Recognize 1984 riots as genocide: Canadian MP

CHANDIGARH: Sukh Dhaliwal, the Canadian member of parliament of Indian origin, who created a flutter by introducing a petition in Canadian Parliament for recognizing 1984 anti0Sikh riots as 'Sikh genocide', in June last year, is now carrying the same appeal back home. The Canadian government, though, has rejected the demand.

''I would love to see the Indian government acknowledge this. You have a very competent PM, who has a credible image on international scene. Even the leader of ruling party has a very positive image. Both of them should come forward and acknowledge this,'' Dhaliwal, the Liberal MP from Newton-North Delta told TOI here on Saturday evening.

''It is very difficult for Canadian parliament to say whether it was genocide or not, but for me, it was more of a matter of creating awareness,'' Dhaliwal said asserting that petition was filed out of the need to create awareness about human rights rather than simply a community issue.

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

SikhsIndia

School considers Sikh fourth-grader's sword a weapon

CANTON, Mich. — Tensions have erupted here over a Sikh fourth-grader who brought a religious sword to his elementary school.

After they are baptized, Sikh males are expected to carry the 3- to 5-inch blunt saber, called a kirpan. The principal initially decided to allow the boy to have it last month, but after concerns from parents and a legal review, Plymouth-Canton Community Schools decided to ban the kirpan because it violated local, state and federal polices against bringing weapons or items that look like weapons to school.

 

"It's not an assault weapon," said Tejkiran Singh, 47, of Canton, Mich., a Sikh community leader. "It's so small, so blunt. ... The whole purpose of wearing it is that it's a reminder of our spirituality."

It symbolizes their commitment to fighting against evils, such as greed, he said. Similar disputes have erupted in other parts of the U.S.

On Dec. 16, Kenneth Jacobs, Plymouth-Canton Schools deputy superintendent sent a letter to parents alerting them to the incident involving the kirpan. The district did not release the boy's name.

 

with thanks : baxterbulletin : link above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

Indo-Pak thaw resurrects sacred Sikh shrine

My remote village of Dera Baba Nanak on the Pakistani border in Punjab is once again obliquely in the news, but this time for positive reasons.

Normally as tensions rise with Pakistan it comes alive to the roar of tanks and the rattle of field guns as they camouflage themselves in scattered mango groves, their barrels aimed across the now near-dry Ravi river meandering between the two countries.

But with the incremental improvement in ties with Pakistan, the proposal to open the corridor from DBN to the  some 4 kilometres away on the Pakastani side, founded in memory of Sikhism's founder Nanak Bedi has once again been resurrected. 

According to news reports from Islamabad Syed Asif Hashmi head of Pakistan's Evacuee Trust Property Board, responsible for maintaining shrines of minority communities in the country, indicated his willingness to create a special passageway for pilgrims up to the Kartarpur gurdwara that is of special import to both Sikhs and Hindus.

Dera, meaning encampment, is where my ancestor Nanak spent the last 17 years of his life till 1539 farming a small plot of land.

A distant relative is the custodian of his white homespun cloak and wooden slippers which are displayed each year at a special fair in the village in March attended by tens of thousands of devotees.

Before Partition even Muslims flocked to visit the holy man's effects as he was revered by all communities, but all that has long ended.

with thanks : REDIFF : link above for detailed news report.

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HSGPC chief held, Nada Sahib tense

PANCHKULA: Tension was palpable at Gurdwara Nada Sahib on Thursday as Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC) (ad-hoc) president Jagdish Jhinda along with 26 workers was arrested at around 6pm for staging a sit-in demonstration in demand of a separate gurdwara committee in Haryana.

They were produced before Panchkula SDM KL Kalson, who released them on bail bond of Rs 10,000 each.

Jhinda, who had arrived along with his 500 workers at 2pm, was stopped from holding Sukhmani path inside the shrine by Panchkula police, who had erected barricades.

SDM KL Kalson and SP Maneesh Chaudhary met Jhinda and tried to pacify him but to no avail. Jhinda refused to leave the site till representative from the Haryana chief minister office heard their grievances.

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

SikhsIndia

Witness identifies Sajjan in ‘84 riots case

The case against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984-anti Sikh riots took a fresh turn on Thursday when another witness identified him and a co-accused before a Delhi court in connection with the killing of her father by a mob.

Nirpreet Kaur (42) deposed before a Karkardooma court on how former councillor Balwan Khokhar and former MLA Mahender Yadav set her father Nirmal Singh on fire. “The mob caught hold of my father, poured kerosene oil on him... Inspector Kaushik gave a matchbox to Kishan, who set my father on fire,” she submitted before the Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Gupta. “To save himself, my father jumped into a drain. The mob then returned. Dhanraj gave ropes from his shop. Captain Bhagmal tied my father to a telephone pole and he was again set on fire.” She was 16 at the time of the incident. 

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

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