Sikh youth case: Police arrest 8 persons

Amritsar, Mar 16 (PTI) Police have arrested eight accused in connection with an incident in which a Sikh youth was allegedly beaten up by people of a community protesting over a religious issue near Hall Bazaar here, police said today.

Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh told reporters here that a case under various sections of IPC, including an attempt to murder, was registered against the accused.

with thanks : PTI : LINK

Uniform Rule May Keep Religious Americans From Military Service

Monday, 105 lawmakers from both parties sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, urging him to change a relatively obscure uniform requirement for the U.S. armed forces that some argue infringes on religious beliefs.

People who observe religions that require specific hair or dress traditions have to seek an accommodation from a superior to break the Defense Department's uniform requirements.

Dr. Kamal Kalsi was the first observant Sikh to apply for the accommodation since the rule took effect in the 1980s. As a devout Sikh, Kalsi doesn't cut his hair. He wraps his hair up in a turban and doesn't shave his beard. Keeping his hair long is an obligatory article of his Sikh faith.

with thanks : KERANEWS : LINK : for detailed news.

HAPPY HOLI !!

No foul play suspected in fire that ripped through Sikh temple off Sutherland Avenue

KNOXVILLE — Authorities said there is nothing suspicious about a Friday morning fire that burst through the roof of East Tennessee’s only public Sikh gurdwara.

“This is the only public gurdwara (temple) in East Tennessee and it was the first public gurdwara in East Tennessee,” said Brandon Singh, music coordinator for the Sikh Sangat of East Tennessee.

Singh said the temple served several hundred Sikhs in East Tennessee, from Bristol to Chattanooga. He said 40-45 people regularly attended Sunday services.

Knoxville firefighters learned of the blaze shortly after midnight, according to Knoxville Fire Department spokesman Capt. D.J. Corcoran. A neighbor reported flames at the temple at 704 Washburn Road off Sutherland Avenue.

with thanks : KNOXNEWS : LINK : for detailed news.

Sikh killed in Khyber Pakhtunwa by unidentified assailants

A Sikh herbal merchant was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the Khyber Pakhtunwa province of Pakistan.

The victim, Paramjit Singh, 35, was murdered in broad day light on Thursday when he was sitting at his shop. Another person, who came to his aid and tried to nab one of the assailants, was also killed.

The incident has sent shock waves amongst the minority Sikh community in the area.

This is the second murder of a member of the minority community in less than two months, and many victims has fallen prey to the bullets in the recent pasts.

Earlier, two Sikhs were abducted at gun point from Dera Ismail Khan and there is no news about their whereabouts.

Sikhs traders are living in fear because they are being asked to pay jaziya (a tax paid by minority religious group), and those who refuse, are killed.

The area is infested with the gun-toting fundamentalists, including Taliban who roam around in the area freely. There are more than 25000 Sikhs living in the area, and recently had been facing violence, abduction and ransom from the terrorists groups.

Swaran Singh, a member of the provincial assembly and former President of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, informed that he himself went to the place and brought the body back at Peshawar.

He said North West Frontier Province chief Minister Parvez Khattak has taken a personal interest in the killing of the Sikh gentleman and has assured security to the minority community and safety of their properties.

with thanks : Business Standard : LINK

Punjab: SAD caught in poll code breach row

The Congress in Punjab has lodged a complaint to the state Election Commission about its decision to allow the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal organise a "political conference" in Anandpur Sahib on March 16.

PCC president Pratap Singh Bajwa, in his complaint to Chief Electoral Officer V. K. Singh on March 10, had asked the CEO to ban the conference as it violates the model code of conduct. Bajwa said the conference venue is close to the famous gurdwara where lakhs of Sikh devotees pay a visit during Hola Mohalla.

A week-long fair, Hola Mohalla usually takes place mid-March beginning on the first day of Sikh New Year. Bajwa contended that the venue, where the Akali Dal is organising the conference on March 16, is the property of the Akali-dominated Shiromani gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).

Acting on the Congress' complaint, Singh had asked the Deputy Commissioner, Roopnagar, to submit a report on the issue. Sources said the Deputy Commissioner, in his report, has informed Singh that the rally venue is not part of the gurdwara complex, but a part of the SGPC. The report also said that political rallies were also held previously during Hola Mohalla and elections.

"The rally ground is not part of gurdwara complex, but is owned by the SGPC. Rallies were organised at the same venue during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the permission to organise a rally can be given," the Deputy Commissioner said in its report.

Meanwhile, former chief minister Amarinder Singh accused the CEO of favouring the ruling Akali Dal and not taking any action on the complaints filed by the Congress and other parties. "He should quit his job if he has no moral courage to respond to the ever-increasing pile of complaints," Amarinder has said.

with thanks : India Today : LINK

Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Ji : SikhsIndia

Gurdwara Baba Buda ji : SikhsIndia

"Fateh Diwas in Delhi" : Fateh Diwas March Past

National Service Scheme students of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College,University of Delhi,Dev Nagar participated in "Delhi Fateh Diwas march past" from Tees Hazari to Red Fort on 9th March 2014  organised by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee ( DSGMC) .

Happy Women's Day !

Beautiful Pic Sachkhand Shri Hazur Sahib

Fateh Diwas in Delhi !

Abandoned Sikh youth reunites with uncle after 20 years

Vadodara: Joy of 21-year-old Vir Singh, abandoned by his father, knew no bounds when he reunited with his paternal uncle after a gap of about 20 years here. 

Vir, the youngest of the three siblings, was left at children's remand home 'Balgokulam' here by his father Biyant Singh when he was about one-and-a-half years old, since his mother had passed away and his father was finding it difficult to take care of him. 

Thereafter, his father went to Chandigarh along with his two elder sons and never got in touch with the remand home.

After Vir turned 18, the remand home's rules did not permit him to stay there any further, superintendent of Balgokulam, Seemaben Yadav said. 

However, being kind to him, the authorities employed him as a guard. 

"He was not entitled to stay in the Balgokulam after attaining the age of 18 years. So, we decided to employ him as a duty guard here as he had no place to go," Yadav said. 

In the meantime, Vir's uncle Santok Singh Tonk, a resident of Khodiyarnagar locality on Waghodiya road here, last week referred to his neighbour about his elder brother Biyant, who had died some time back, and his missing sons.

The neighbour then told him about a youth at the children's remand home, following which Santok Singh and his wife met Yadav claiming that they were Vir's uncle and aunt. 

Santok produced old family photographs and documents to establish the relationship to the remand home authorities, when they asked him to prove his relationship. 

Finally, after the verification, Vir met his uncle and aunt yesterday and was overjoyed meeting his family members. 

"I am very excited and delighted over meeting my uncle and aunty after a gap of 20 years and feel there is someone who are my close relatives and family members. I am sorry to learn about the death of my parents and missing elder brothers," Vir told a news agency today. 

"Though I am a Sikh, I do not know my mother tongue Punjabi, which I have started learning now," he said, adding that he will not give up his job as guard in Balgokulam, which took care of him all these years. 

PTI

with thanks : Zee News : LINK

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Sikh bus driver wins right to wear turban in Finland

London : A Sikh bus driver in Finland has won his fight to wear a turban while at work.

Gill Sukhdarshan Singh has been in dispute with his employer, Veolia Transport in the city of Vantaa, for more than a year for his right to wear turban at work, Yle, the Finnish public broadcasting company,reported Tuesday.

His year-long dispute with the Veolia bus company was resolved after an agreement between the transport workers union (AKT) and the employers’ organisation (ALT).

Now, after this development, Sikhs would be able to wear either their own turban or one provided by their employer, the report said.

“It feels nice,” Gill was quoted as saying. “I can wear my turban at work now and that’s the important thing,” he added.

With thanks : Mizonews : LINK

A beautiful pic of Golden Temple

No Sikh farmer will have to leave Gujarat: Narendra Modi

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday said no Sikh farmer settled in Gujarat's Kutch region will have to leave the state.

BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday said no Sikh farmer settled in Gujarat's Kutch region will have to leave the state.

Addressing a rally in Punjab's Jagraon town, over 40 km from Ludhiana, Modi said "misinformation" was being spread that Sikh farmers, who were cultivating the land for decades, were being uprooted from the Kutch area by the Gujarat government.

"Let me assure you that no Sikh farmer will be forced to leave Gujarat. Instead, if any officer has done anything wrong (in this regard), he will have to go," the Gujarat chief minister said.

Thousands of Sikh and Punjabi families settled in Kutch area of Gujarat in the 1960s and are cultivating land there.

The Modi government in Gujarat came in for criticism for passing an order under which farmers from other states re-settled in Kutch were to be dispossessed of their land.

The issue had become embarrassing for the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance government in Punjab since Gujarat also has a BJP government.

with thanks : DNA : LINK

Sikh honoured in Singapore for voluntary service

IANS

Singapore, Feb 23: An elderly Sikh in Singapore has been honoured for his outstanding volunteer services.

Surjan Singh, 82, received the Ministry of Social and Family Development Volunteers Award for helping some 60 boys, mostly involved in petty crimes such as theft, the Straits Times reported.

Singh, a retired teacher, worked for Community Probation Service, a voluntary service, for 42 years.

With thanks : IANS : LINK

UK to change work law on turbans for Sikhs

Britain is close to changing employment laws to remove an anomaly that meant Sikhs were exempt from wearing head protection in a high hazard industry such as construction, but were required to do so in lower hazard workplaces.

 

Following the completion of a consultation process carried out by the health and safety executive, the David Cameron government is expected to shortly place an amendment to the De-regulation Bill currently before parliament.

 

The forthcoming change takes forward British rules and legislation relevant to the Sikh community that were first challenged in 1969, when bus driver Sohan Singh Jolly succeeded in his campaign to overturn a local ban on bus drivers wearing turbans in Wolverhampton.

 

Minister of state for health and safety Mike Penning told HT: "I've listened to the arguments and I'm supportive of the Sikh Council's desire to extend the exemption.  That is why I'm personally intervening to change the law".

 

He added: "It's about restoring a common sense approach to health and safety to get rid an anomaly which means turban-wearing Sikhs are exempt from wearing hard hats on construction sites be made to wear them in lower hazards workplaces."

 

Official sources said the wording of the amendment is still subject to discussion and approval but the initial proposal is to replace the phrase "on a construction site" with "in a workplace" in the Employment Act 1989.

 

Representations to the government by the Sikh community, especially the Sikh Council UK, had identified problems experienced due to the limitations of the current exemption. They pointed out that limiting the exemption to an industry which has a high risk of head injuries, and not to other lower risk industries, was an anomaly.

 

Members of the Sikh community have faced disciplinary hearings and dismissal for refusing to wear head protection, while some were unable to follow their chosen professions because of the insistence of the need to wear head protection.

 

In a recent debate in the House of Commons, Penning said: "As the law currently stands, turban-wearing Sikhs are exempt from wearing head protection in a high hazard industry, construction, but may be required to wear it in lower hazard workplaces".

 

He added: "I am seeking to table an amendment to the De-regulation Bill, which is currently before Parliament, to extend this exemption to all workplaces, including industrial premises. The amendment will also extend the limitation on liability for employers to any work situation where a turban-wearing Sikh chooses not to wear head protection".

 

There may be very limited exceptions, such as specific roles in the emergency services or armed forces, Penning said.

With thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK

Memories : 300 Saal Guru De Naal : SikhsIndia - 27.5.2008

Sikh youth in Italy fined Rs. 19.5 lakh for not removing kirpan

Manpreet Singh is highly disappointed with the Italy court's decision .

In a copy to a punjabi daily , Manpreet Singh who is a resident of village Tanda in Hoshiarpur, now residing at Vicentino in Vicenza province of Italy,said that almost a year ago, on February 2 , 2013 while working in the Italian city of Tarvisio, he had been the victim of a road accident. At that time, he was admitted in the hospital of Tarvisio for treatment, where a team of young doctors asked Manpreet Singh to remove his kirpan.

Manpreet Singh explained to the doctors the importance of the kirpan and the reason he cannot remove it. On Manpreet Singh's refusal, doctors informed the police, wherein he was accused of wearing an 18 centimeters long ( kirpan )- more than what is allowed- and considering it a crime to keep weapons, registered a case under Section 110 of the Italian Constitution Act 4.

Manpreet Singh's lawyer, Baso Jasepe continued defending the case, but on January 22, 2014, through his lawyer he received a notice from the court of Tarvisio, according to which the court fined him Rs. 19.5 lakh.

In the case the fine is not paid, a three month prison sentence will be awarded. Although against this decision, Manpreet Singh's expert lawyer Agrona has begun the legal process.

With thanks : Hindustan Times : Link

Sikh American drives away with victory in Minnesota

Washington: A Sikh American in Minnesota drove away with a victory when he won the right for the community in the US State to wear their turbans in driver’s licence photos.

Last month when Blaine resident Jatinder Singh went to the local Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) office to get his licence renewed, he was told his turban was not allowed in his driver’s license photo.

He then went to the Sikh American Legal Defence and Educational Fund (SALDEF), a community organisation, which pointed DVS officials to the department’s explicit policy on religious accommodation.

In fact, the department’s own guidance material shows examples of compliant photographs, including a full-face photo of a Sikh American man wearing a turban.

Following SALDEF’s intervention, Singh was able to get his licence with his articles of faith intact.

Apologising for the incident, DVS director, Patricia McCormick, pledged to work with SALDEF on religious accommodation training of DVS staff “specifically, related to accommodating the Sikh turban” as needed.

Jasjit Singh, executive director of SALDEF commended “Jatinder Singh for identifying an opportunity to make change, for the benefit of Sikh Americans in Minnesota and elsewhere, who now see a shining example of a fair policy properly enforced”.

North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) chairman Dalwinder Singh Dhoot also expressed the Indian American community’s “satisfaction and happiness on the significant victory” of Jatinder Singh.

With Thanks : Mizo News : LINK

Efforts to rescue abducted Pak Sikhs intensify

Pakistan (February 17, 2014): It is learnt that Pakistan Sikh leaders has been holding meeting with the Pakistan leadership, including the so-called ‘hardliners’, to save the two Sikh who were abducted near Deraban area of Dera Ismail Khan last week.

The abductors though released the other two men, who along with two Pakistani Sikhs were kidnapped, but the other captives, who were identified as Pawinder Singh and Nand Singh, resident of Mohallaj Jogan Shah, Peshawar, and deal in natural medicines, remain untraceable.

As per information member provincial assembly of Imran Khan’s Pakistan According to media reports Sadar Singh father of Pawinder Singh and uncle of Nand Singh has registered a case with the Deraban Police station under Pakistan Penal Code against abductors.

“We had meeting with Maulana Sami ul Haq, the head of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP), Jamaat e Islami KPK Ameer Prof M Ibrahim Khan, Maulana Atta Ur Rehman , vice presedent Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and so on to make early and safe release of the Pawinder Singh and Nand Singh”, Swarn Singh reportedly told news-agency ANI.

Sikh leaders in Pakistan and India have also shown their concern for the safety and security of minorities living in Pakistan.

Sham Singh, President of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (PSGPC), has urged the federal government to make sure the two Sikhs are released.

Whereas Avtar Singh Makkar President Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the premier body of the Sikhs that have been looking after the religious affairs, appealed to the Pakistan government to find out the whereabouts of two Pakistani Sikhs.

with thanks : SikhSiyaasat

This Bearded Woman Says “I feel more feminine with my beard”

The woman suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, and she grew her first beard at age 11. Since then, the hair has spread to her chest and arms, making her an easy target for jeers and bullies. She says she has received several death threats from strangers on the internet.

Miss Kaur has however decided now to stop cutting her hair since she became a Sikh – the Sikh religion doesn’t permit the cutting of body hair.

The bearded woman, who had engaged in self-harming acts and considered suicide when she was younger, says “I would never ever go back now and remove my facial hair because it's the way God made me and I'm happy with the way I am.I feel more feminine, more sexy (sic) and I think I look it too. I've learned to love myself for who I am nothing can shake me now.’

with thanks : Nigerianbulletin : LINK

INSIGHTS (special edition): Plight of Indian Farmers : YouTube

Sikh wins 250,000 pounds in British TV game show

IANS

London, Feb 13 : A Sikh man in Britain has become only the second male contestant to win a popular television game show, getting 250,000 pounds (around $416,000) in the process.

Roop Singh, 54, from Leeds became only the second male contestant to take such a large sum on Channel 4 game show 'Deal Or No Deal' hosted by popular anchor Noel Edmonds, and the seventh overall since the programme was first broadcast eight years ago.

Roop Singh went all the way to the end despite having just five pounds, 100 pounds, 500 pounds, 1,000 pounds and 250,000 pounds in his last five boxes, the channel said in a media release Wednesday.

In the game, there would be 22 identical boxes containing randomly assigned sums of money inside ranging from one pound to 250,000 pounds assigned to contestants to choose one from them.

As the boxes are opened over a number of rounds, the banker (an unseen person who offers deals to the contestants) makes offers of real money to gain possession of their box.

Contestants can either 'deal' to take the money, or play to the end, settling on the amount in their box.

Roop Singh was joined in the programme, which is also called Dream Factory, by his wife and one of his daughters.

“The night before my game, my daughter quite innocently said ‘Dad, I want confetti',” Roop said after winning the game.

“When I was offered 46,000 pounds, all I could think of was ‘Dad, I want confetti’ and I said ‘No Deal’. I still cannot fully remember what happened next but I do remember the confetti and everyone hugging and congratulating me,” he added.

With 250,000 pounds in one box and 500 pounds in the other, the Dream Factory waited with bated breath as Noel revealed the contents of Roop Singh’s box.

with thanks : IANS : LINK : for detailed news.

Birth anniversary of Prof. Sahib Singh ji

Dr, Gurjit Singh ( well known eye surgeon in Chandigarh ) says"after reading all 10 volumes of Guru Granth Sahib Darpanfour times ,my repect for Prof. Sahib Singh ji multiplied million times and he spent 40 years of his life on this

Jatinder S.Sawhney say "Professor Sahib Singh Ji's contribution is immeasurable;the 'Darpan' really opened the door to the meaning of Gurbani,the interpretation of words on the basis of grammar,revolutionized the understanding of Gurbani; He was a real scholar ".

http://www.sikhisidak.com/prof-sahib-singh-ji.html

Justice or vote-bank politics? AAP's anti-Sikh riots posters create furore in the capital

New Delhi: Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has put up posters across the city declaring that justice will be done in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the capital.

 

'1984 ke Sikh katleaam ka ab hoga insaaf' [The 1984 anti-Sikh massacre will finally get the justice]

 

The posters, carrying the photograph of Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party symbol were plastered in various localities of the capital, according to a news report published in Zee News.

 

Recently, Delhi CM has demanded setting up of SIT to probe into the 1984 Sikh riot. Kejriwal spoke to Delhi's Lieutenant Governor and sought his approval for the same.

 

The issue came to light after Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi acknowledged that there were some Congress party leaders involved in the riots.

 

The 'qatleaam' posters have received mixed response from the public.

with thanks : Daily Bhasker : LINK : for detailed news.

What is Soha Ali Khan’s next film all about?

The Sahib Biwi Gangster Returns actor would be seen portraying another unconventional character. We wonder what it is…

Soha Ali Khan has never really worked in mainstream, big budgeted films. She preferred unconventional cinema over commercial; be it War Chhod Na Yaar, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns or Tum Mile. Now grapevine suggests that the Mr Joe B Carvalho actor has given her nod to a film based on the Delhi riots post Indira Gandhi’s assassination. Wondering whether she would be playing the prolific leader of the nation?

Actually no, as the film is based on the 24 hours post the assassination. The film, which is tentatively titled October 31, would show Soha portraying the character of a Sikh mother of two children. The story, directed by national award winner Shivaji Patil, is said to be based on real life incident. The rest of the details are still under wraps, but this film surely promises to be a great suspense thriller.

with thanks : BollywoodLife : LINK

Sikh community members hold 'Walk for Justice'

New Delhi, Feb 10 (PTI) Scores of members of the Sikh community this evening took out a march from Gurudwara Bangla Sahib to Jantar Mantar here in protest over the recent revelation that the then central government had sought help from Britain for Operation Bluestar in 1984.

Bearing torches, the participants in the 'Walk for Justice' wanted to go up till the PM's residence, but were stopped by police at Jantar Mantar.

with thanks : PTI : LINK

L-G backs Kejriwal's demand to form a SIT on 1984 anti-Sikh riots

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Monday backed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's demand to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Delhi Cabinet on February 6 had announced that a SIT will probe the riots.

"The Delhi Cabinet has asked the Lieutenant Governor to form a SIT to look into the 1984 riots. Cases which were closed will be opened again and if required, will be filed afresh," Delhi minister Manish Sisodia had said. He also said that SIT members would be from outside Delhi.

Kejriwal had recently met Jung on SIT probe into the communal riots. The CM's move came after an interview by Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi who refused to apologise for the violence.

"First of all, I wasn't involved in the riots at all. It wasn't that I was a part of it," Rahul had told to a news channel.

Thousands of Sikh men and women were killed during the violence which broke out after the then prime minister Indira Gandhi was shot dead by her Sikh bodyguards on October 30, 1984.

Thirty years since the riots, only 28 people have been convicted in the case.

with thanks : IBNLive : LINK

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Axe Ad Campaign Featuring Sikh Model Spurs Xenophobic Outrage

SAN LEANDRO, United States

After a Gap ad campaign drew attention to hip young Sikhs with its photo of model Waris Ahluwalia being fondled by a non-Indian model, Axe body spray is now on the bandwagon as well, featuring a turbaned Sikh model kissing a woman on the New York City subway in its new campaign titled “Make Love Not War.” 

“Sikh is the new black,” observed several Twitter users.

The “Make Love Not War” campaign was developed at Bartle Bogle Hegarty London by its deputy executive creative director, David Kolbusz.

Through a Web site (axepeace.com), a Twitter feed (#KissForPeace) and a Super Bowl commercial, Axe has been releasing images with a “peace” message — but after the ad with the Sikh model appeared, an alarming number of racists also chimed in on social media. Some commenters on Axe’s Facebook page call the model a “terrorist” and a “towelhead.”

Chiming in in a lengthy thread about the ad on Facebook, user Brandon Dewade put it this way: “Wow, there is a lot of hate here. Being an Iraq and Afghanistan vet all I see is a guy w/an epic beard kissing a beautiful girl.”

Other media watchers on Twitter wisely bemoan the fact that “peace” — as a concept — is being used to hawk a chemical-laden perfume spray.

Axe also has a presence in India, where Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor is its brand ambassador. 

India-West’s e-mail to the ad agency was not returned by press time.

with thanks : IndiaWest : LINK

Sikhs want Cameron to apologise for plotting Golden Temple attack

Revelations that Margaret Thatcher's Government was actively consulted ahead of the Indian Army's June 1984 assault on Sikhism's holiest shrine has predictably provoked vehement indignation in Punjab.

Several leaders including Punjab's chief minister and the Jathedar or chief priest of the Akal Takht, the highest religious and temporal seat of the Sikh Community, demanded an unconditional and befitting gesture of apology from the incumbent British Government.

The United Kingdom is home to nearly a million Sikhs, including second and third generation emigrants, and the angry voices of protest are certain to bring considerable pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron and his Government to try and make amends.

Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who has hitherto blamed the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Congress party for desecrating the shrine and killing hundreds innocent pilgrims besides the militant chief Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers, now says, both India and Britain must share the guilt of planning and executing the army action.

with thanks : India Today : LINK : for detailed news.

Clergy leave Nanakshahi calendar issue alone

Instead of the Nanakshahi calendar controversy, adverse comments about the faith and the Gurus on social networking websites was the serious matter on Thursday in the meeting of the five Sikh high priests.

At the Golden Temple, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh led the proceedings of this discussion that was to be on a memorandum from the Dhuma-based Sant Samaj that asked Sikhs to revert to the Bikrami calendar, since the change to Nanakshahi had caused confusion, outside Punjab especially, about important religious dates.

"We did not touch the topic," Giani Gurbachan Singh stated in a media interaction after the meeting. Radical Sikh groups and some organisations in Canada, the US and the UK are opposed to a switch back to the Bikrami calendar. They want the original Nanakshahi calendar of 2003 implemented instead of the 2010 version.

About the issues discussed, the jathedar said that priests had the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to monitor the content on Facebook and other social-networking websites to check the posting of adverse comments about religion and the Gurus. They also have been asked to identify the users posting these remarks to be able to hand them over to law and begin legal action.

SGPC nod must to float religious group

Observing that too many religious groups were being floated for vested interests, the jathedar said: "We'll recognise religious groups only if the SGPC approved them and the Akal Takht also agreed. Only then will they qualify for assistance from the two authorities." The decision is based on complaints before the Takht.

The clergy forbade individuals from pasting self pictures alongside the images of Sikh Gurus. It is a common site at religious functions.

Patna Sahib clash

There was also no discussion on the Gurpurb clash at Takht Patna on January 7 over an appointment. The supporters of Patna Sahib management and jathedar Giani Iqbal Singh and were said to be involved. "We received the CD (compact disc) containing a video of the clash only a few minutes ago. We'll view it first," the jathedar said in reply to a query.

Rajasthan MLA summoned

The clergy decided to summon Rajasthan Congress legislator Gurjant Singh and his relatives to the Akal Takht on a charge of stepping inside a gurdwara with shoes on. The gurdwara is at Khara Chak village in Rajasthan.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK

London road Sikh killed in mishap was not wearing helmet, inquest hears

IANS

London, Feb 6: A Sikh man in the British county of Yorkshire, who died last year after his bike hit a car, was not wearing a helmet because of his religious beliefs, an inquest heard.

The Coroner’s Court in Kirklees heard that 23-year-old Kulraj Singh Kalsi's 125cc motorbike struck a Volkswagen Caddy van, which was taking a turn into a complex on Thornhill Road in Dewsbury April 27 last year, The Examiner reported on Thursday.

Kalsi suffered a serious head injury after hitting a concrete post encased in metal, the court heard.

An eyewitness told the inquest that Kalsi and his bike went ‘airborne’ after the collision with the van.

The inquest also heard that Kalsi’s vision may have been affected by wind and drizzle as he was not wearing a helmet or visor.

Sikhs are exempted from wearing the helmet.

Kalsi, who had been riding close to the kerb, may have been attempting to overtake the van - or had simply failed to see it slow down, indicate a turn or then turn into the complex, the court heard.

Coroner Mary Burke concluded that Kalsi had died as a result of the road accident.

“There’s no evidence that suggests Kulraj was slowing down as the vehicle was beginning its manoeuvre and it’s not possible to say why he was in the position he was,” Burke was quoted as saying.

Burke also added that Kalsi, who was suffering from epilepsy, might have suffered a seizure before the crash.

“It may be that Kulraj became unwell and he suffered from some health issues that prevented him from slowing down,” she added.

with thanks : IANS : LINK