Baisakhi mela: 4000 Sikh yatrees to visit Pakistan

LAHORE: Some 4000 Indian Sikh yatrees will arrive in Lahore on April 11 via Wagah border to take part in Sikh religious festive, Besakhi.

The security plan has been finalized ahead of yatrees’ arrival in the country, this was said by Aukaf Board Chairman Asif Hashmi at a press conference.

Hashmi said that rangers and elite force jawans would be deployed to provide security for visiting Indian yatrees.

According to the Sikh religion, the Besakhi festival is celebrated only at the holy city of Hassanabdal, where lies the Gurdwara Punja Sahib.

In 1921, it was decided by the Gurus (elders) of the Sikh religion to celebrate the event on the first day of Sunsikrat month of Besakh in memory of the day of the first Besakh in the year 1699 when the 10th Guru of the Sikh religion awarded Punj Kaaf slot and symbol to Guru Goband at the city of Anandpur Sahib (India).

With thanks : Source : TheNews

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Sikh Stabbed to Death At Birthday Party in Vancouver

Vancouver, March 31 – Police have identified a young Sikh man who was stabbed to death in a birthday party at Cloverdale on the outskirts of the city Sunday.

Twenty-one-year-old Buta Singh Sangha was stabbed when a fight broke out between two neighbouring families over the birthday party celebrations. The Punjab-born victim was invited as a guest by the family celebrating the birthday of their baby when the dispute with the neighbours started.

Police said Sangha was stabbed when the dispute turned violent. He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

A 32-year-old man with criminal past has been arrested for the crime. Police said the alleged killer, Adrian Skara, was also a guest at the other neighbour’s house when he stabbed Sangha.

Many people had called police when the dispute started. But before cops could come, it turned violent leading to stabbing of the Sikh man.

‘This incident remains as an altercation between neighbours and does not have any links to gangs, drugs or organized crime,” police told the media.

More than a 100 Punjabi-origin young men have been killed here over the years in rivalry among drug gangs. Most of these cases remain unresolved despite the creation a special homicide unit by police.

Vancouver and its satellite towns of Surrey, Delta, Richmond and Abbotsford have the largest concentration of the Punjabi community in Canada. The area is known for its secret harvesting of marijuana which is smuggled into the US in exchange for cocaine.

Apart from the deaths of over Punjabi-origin youths, many Punjabi truckers have also been arrested for their complicity in smuggling.

With thanks : source : VAMBAN.com

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1984 anti-Sikh riots: CBI questioned in Tytler case

IANS

A city court Monday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) why it did not examine three persons named by a witness in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case involving Congress leader Jagdish Tytler.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit asked the CBI to be ready April 1 with their answers for not examining all the witnesses.

Rebecca R. John, counsel for a riot victim's widow, Lakhwinder Kaur, said: 'The CBI did not examine all the witnesses. There are three more people named by witness Surinder Singh who have not been examined by the CBI.'

Kaur's husband Badal Singh was killed during the riots in November 1984. She claims Tytler's alleged involvement in the killing.

Questioning the CBI closure report in the case, John added that there are discrepancies in the report and the case should be investigated further.

'The court should either discard the (closure) report or send it for further investigation,' he said.

During the two-hour long hearing, counsel questioned the CBI's decision to reject the statements made by witnesses Surinder Singh and Jasbir Singh, living in California.

The CBI completed its arguments on the closure report by Feb 10 and gave a clean chit to Tytler April 2. The agency claimed there was insufficient evidence against him.

The report said that Surinder and Jasbir had made statements to frame Tytler.

The alleged role of Tytler in a case relating to the killing of three people Nov 1, 1984, in the aftermath of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination, was re-investigated by the CBI after the court refused to accept a closure report against him in December 2007.

With thanks : source : SIFY

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SAD Politicising SGPC, Says Congress MP

Charging the Shiromani Akali Dal with politicising the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee, Congress MP and president of state Youth Congress Ravneet Singh Bittu today said he will approach those close to it to vote against the SAD.

"Although, the Congress will not directly contest the SGPC election, but it will definitely approach its near and dear ones to vote against SAD candidates, as the latter virtually politicise the religious institution", Bittu, who was here to take meeting of the District Youth Congress, told reporters.

Asked whether the Congress would support the candidates of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DGSMC) led by its President Paramjit Singh Sarna, Bittu evaded a direct reply and said "we will support all good candidates in the SGPC poll, who will promise to free the SGPC from the clutches of SAD".

Earlier former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had said that the Congress would support Sarna's candidates in the SGPC, but after his criticism in the party circles on the issue, he had to virtually take back his statement.

On a query regarding the Union Government's decision to review the "black list" of Sikhs, Bittu welcomed the decision and said "it is good that the Sikhs, who are no more attached or involved in separatists' activities should be allowed for their comeback."

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With thanks : source : OutlookIndia

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SIT for anti-Sikh riots would have set a precedent: BJP

NEW DELHI: After Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi appeared before the SIT to be quizzed for nine hours in connection with the 2002 riots cases, BJP on Sunday said a precedent would have been set if a similar body had been formed to quiz then PM Rajiv Gandhi in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

"Now that Modi has appeared before the SIT, retrospectively, BJP feels that a similar SIT should have been constituted to examine then PM Rajiv Gandhi post-1984 riots. The precedent would have left enough ground for no one to disagree to a similar SIT probe today," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.

The party also said Modi had "silenced his critics" by appearing before the SIT. Another BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said Modi's critics had resorted to rumour mongering about the date of his appearance before the SIT and Congress had happily gone ahead and spread the rumours further.

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With thanks : source : Times of India

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Centre to ‘prune’ Sikh blacklist, only 50 hardcore names to stay

Giving in to a two decades old demand by Punjab and its diaspora, the Centre has begun work on pruning the “blacklist” of Sikhs that debarred several members of the community from entering the country for their association with terrorists, it is learnt. Highly-placed sources in the Union Home ministry have said the list containing 300-odd names would be pared down to about 50 by next month-end.

Notably, the list was prepared when terrorism was at its peak in Punjab in the eighties and mid-nineties. A large number of disenchanted Sikhs had left the country during that period and are presently settled in Canada, United Kingdom and the United States. While many of them actively took up the cause of Khalistan through militant outfits like Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), others were involved indirectly.

Sources said the Home ministry was currently in the process of identifying those who got involved with these groups in the rush of emotions at that time and have since distanced themselves from the movement. Officials admit there were several persons on the list who had made an occasional “anti-India” speech or attended an occasional meeting of separatist groups, and now their names would be struck off.

“We will only retain the hardcore elements on the list and these should not account for more than 50-odd names,” said a senior Home ministry official, adding the sifting was being done on the basis of intelligence reports.

Sikh NRIs and political parties like the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Punjab Congress had been pressing the Centre to review and revise the list on the plea that it was prepared “arbitrarily” and that the situation in Punjab had improved after those dark days of militancy.

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With thanks : source : Tribune India

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Baba Deep Singh ji - Shaheedi purab

The Shaheedi Purab of Baba Deep Singh ji will be celebrated on 4th April at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, F Block Krishna nagar, Delhi - 110051. Jathedar Gurcharan Singh ji Gatka master has informed that the Ragee jathas reciting Gurbani on that day, will include :

Bhai Sahib Bhai Guriqbal Singh ji, 9.30 to 10.30 am
Bhai Sahib Bhai Davinder singh ji - Harjas Keertani Jatha, 10.30 to 11.00 am
Bhai Sahib Bhai Jasbir Singh ji, 11.00 to 12.00
Bhai Sahib Bhai Amrik Singh Jakhmi, 12.00 to 1.00 pm
Bibi Pushpinder Kaur Khalsa - Dhadi Jatha, 1.00 to 2.00 pm

The prominent Sikh personalities expected include : Sd. Param jit singh Sarna, President, DSGMC, Sd. Gurmeet singh Shanti, Gen. Secy., DSGMC as well Sd. Arvinder singh Lovly, Minister Delhi Government and Mrs. Deepika Khullar, Member Corporation.

Guru Ka Langer & the Shastra Johar - Gatka will be at the end of the programme.

Plz view the vids as below :





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Eyes on SGPC polls, anti-Badal factions prepare for convention in Delhi

The Sikh Sammellan being convened by SAD (Delhi) chief Paramjit Singh Sarna in Delhi on April 10-11 will be an opportunity for various anti-SAD bodies to lash out at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, ahead of the upcoming Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak (SGPC) polls.

Sarna has roped in former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti who will preside over the convention. The atmosphere is all set to hot up as the SGPC polls, due since May last year, are expected after the harvesting season. Shiromani Panthic Council (SPC), headed by former minister and SGPC secretary Manjit Singh Calcutta, SAD (1920) headed by Ravi Inder Singh, All India SAD, headed by Jaswant Singh Mann, various representatives from other countries are expected to take part in the Sammellan.

SGPC Chief Avtar Singh Makkar has, meanwhile, termed the convention a mere gimmick and said that neither have they been invitated nor will they take part in the meet. Sources close to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said the Takht has also not received any invitation.

Makkar said only the Akal Takht has the right to convene such conventions and it was unfortunate that the political leaders were trying to deviate people from the real issues.

Calcutta told The Indian Express that an open invitation had been sent to all Sikhs and no organisation was being specially invited. The convention had the support of over a dozen bodies and political outfits to ensure that it is a success, he said.

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With Thanks : source : Indianexpress

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Belgian Spokeswoman for the Sikhs

Lily van Heers who is still waiting for her dream to see the daylight:

For the past ten years or so, considering the relative unfamiliarity of Sikhism in Belgium, Lili Van Heers has been trying to inform Belgians about the Sikh religion and the Sikh people because still there is a lot of ignorance amongst Belgium people on Sikhism .It may be because Sikhism is not mentioned in schools and local people are not familiar with turbaned Sikhs; the way they are in Britain.

Lily has made the whole aim of her life to help Sikh community & to spread awareness of Sikh religion. Its remarkable that being Belgian nationality herself,she is a spokeswoman for the Sikh community in Belgium.She is often contacted by the press whenever they need any information, by social services, by different organisations wanting a presentation, ... on Sikhism.

She often volunteers groups/local people to the local Gurdwaras and shows them (using many slides) to let them know; what Sikhism is all about. Sikh community living in Belgium ,themselves, call her for many of their different problems living in foreign land, practical and religious (e.g. kirpan confiscated by the police and subsequent court cases ).

With all her experiences with the Sikh Community, she decided to write a book on Sikhism. But the publishing houses refused her manuscript because they thought it would not sell in spite of the fact that it was the only Dutch book on the subject and well written according to them.

Then she contacted,Professor Winand Callewaert,Prof. in the Arts Faculty of KU Leuven,who took care of the diacritic signs and the layout & advised her to take her manuscript to Delhi, to Manohar Publishers. So she took the text and had it printed her Book titled :The Sikhism and the Sikhs in Delhi (2008, published in-house, see Coverage in MO * by Gie Goris Editor).Afterwards Delhi Publisher sent all the books by mail to Belgium. But unfortunately, in the absence of any Belgian publisher to promote, there is still nobody to market her book.

Not even in her wildest dream, Lily thought about such consequences, so now even after so much efforts & goodwill,she is stuck with an awful lot/pile of her own books. Her noble aim to inform about Sikhism through her Book to as many Belgians as possible;has not been fulfilled. She is still waiting for her dream to see the daylight!

Dr. Gurdeep Kaur

Guru Nanak portrait sells for $50,000

NEW YORK: An oil-on-canvas portrait of Guru Nanak sold for $50,000 at a Sotheby's auction in New York. The impressive and large portrait of the first Sikh guru by Arjan Singh had an estimate of $40,000-60,000.

It was the highlight of the Sikh works in the sale of Indian and South East Asian Art that featured a well-curated selection of Indian, Himalayan and South East Asian works.

Culled from private collections in the US, Canada, UK and Europe, and with impeccable provenance, the auction presented a unique opportunity to collectors to acquire the works.

With thanks : source : http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_guru-nanak-portrait-sells-for-50000_1363243

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