Why Obama won't visit Amritsar

with thanks : NDTV

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Order deferred in 1984 riots case

NEW DELHI: A trial court on Thursday deferred till Saturday the pronouncement of order on the fate of a chargesheet, which was prepared by the Delhi police in 1992 but was never filed before the court.

District judge S K Sarvaria, who was to pronounce the order on an application filed by the prosecutor seeking a direction with regard to the chargesheet against the former outer Delhi MP, put it off for October 23.

During a brief arguments, the court was told that if it decided to club a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case allegedly involving senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar with another case then it will have to summon him to face trial. Riots victims' counsel senior advocate H S Phoolka told the court that if the court decides against such a move then police would be asked to file the chargesheet prepared against Kumar which was not filed since 1992. Phoolka told the court that the application filed by the Special Public Prosecutor with regard to direction to the police on the chargesheet had to be decided first before proceeding in on-going trial.

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

SikhsIndia

84-yr-old scripts history, translates Guru Granth Sahib into Urdu

Bhathinda :

Wants to publish his work running into over 14,000 pages, complete with in-depth interpretation of the teachings; SGPC shows interest but says it will take time.

At 84, Davinderpal Singh of Rampura village in this district has accomplished something that research scholars of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, failed to do about three decades ago. Singh has translated the highly revered Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, in Urdu with an in-depth word-to-word interpretation.

Originally written in Gurmukhi script, the translated version of Guru Granth Sahib, running into more than 14,000 pages, is the first of its kind venture. “Translated versions of the Guru Granth Sahib are available in English, Hindi and even Malayalam. I strongly felt that the holy scripture should be also available in Urdu. I had been working on it for about a decade,” says a proud Devinderpal, a retired patwari who is also a Munshi Fazil, an advanced degree in Urdu.

with thanks : IndianExpress : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

UK's longest serving NRI Sikh officer to retire this month

LONDON: Britain's longest serving NRI Sikh officer and Detective Constable Harinder Singh Sangha will retire this month after thirty five years of police service.

Harinder, popularly known as 'Hari' was born in Punjab's Jullundur district and was educated in Slough, Berkshire.

Harinder whose family moved to England in 1961, joined the Thames Valley Police as a police cadet on October 13, 1975 and subsequently joined the regular service.

He was the first Asian to join the Thames Valley Police. In 1982 he joined the CID department.

With thanks : EconomicTimes : link in headline above for detailed news.

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A Question of Appearances: Obama Will Bypass Sikh Temple on Visit to India

NEW DELHI — The Golden Temple, a sprawling and serene complex of gleaming gold and polished marble that is the spiritual center of the Sikh religion, is one of India's most popular tourist attractions. Revered by Indians of all faiths, it is a cherished emblem of India’s religious diversity. So it was no surprise when the gold-plated marvel was promoted as the likely third stop on President Obama's visit to India, scheduled for early November.

But the United States has ruled out a Golden Temple visit, according to an American official involved in planning. Temple officials said that American advance teams had gone to Amritsar, the holy city that is the site of the temple, to discuss a possible visit. But the plan appears to have foundered on the thorny question of how Mr. Obama would cover his head, as Sikh tradition requires, while visiting the temple.

“To come to golden temple he needs to cover his head,” said Dalmegh Singh, secretary of the committee that runs the temple. “That is our tradition.”

Mr. Obama, a Christian, has struggled to fend off persistent rumors that he is a Muslim, and Sikhs in the United States have often been mistaken for Muslims. Sikhism, which arose in the Punjab region in the 15th century, includes elements of Hinduism and Islam but forms a wholly distinct faith. Since Sept. 11, 2001, Sikhs in the United States have been occasional targets of anti-Muslim discrimination and violence — a Sikh was killed in Arizona a few days after the attack on the World Trade Center by a man who mistook him for a Muslim.

With thanks : nytimes : link in headline above for the detailed news. Pic with thanks to :Raminder Pal Singh/European Pressphoto Agency.

SikhsIndia

'Campaign through Facebook for Obama's visit to Golden Temple'

WASHINGTON: Upset over reports that US President Barack Obama may skip Golden Temple during his India visit, a Sikh group here today asked the community members to campaign through Twitter and Facebook accounts of the White House for his visit to Sikhism's holiest.

United Sikhs also urged Obama not to cancel his visit to Golden Temple. "The President's visit to India in November has been marked with heightened jubilation, especially from the Sikh community," it said in a statement.

"Visit the White House's Twitter and Facebook account to let the President know the importance of his potential visit to Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple)," the statement said.

with thanks : economictimes : link in headline for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

Will Head Covering Issue Keep Obama From Golden Temple?

A New York Times story out yesterday suggested that President Obama will avoid the Golden Temple while visiting India early next month for a unique reason: Concern that images of Mr. Obama wearing the head covering required by Sikh tradition while visiting would further the erroneous belief that he is Muslim.

Asked about the story today, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs would not directly address its central claim. He said the schedule for the trip was not yet finalized and that decisions about where to go are made in consultation with the host country.

with thanks : CBSnews : link in headline for detailed story.

SikhsIndia

Sikhs appeal to Obama not to ‘cancel’ Golden Temple visit

Sikhs from various walks of life today made an emphatic appeal to US President Barack Obama, asking him not to cancel his planned visit to the Golden Temple on the issue of wearing a ‘headscarf or cap’ on the temple premises. They said though Obama would have to cover his head in accordance with Sikh traditions to visit the gurdwara, they had no objection if he wore a cap or even a hat.

The Indian Express carried a story in today’s edition (October 19, 2010), saying Obama might skip his proposed Golden Temple visit as US officials fear wearing a cap might create the impression among some Americans that he is a Muslim and alienate a section of US Christians. President Obama is a Christian whose late father was a Kenyan Muslim.

The Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Gurbachan Singh, had stated that the US President may wear a scarf or a cap that is worn by Muslims but cannot wear a baseball cap or anything that resembles one. Teams from the White House and the US Embassy have visited Amritsar several times over the past three weeks to assess the arrangements for the visit.

with thanks : IndianExpress : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

56.3 lakh voters enrolled for SGPC elections

Justice HS Brar, Chief Commissioner, Gurdwara Elections, has said voters could be punished under the provisions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) if they submitted false declaration. He was addressing a press conference here after holding a meeting with deputy commissioners from seven districts of Jalandhar Division.

The returning officers and revising authorities of the constituencies were also present at the meeting held to review the preparation of electoral rolls and to get an update regarding the claims and objections received so far in respect of applications for making votes. The last date of filing objections is October 28.

with thanks : indianexpress : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

Witness identifies Sajjan Kumar in 1984 Sikh riots case

A witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case on Tuesday identified former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar as one of the leaders who provoked the killing of innocent Sikhs during the carnage after the assassination of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Jagsher Singh told a city court he remembered Kumar asking the mob to kill Sikhs.

"Sajjan Kumar, MP, came in an Ambassador car and asked some people (around 30 to 40) if they had done the work that had been assigned to them. He then said they had not done their work properly. One person told him that they were helpless as the thekedars (contractors) were being saved by Hindus. Thereupon, Kumar said Hindus offering shelter to Sikhs should be killed and their houses burnt," Singh said.

Singh had lost three of his elder brothers in the riots. He is a witness in the case filed by his cousin Jagdish Kaur, whose husband and son were also killed by the mob. Singh said following Kumar's order, the mob looted his Raj Nagar home and set it on fire. "I knew him (Kumar) because our area was backward and there was some sewage problem. He had come to listen to our grievances," Singh added.

with thanks : indiatoday : link in headline above for detailed news.

SikhsIndia

A day after Sekhwan locked Gurdwara, Manpreet Badal gets due honour by Sikh priest

PATIALA: A day after Sewa Singh Sekhwan Punjab Public Relations minister locked the Gurdwara at Kahnuwan to prevent entru of former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, the granthi (priest) at Gurdwara Dukhnivaran Sahib here who Monday presented Siropao(robe of honour) to Manpreet Singh Badal has reportedly gone underground soon after the ceremony.

The Gurdwara Dukhnivaran Sahib is controlled by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC). Manpreet Badal had came to pay obeisance at Gurdwara where he was presented Siropao by a Granthi.

In Kahnuwan, Manpreet Badal was shocked to see the Gurdwara locked by supporters of Sewa Singh Sekhwan when he went there to attend path of Sukhmani Sahib organised by one of his supporter. The woman who had organised was allegedly kidnapped by Sekhwan's supporters. Sekhwan later produced the woman in press conference. She said that she had gone to her parents house.

Any official of SGPC, who did not want to disclose the identity of Granthi said that there were no directions from SGPC to give or not to give siropa to Manpreet Badal. He however confirmed that they were told not to allow Manpreet to address any meeting in Gurdwara premises.

The Gurdwara manager also offered a cup of tea to Manpreet even though he was not allowed to address workers meeting in conference room situated in Gurdwara Premises by the manager.

He arrived here around 9.40 AM in the morning and after meeting with his supporters who turned in large number immediately went to Gurdwara Sahib.

with thanks : punjabnewsline : link in headline for detailed news.

SikhsIndia
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