegation that the situation in the violence-hit town was under control.

The chief minister said that necessary action, keeping in mind the court verdict with regard to the land in question, will be initiated and that adequate compensation would be paid to those affected in the violent incidents, he added.

Afterwards, both sides expressed the hope that normalcy will soon return to Saharanpur and urged the people not to be carried away by rumours and work towards restoring peace and calm.

Violence broke out in Saharanpur Saturday after a verdict by the high court in a land dispute case led to some construction work on the land claimed by a gurdwara.

This led to a violent clash between two communities in which both sides pelted stones and fired at each other. Apart from the deaths, over four dozen vehicles and shops were gutted in the violence that followed.

Protests were held against the violence in some parts of Punjab and Jammu. Both union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal have spoken to Akhilesh Yadav about the incident.

with thanks : Business Standard : LINK

DSGMC president open to All India Act for Gurudwaras

The president of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) Manjit Singh GK said on Monday that he has no objection if the All India Act is made and all the Gurudwara Committees fall under it.

Singh told ANI, "They have said that the Delhi Gurudwara Committee should come under SGPC. As per my understanding, Delhi Gurudwara Committee has already stamped the All India Act. According to that, all the Gurudwaras should come under one act."

"I understand that we have a minority community. I don't have any objection if All India Act is made and all the Gurudwara Committees come under that. The impact of unity of our minority community shall be huge. As a result whatever the government is trying to do to divide us will eventually fail," he added.

Yesterday, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over bifurcation of the SGPC.

The Haryana Assembly passed a bill last week for a separate Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (HSGPC), which would be set up to manage gurdwaras in the state.

with thanks : Business standard : LINK

Riots in Saharanpur on the issue of Disputed Gurdwara land