Sunday, June 17, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
1984 anti sikh riots : Congress seeks dismissal of case in US on grounds of delay
New York: The Congress Party has sought dismissal of an
anti-Sikh riots case against it in a US court on grounds that the case
was filed nearly 25 years after the 1984 riots took place. A US judge in
New York will hear the motion on June 27.
In a motion filed in federal court in New York on May 29, the
Congress party has sought dismissal of the claims filed by rights group
Sikhs For Justice saying the riots took place in November 1984 and the
victims filed their case in March 2011.
Due to the lapse of 25 years, the statute of limitation had already expired, lawyers for the political party said.
"Plaintiffs' claims are time-barred because they complain about
alleged activities that occurred more than twenty-five years ago; all
statutes of limitations have long expired," said attorney Geoffrey
Stewart of the law firm Jones Day, which is defending the Congress in
the case.
The party has been accused by the Sikh group of conspiring,
aiding, abetting and carrying out attacks on the community in November
1984 following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by
her Sikh bodyguards.
Judge Robert Sweet, presiding over the matter, said the Congress'
motion to dismiss SFJ's complaint or to get a stay would be heard on
June 27.
Meanwhile, SFJ said Congress Member of Parliament Motilal Vora
submitted an affidavit in the US Court in support of the motion to
dismiss the complaint filed by riot victims.
Vora's affidavit states that "no summons and complaint from the
New York Litigation was delivered to the Indian National Congress Party
in accordance with the Hague Service Convention".
with thanks : IBNLive : LINK for detailed news.
Sikh TSA Agent Kulwinder Singh Wins Religious Rights Case Against Agency
A TSA agent won a $30,000 settlement after he complained to the U.S.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that he wasn't allowed to
display his kara, a wristband that some sikhs wear to remind them of the
divine, the Religion News Service reports.
Kulwinder Singh, who works at New York's JFK airport, said a supervisor asked him to cover up or remove the wristband.
“By keeping it concealed, it defeats that purpose,” the attorney who represented Singh to the wire service.
As part of the settlement, the TSA will have to post notices that Sikhs are free to wear the kara if they wish by mid-June.
US Sikh body gives scholarships to Punjab students
Washington-based Sikh Human Development Foundation (SHDF) has given
scholarships totalling about $210,000 to 504 needy students pursuing
higher education in 159 institutions in Punjab and other northern Indian
states for the 2011-12 academic year.
"This number is up from 412 of thelast year," said Gajinder Singh Ahuja, secretary general of SHDF. "Fifteen scholarship recipients belonged to farmers' families where the farmer had committed suicide to escape the excruciating debt burden."
There is increased emphasis on female education in our programme, he
said, noting 69 percent of the scholarships went to female students and
31 percent to male students. 52 per cent scholarship recipients were
from rural areas and 48 percent from urban areas.
SHDF has granted 2,373 scholarships since the programme was initiated
in 2001 and 774 students have already graduated and have become
professionals, according to SHDF chairman Amar Jit Singh Sodhi.
"It is heartwarming that some of the scholarship recipients have
landed in multi-national companies or found top career jobs throughout
India and overseas," he said.
Rajwant Singh, SHDF's outreach director, said: "In rupee terms, this
year we have distributed more than Rs.1 crore (close to $210,000) as
pure scholarship money."
with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK for detailed news.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Now 50% DU quota for Sikhs
For the first time four DU colleges are considering reserving 50 per cent of their under-graduate seats for Sikh students.
Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, in North Campus, is among the four colleges planning the reservation.
The colleges, all run by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC), were declared minority institutions last year by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institution. During this year’s admission season, the colleges will have a separate cut-off for Sikh students.
“We will reserve 50 per cent of the seats for Sikh students. For general category seats, students will be admitted as per university norms. There will be separate cutoffs to admit students to the minority seats. The dates for admissions will be according to the university and the college will remain as close to the university as it has been,” said Dr Jaswinder Singh, principal of SGTB Khalsa College.
The college will continue to provide three per cent reservation for physically handicapped students, both in general and Sikh quota, he said.
The other three colleges awarded the minority status in July last year are Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College and Mata Sundri College.
with thanks : Indian Express : LINK for detailed news.
Man chops off Sikh's beard, arrested
Ambala, May 14 (PTI) A man has been arrested for attacking a Sikh youth and allegedly chopping off his beard following a scuffle over ice-cream in the Cantonment area here, police said today. The Sikh youth, Gurjeet Singh, who runs an ice-cream parlour in Palledar Mohalla, in his police complaint alleged that a customer came to his shop last night and asked for a cup of ice cream. The customer, Aman, entered into an argument with Gurjeet over the quantity of the ice cream served and soon it took an ugly turn and he attacked him with a sharp weapon, police said. Gurjeet, who received minor injuries in the attack, alleged that Aman had also cut his beard with the weapon. Police arrested Aman and booked him for deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings. Meanwhile, Haryana SGPC and Akali Dal have condemned the incident.
with thanks : IBNlive : LINK
Sunday, May 13, 2012
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