We'll examine Rajoana's mercy plea on merit, says Chidambaram

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday said that his ministry would examine on merit the mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana, sentenced to death for assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and it would be submitted to the President for a final decision.

Mr. Chidambaram said that Rajoana's mercy petition, filed by Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, has reached the Home Ministry two days ago and has been added to the list of mercy petitions of condemned prisoners.

At his monthly press conference, Mr. Chidambaram said that execution of a condemned prisoner has to be put on hold once a mercy petition was filed before the President and it should be kept in abeyance till a decision was taken on the prayer.

He said guidelines in this regard were very clear. “Once a mercy petition is filed on behalf of a sentenced prisoner, the sentence cannot be executed unless there is a decision on the mercy petition. So, when we got the copy of the mercy petition (of Rajoana) from the President's Secretariat, we immediately drew the attention of the government of Punjab to the standing guidelines and the instructions,’’ he said.

“By drawing the attention of government of Punjab to the standing guidelines and instructions, does not mean the Home Ministry is expressing any opinion on the merits of the mercy petition,’’ he said.

with thanks : The Hindu : LINK for detailed news.

Police kept eyes 'closed' during anti-Sikh riots: CBI

The CBI on Saturday told a court that the Delhi police, acting in a pre-planned manner during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, kept its "eyes closed" to the violence. 

Advancing final arguments in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, in which veteran Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been accused of instigating a mob in Delhi Cantonment area, CBI counsel RS Cheema said the city police "deliberately" did not act the way it was supposed to.

"This was a case where the police acted in a pre-planned manner and every policemen was keeping his eyes closed," Cheema told Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) J R Aryan.

He said about 150 complaints were made regarding the riot incidents but only five FIRs were registered by the police.

"Whatever action was taken by the police was taken against the people who helped the Sikhs. Police did not take action against the main culprits. No policeman was recording complaint during the riots. They were not interfering to help the victims," he said.

Cheema said even the police officials, who were defence witnesses in the case, had said in their statements that they had not seen anything during the riots.

During the arguments, the court asked the prosecutor if the CBI has any "direct evidence" against Sajjan Kumar and other five accused Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal, Mahender Yadav, Balwan Khokkar and Captain Bhagmal to show they were instigating the mob to kill the Sikhs.

"Apart from the witnesses, do you have press reports or photographs published in the newspapers to show that Sajjan Kumar was addressing the mob? Do you have direct evidence against the accused?," the judge asked.

with thanks : HINDUSTAN TIMES : LINK FOR DETAILED NEWS.

Virasat-e-Khalsa soon becoming a place of worship for Sikhs

Pic from virasatekhalsa.in

Virasat-E-Khalsa, the new museum of Sikh history at Sri Anandpur Sahib, is increasingly being regarded as a place of worship by thousands of Sikhs who visit it daily.

The museum celebrates the 500-year-old Sikh heritage and chronicles the events that led to the birth of Sikhism. The symbolic representation of the 10 Sikh Gurus has elevated the museum in the eyes of the tourists here — mostly Sikhs who come visiting from the country or abroad.

The museum, which was thrown open to the public in November last year, is open from 8 am to 8 pm. Around 8,000 tourists daily visit this complex spread over 65 acres.

A large number of visitors are seen entering the Khalsa Heritage Complex barefoot and with covered heads. Though musuem authorities gently tell tourists that they don’t have to enter barefoot, but devotion takes precedence over any such advisory.

Chief Executive Officer of Anandpur Sahib Foundation, Dr Karamjit Singh Sra, said: “A guard near the pass windows suggested that we should have carpets on the walkway, leading from the parking area to the museum building. He said the days are getting hot and visitors face trouble walking barefoot. When I told him to request people to keep their shoes on, he said a large percentage of visitors leave their footwear in their vehicles before they reach the pass windows.”

with thanks : Indian Express : LINK for detailed news.

India orders stay of Rajoana execution after appeals for mercy

India has granted a stay of execution in the case of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was found guilty of playing a key role in the assassination of the chief minister of the north-western Punjab state in 1995.

The hanging scheduled for Saturday would have been India's first capital sentence in eight years.

Indian press reports confirmed the country's home ministry had ordered a stay of execution to allow time for consideration of mercy petitions to President Pratibha Patil by top Sikh clerics. The chief minister of Punjab also met Patil on Wednesday night to ask for clemency on Rajoana's behalf.

This week, a court in the Punjab state capital, Chandigarh, rejected an appeal by the director of the jail where Rajoana is being held.

Rajoana was convicted in 2007 after an 11-year trial and has refused to plead for clemency, although co-conspirators have successfully appealed against their sentences.

Many Punjab traders and businesses observed a one-day strike on Wednesday called by Sikh organisations in protest at the planned execution. Tens of thousands of security personnel have been deployed around Punjab in recent days to maintain order.

Some groups have called him a "living Sikh martyr" and there are fears the execution could reopen old wounds.

"The death penalty is always wrong and the Indian government should immediately stop this execution," said Meenakshi Ganguly, south Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

With thanks:
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/29/india-stay-rajoana-execution-appeals

ITALY SIKH COUNCIL

Sd.Sukhdev Singh Kang,Senior Vice-President Shromani Akali Dal, Delhi ( Unit Italy ) along with other dignateries /representatives of Sikh community in Italy met honourable Mr.S K Verma, Consulate General of India, Milan on 26th March to hand over a memorandum in concern with legal redress and clemency for death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana .

Observe 31st March as Fateh Diwas :DSGMC

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Managment Committee President Sd Paramjit Singh Sarna thanked the President as well all the Sikh bodies worldwide on the stay on hanging of Sd. Balwant singh Rajoana & requested to observe it as Fateh Diwas.

The Turban controversy with Mr Nitin Gadkari : DSGMC : SikhsIndia

We found the pics on the Facebook pages and asked Sd Paramjit Singh Sarna in this regard. We seek a clarification from Mr Nitin Gadkari too. Can anyone explain that why the Turbans that are the pride of Khalsa are lying on the table of a leader. Though we do not know that these pics are real or fake & what's the motive. But still, we can say that these pics are shocking. 

Mercy petition for Sd. Balwant Singh Rajoana, filed with President Smt. Pratibha Patil, by Sd Paramjit singh Sarna, President, DSGMC.

SikhsIndia
www.sikhsindia.blogspot.com
SikhsIndia on : Blog, Facebook, Youtube,
Twitter, Flickr.

No death penalty-Italy Sikh Council

The Sikh community in Italy organized a demonstration in Piazza Fontana ( near Duomo), Milano on 26th March 2012 from 9am.till 3 pm.against death penalty given to Balwant Singh Rajoana. Hundreds of Sikhs gathered from all over Italy to participate in this peaceful protest and to seek legal redress ..

After demonstration, delegation of Sikhs under representation of Sd.Sukhdev Singh Kang,Senior Vice-President Shromani Akali Dal, Delhi ( Unit Italy ) met honourable Mr.S K Verma, Consulate General of India, Milan to hand over a memorandum.

Sd.Sukhdaev Singh Kang in his statement said " Our only motive is to seek legal redress and clemency for death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana ."























News was covered by Italian media .See the following link :
http://milano.corriere.it/milano/foto_del_giorno/12_marzo_26/indiani-2003835196070.shtml

Beant killer wants no mercy, terms Akalis 'traitors of religion'

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its government may have pledged to make all possible attempts to save him from the gallows, but Balwant Singh Rajoana has scant regard for the "neeliyan paggaan wale (blue-turbaned)" leaders.

"I read it in newspapers that the Akali leadership, SAD-BJP government and the Shiromaani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) are making efforts to get me mercy. Let me make it clear that I don't want or need any mercy of the leaders of an Indian State that I do not believe in," said Rajoana, the Babbar Khalsa militant convicted in the Beant Singh assassination case and currently lodged in Patiala Central Jail, in letter sent to the media through his sister Kamaljeet Kaur.

He described the Akali leaders as "cheaters of Sikh religion", who "deserted the original path of Sikhism under pressure of the Delhi-based central government". For the denial of justice to several victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, too, Rajoana blamed the entire Akali leadership of Punjab.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK for detailed news.

Poorvanchalis, sikhs feel left out of BJP nomination list

Rifts triggered by regional concerns have emerged within the BJP. The party leadership is being criticised for not giving enough representation to Sikhs and Poorvanchalis in the list of candidates for the MCD elections.

Not one Sikh party activist was given a ticket by the leadership to contest the elections. Poorvanchali candidates, who were expecting to be nominated for at least 30-40 seats, got just 20.

Awdhesh Singh, a Poorvanchali councillor and chairman of Shahdara North zone, was denied a ticket leading to a lot of heartburn.

“The number of Poorvanchalis in the city is high and we were expecting a bigger chunk,” said a Poorvanchali party worker. In the 2007 MCD elections, the party had given tickets to 25 poorvanchalis candidates and 10 were elected.

Several upset Sikh party workers went to meet the BJP’s national president, Nitin Gadkari, to register their protest.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK for detailed news.