Punjab town tense after Sikh group-Dera followers clash

There was heavy police presence in Moga and the nearby Dhauleke village on Tuesday, a day after clashes between followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect and a radical Sikh group left over a dozen people injured. Followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda, which has its headquarter in Haryana's Sirsa town, are demanding action against members of the Ek Noor Khalsa Fauj, a radical Sikh organisation, for allegedly disrupting their religious function at Dhauleke village Sunday. They also accuse the group of burning the effigy of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Members of both groups clashed at Dhauleke village on Monday, injuring over a dozen people and some policemen. Agitators also set a Punjab roadways bus on fire and damaged some private vehicles in Moga, around 250 km from the state capital Chandigarh. 

with thanks : Hindustan Times : link above for detailed news.

Reward offered in Calif. shooting of 2 Sikh men

ELK GROVE, Calif. (AP) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations has offered a $5,000 reward after two Sikh men were gunned down — one of them fatally — on a sidewalk in a Northern California suburb.

The executive director of the council's Sacramento Valley chapter noted that Sikh men in beards and turbans are often targeted by those who mistake them for Muslims.

"The Muslim community offers its condolences and support to the Sikh community in this time of sorrow," Basim Elkarra said.

The reward for information leading to a conviction in the Friday afternoon shooting in Elk Grove comes as police cautioned there was no evidence it was a hate crime. However, the Sacramento suburb's police chief, Robert Lehner, said there was no other apparent motive.

 

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Followers hold congregation amid protest

FEROZEPUR: In the wake of approaching assembly elections in the state, the ''reported understanding'' between SAD and Dera Sacha Sauda helped the followers of the latter successfully hold a naam charcha (congregation) in the community centre of Bajidpur village, near the historical Jamni Sahib Gurdwara, here, on Sunday.

The congregation, attended by more than 1,000 premis, was organized under a heavy police protection. When members of various Sikh organizations learned about it, they, including women, reached Bajidpur village and tried to disturb the congregation, but were checked by senior police officers. The Sikh protesters then blocked Ferozepur-Moga GT Road to mark their protest against it

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Two Sikh men in Sacramento gunned down, possible hate crime

Police said Saturday that they don't know why someone gunned down two men – frail from heart attacks and advancing years – as they slowly ambled through a quiet Elk Grove neighborhood during their daily afternoon walk.

Surinder Singh, 67, died Friday afternoon on the sidewalk along East Stockton Boulevard near Geneva Pointe Drive. Gurmej Atwal, his 78-year-old friend, was shot twice in the chest. His family said he was in critical but stable condition.

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SGPC gives Rs 2L to each victim after 26 years

AMRITSAR: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the family members of the victims of the Hondh Chillar incident that saw 32 innocent Sikhs massacred on November 2, 1984.While the killers have not yet been identified, Haryana government had compensated them in 2006.The SGPC also announced to raise a memorial at the pogrom site in Rewari district of Haryana after the "bhog" of "Akhand path" in the memory of the victims.

Sikh's prominent seminary Damdami Taksal president Harnam Singh Khalsa has demanded that an all-party delegation should visit the site. Addressing the gathering, Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh said that efforts should be initiated to free the Sikh's languishing in jails for a long time. He said, "Traditional arms are required to protect oneself and others and not the television."

He honoured relatives of the victims: Inder Singh, Balwant Singh, Harnam Singh, Parap Singh, Savan Singh, Uttam Singh, Prem Singh, Chattar Singh, Kesar Singh and Ranjit Singh – with siropas. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said that the carnage of 32 Sikhs was adeliberate act of brutality. 

with thanks : TOI : link above for detailed news.

Singapore appoints Sikh as its Army chief

SINGAPORE: Singapore has appointed Brigadier General Ravider Singh as its next Army chief, the first Sikh in 30 years to be given the force's baton.

Singh, 41, takes over from Major-General Chan Chun Sing on March 25, Straits Times reported.

A Singaporean of Indian origin, Singh, is currently deputy secretary (technology) at the defence ministry. He joined the Singapore Armed Forces in December 1982.

Singh also served as assistant chief of General Staff (plans), head of Joint Communications and Information Systems Department, and chief of staff - joint staff.

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High Court issues notice to Haryana state

CHANDIGARH: In the writ petition demanding a judicial probe into the horrific killing of Sikhs in village Hondh-Chillar in Rewari District, Haryana on November 2, 1984, the Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Augustine George Masih of Punjab and Haryana High Court have issued notice to the State of Haryana.

On February 23, 2011 Sikhs for Justice and All India Sikh Student Federation moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court demanding the judicial probe into the killings of Sikhs in village Hondh-Chillar. In a Civil writ petition filed with the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Sikhs for Justice and All India Sikh Student Federation demanded an enquiry from a retired High Court Judge to be assisted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Representing the petitioners, Counsel Navkiran Singh told the court that the FIR dated November 3, 1984, registered under Sections 148, 149, 302, 436 and 34 of the IPC at the Jatusana police station had not been investigated properly. None of the eyewitnesses or survivors was ever contacted by the police.

On November 2, 1984 in an organized attack the entire Sikh population of village Hondh- Chillar, then district Mahendergarh presently falling under district Rewari, Haryana was massacred and their dwellings and the Gurudwara were burnt down.  

with thanks : punjabnewsline : link above for detailed news.

Commission of Inquiry to probe 1984 killing of Sikhs in Haryana village

ROHTAK: Realising the gravity of the incident of carnage of Sikh families in a hamlet in Rewari district of Haryana as the state government has decided to institute a probe to retired judge of high court 27 years after the incident.

Haryana chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday announced that a commission of inquiry, consisting of Justice TP Garg, (retired), Judge of Punjab and Haryana high court, has been appointed for the purpose of making an inquiry into the killing of innocent Sikhs in Hond-Chillar village in district Rewari and damage caused to properties of Sikhs living there during the incidents of violence on November 2, 1984.

The incident occurred in the aftermath of the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi when an armed mob murdered about 32 persons and virtually wiped out entire hamlet. The incident was brought to light recently by a Sikh body after which various organizations including the SGPC raked up the issue and traced out the survivors of the incident. 

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Ardass Diwas held at Akal Takht for the first time in 26 years

Ardass Diwas was held at the Akal Takht here for the first time in 26 years on Friday to honour the more than 30 people who were killed Hond-Chillar village in Rewari District at the height of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The event was organized and observed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak committee (SGPC).

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 SikhsIndia

Badal demands judicial probe into Hond Chillar killings

Panchkula, Mar 4 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today demanded a judicial probe into the killing of 32 Sikhs in a Haryana village during 1984 riots terming the incident as the result of a premeditated conspiracy.

Talking to reporters after participating in a collective prayer held at a gurdwara here in the memory of Sikhs killed at Hond Chillar village in Haryana''s Rewari district in the riots, Badal said the "heinous and unpardonable act was part of a premeditated conspiracy."

Demanding an inquiry into the incident by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, the Chief Minister said it was needed to bring the guilty to book.

Accompanied by his Advisor Daljit Singh Cheema, Badal earlier attended Gurdwara Nada Sahib to take part in the collective Ardas ceremony in the memory of riot victims of Hond Chillar village.

Meanwhile, an Ardas was also organized at Akal Takht (the highest Sikh Temporal seat) for those killed during the riots in Hond Chillar village.

with thanks : MSN : link above for detailed news.

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Sikhism of the Guru Granth

Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan is arranging Tenth Bhai Chanan SinghMemorial Lecture on Thursday, 10th March, 2011, at 5.00 P.M. in BhaiVir Singh Sahitya Sadan(Gole Market,New Delhi).

Prof. Imtiaz Ahmad of J.N.U. will speak on Sikhism of the Guru Granth.

Ambassador Bal Anand will preside over the lecture and Prof.Jai Rup Singh,Vice-Chancellor,Central University of Punjab,Bhatinda,will be the Guest of Honour.
All are invited to attend the lecture.

Telescopic darshan, till corridor to Pak gurdwara becomes a reality

Today, DSGMC and other Sikh bodies will install a telescope on the Indian side of the border, from where Dera Baba Nanak is 3 km away.

 

Even as India and Pakistan deliberate on a ‘corridor’ for Sikh pilgrims to pay obeisance at Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, situated three kilometres away from the international border, Sikh bodies plan to install telescopes on the Indian side for a “darshan” of the shrine. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), with help from Baba Sewa Singh of Khadur Sahib, will take up the project. 

DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna claimed the necessary permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for installing such a facility at the sensitive border had been taken. 

Dera Baba Nanak is situated 3 kilometres away from the border, inside Pakistan. Separated from India after Partition, the gurdwara, where Guru Nanak spent his last days, attracts hundreds of pilgrims daily to the border from where the shrine is visible on a clear day. 

with thanks : Indian Express : link above for detailed news.

Helicopter to flag off Guru's gift

LUDHIANA: When residents of Dhandran village, located on the outskirts of Ludhiana, flag off `Baba', a horse that will be presented to 10th Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh,at Hazoor Sahib in Nanded on March 7, to atone for the refusal of their ancestors to help the Guru, they want everything to go right. 

 

with thanks : TOI : link above for detailed news.

 

Dal Khalsa to ask UN officials to investigate

AMRITSAR: The Sikh radical organization, Dal Khalsa, has decided to approach the New Delhi-based UN officials to urge them to send their team to Hondh Chillar village in Rewari district of Haryana for investigating the massacre of 32 innocent Sikhs on November 2, 1984.

Dal Khalsa spokesman Kanwar Pal Singh said, "We will approach the UN officials in Delhi as the massacre at Hondh Chillar is a living testimony of the Sikh carnage executed under state patronage 26 years ago in Delhi and elsewhere."

He also slammed Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the delay in setting up a judicial commission to ascertain who ordered the killings of 32 Sikhs in Hondh Chillar. 

 

with thanks : TOI : link above for detailed news.

Alleged killing of Sikhs disrupts proceedings

Proceedings in Parliament were disrupted on Tuesday as both Houses were adjourned till noon when Opposition members vociferously demanded a probe into alleged massacre of Sikhs in Rewari district of Haryana during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, and into the alleged tapping of telephones of AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa. 

As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled for the day, members of the Akali Dal rushed into the well of the House demanding an inquiry into the “massacre.” 

Members of the Samajwadi Party (SP) raised slogans demanding a caste-based census, while Shiv Sena members were seen waving placards and demanding new trains in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra. 

 

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar first adjourned question hour till 11.15 a.m. and then till noon. When the House reconvened, she allowed the leaders of some parties to make their points. 

with thanks : thehindu : link above for detailed news.

U.S. court issues summons to Congress over anti-Sikh riots

 

A U.S. court has issued summons to the Congress party in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, acting on a Sikh group’s petition charging it with “conspiring, aiding and abetting” organised attacks on the community. 

A federal district court in New York issued summons to the party in a class action lawsuit filed by the organisation Sikhs for Justice, which has offices in New York and India. 

The Sikh group has charged the Congress with “conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out organised attacks on the Sikh population of India in November 1984”. 

The proceedings are still at the pre-trial stage in New York. 

Senior Congress leader and Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath is a defendant in the lawsuit. 

The complaint against Mr. Nath stated, “The defendant was seen and heard by many on the scene of Gurudwara Rakab Ganj (in New Delhi). In this particular incident, the defendant was leading and in control of a mob of about 4,000 people.” 

Mr. Nath has repeatedly denied any involvement and has been cleared by the Nanavati Inquiry Commission, which had described the Minister’s testimony as “vague” but concluded that there was no evidence that he had incited a mob. 

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Sikh TV's 21-year old owner found murdered

One of the owners of Sikh TV, Gagandip Singh, 21 has been murdered, with his body found in the boot of a car which had been set alight in what is understood to be revenge for his attempts to seduce a woman. 

The Telegraph reports that neighbours have linked this tragedy to the murder of his father, Charanjit Singh, who died in a contract killing in India two years ago. However, police are still investigating and are not linking the two murders together. 

Gagandip's body was found in a burning car on the edge of Greenwich Park on Saturday morning at 02:00. Gagandip suffered severe head injuries but do not know what caused his death. Post mortem results on his remains proved inconclusive and detectives are awaiting the outcome of further tests. Police have yet to determine whether he was still alive when the car was set on fire. 

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National Seminar on Baba Banda Singh Bahadur

Two days National Seminar on Life,Times and Achievements of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur was held in Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College ,University of Delhi,Dev Nagar on 25th & 26th February 2011.It was sponsored by U.G.C. and Punjabi Academy ,Delhi.

Famous Sikh Historian Prof.J S Grewal ( former Vice Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar) inaugurated the Seminar.S.Bhupinder Singh Chadha (Chairman) also graced the occasion with his presence along with many other famous historians & research scholars who presented their well-researched paper.
The credit to organise this rewarding and fruitful seminar goes to Principal- Dr.Man Mohan Kaur

Cop who forgot it all

CHANDIGARH: The SHO whose area witnessed the alleged killings of Sikhs in Rewari district of Haryana in 1984 has now become SP, but has forgotten details of the macabre incident.

Talking to The Times of India over phone from Sularia battalion of India Reserve Battalion (IRB) in Rohtak district, the then SHO of the Jatusana police station, Ram Kishore said, "He was away to Narnaul when the incident happened on November 2, 1984."

The only other thing he could remember was it was a "big incident." The police officer said the incident had taken place 27 years back and he was even going to retire next month. "Because of such a long duration, I have forgotten details and action in the case," he said.

When asked what has he got to say about the disappearance of the FIR number 91 of November 3 that recorded the carnage of Sikh families in Hondh Chiller, 13km from Rewari, Ram Kishore said, "Mujhe kuchh yaad nahin hai (I don`t remember anything)." 

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

Bir Devinder questions silence of minorities minister, NCM, NHRC on Hondh

JALANDHAR: Former deputy speaker of Punjab assembly, Bir Devinder Singh, has questioned the silence of Union minister for minorities, Salman Khurshid, National Commission for Minorities and National Human Rights Commission over the issue of massacre of Sikhs in Hondh Chillar village of Haryana in November 1984.

"When would they wake up to take suo-moto cognizance of the matter,`` he asked, adding, "Minorities in India do not mean only Muslims and Christians. Sikhs also constitute an important minority in India and their concerns should also be addressed with the same swiftness as is done in the case of other minorities."

He added, "I wonder why Khurshid has not cared, so far to take cognizance of the horrendous incident even after a lapse of 26 years. The massacre has come to light and appeared prominently in the print media all over India but despite that, even the National Commission for Minorities has failed to take any significant initiative in the matter." 

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