Sikhs India - Online Sikh News Channel

Friday, May 10, 2013

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Sikh population nearly doubles in a decade in Canadian city

The Sikh population in the city of Abbotsford in the Canadian province of British Columbia almost doubled in the period between 2001 and 2011, show official figures.

Sikhs numbered 28,235 or 16.9 percent of the city's population compared to 16,780 in 2001, the Vancouver Desi reported citing data from the 2011 National Household Survey conducted by Statistics Canada.

According to Daniel Hiebert, a professor of geography in the University of British Columbia, the settlement of Sikh immigrants in Abbotsford, along with Surrey, also in British Columbia, and Brampton in Ontario, is unique among Canadian immigration patterns.

"Immigrants used to arrive and settle in the big cities and then move out to the suburbs," the report quoted Hiebert as saying.

"Canadians haven’t seen a lot of this (settling in smaller cities) in the past.”

The new data also revealed that half of the 5,935 immigrants who settled in Abbotsford between 2006 and 2011 came from India, with the next largest number coming from the United Kingdom (nine percent) followed by Americans (4.4 percent).

“The doubling of the Sikh population (in Abbotsford) is adding to the very fabric of what makes our community so unique in its diversity,” Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra, coordinator of the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies at the University of Fraser Valley, was quoted as saying.

Sikhs comprise 1.4 percent of Canada's population of around 35 million, according to the new data.

with thanks : Deccan Herald : LINK

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

US Justice Department voices concern over harassment of Sikh student

WASHINGTON: Raising concerns over the harassment of a Sikh student in Georgia for bearing turban and being called a 'terrorist', theUS Justice Department has rapped the school administration for not taking enough steps to prevent such 'verbal and physical' abuse.

A complaint in this regard was filed to the Department of Justice by a non-governmental Sikh coalition against the DeKalb County School district in Georgia, alleging that the student had been repeatedly targeted with verbal and physical harassment because of his Sikh faith, the Federal body said yesterday.

Though, as a result of the investigation, the School administration has agreed to take steps to implement anti-harassment training at the student's middle and high school.

The Justice Department said that the school had not investigated witness' statements regarding the student being called a 'terrorist' and that there was a history of fellow students targeting him because of his turban.

"Students of all faiths must be protected from harassment and other forms of discrimination," said Jocelyn Samuels, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

Following an inquiry into the student-specific complaints, the Department notified the school of its concerns that it had failed to respond promptly and appropriately to the Sikh Coalition's allegations of harassment, including that the student was called "Aladdin" because he wore a turban and was told by a fellow student to "go back to his country".

with thanks : Economic Times : LINK

Elderly Sikh man assaulted outside US Gurdwara, one arrested

In a suspected hate crime, an elderly Sikh man has been brutally assaulted with an iron rod outside a Gurdwara in the US and was in a serious condition, as police arrested a person in connection with the incident.

The incident happened outside a Gurdwara in Fresno which is located in the heart of the Central Valley of California.

The individual arrested for the suspected hate crime has been identified as Gilbert Garcia, the Fresno Police chief Jerry Dyer told a gathering of Sikhs at the Gurdwara where the victim Piara Singh, 82, worked as a volunteer.

Piara Singh was beaten brutally with an iron bar outside the Gurdwara on Sunday morning. Still unconscious, he has 20 stitches, broken bones and ribs. His condition is reported to be improving.

Late in the evening, a Dyer-led team of government officials, including representatives of the FBI and the Department of Justice among others met members of the Sikh community to assure them that they are taking enough measures to protect them from any hate crime.

“This is a hate crime,” said Gurdev Singh Muhar, a priest of the Fresno Gurdwara.

Fresno is located in the heart of the Central Valley of California that has a sizable Sikh/Punjabi population.

The incident has sent shock waves not only among the entire Sikh community in the US, but also among Hindu-Americans and Arab-Americans, who for long have been demanding that attack against them be registered by the FBI as hate crime.

In a statement, the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, condemned the brutal attack on the elderly Sikh man.

“We stand with the Sikh community in rejecting the religious and ethnic hatred that leads to such brutal and cowardly attacks,” said CAIR-SV executive director Basim Elkarra.

Condemning the incident, the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) said Piara Singh was a volunteer at the Gurdwara and performs daily chores there.

The incident took place outside the premises of Gurdwara Nanaksar when he was walking towards his house after performing some morning duties in the Sikh Temple.

With thanks : The Hindu : LINK

1984 Anti-Sikh riots verdict: The pen was mighty but the hands were trembling

It was nothing like anything. The scenes that unfolded at the Karkardooma Court post 2:40 pm on 30th April 2013 were a bewildering reminder of how the unpredictable can surface when you least expect it.

The verdict in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case where five people were killed near Delhi Cantt on the 1st and 2nd of November 1984 was to be pronounced at Court no. 2 of the trial court at 2 pm.

The verdict was postponed by an hour. The media had already reached; 3-4 correspondents per channel. Two reporters outside the court premises providing constant (live) information about the history of the case and what could be the course of future for Sajjan Kumar, if he would be convicted. And two other outside the court room, waiting, expecting the verdict. Every channel had their plans - grand plans - ready. A quick reaction by Sajjan Kumar, the perspective of lawyers from both sides and of course the victims who had been fighting for 29 long years now. Prime time shows had decided their focus. This undoubtedly was a big story. After all, there was a chance of it being the first time ever when a high-profile political leader would have been convicted in the 1984 riots case that left almost 3000 Sikhs dead.

At 2 pm the Delhi police cordoned off the court room holding thick ropes and barricading the entry. We were told this is for security reasons, the media will be allowed at 2:40 pm. We waited - anxiously discussing the probabilities and the impact the verdict may have on obvious individuals. At 2:40 pm we were stopped again - this time the ACP came and bartered for 5 more minutes before he would let us in, clearly this was not just a security requirement. After 5 minutes we lost our patience (our tribe has often been ridiculed for the same but this time I like to believe they asked for it) and moved towards the entry gate of court no. 2 - we were once again stopped for 'proper frisk checking'.

Then a senior police official whisked us aside barking out orders to 'give side' approached. Behind him was Sajjan Kumar, the prime accused. As soon as the man entered the doors of the court were shut on media. We yelled for our right to enter - slammed on the door that didn't open. Within a few minutes we heard loud noises from inside. Curiosity and the need to flash the big news first was killing us. The door swung open and a dazed Karnail Singh rushed out with one slipper on his feet - later we would find out that Karnail Singh had hurled a show towards the judge after he had pronounced what Singh thought was a biased judgement.

The police would detain and later arrest him.

The victim's lawyer HS Phoolka was next to come out but he didn't answer any questions He only stared at us blankly and pushed off. As we entered I saw Sajjan Kumar standing in one corner with tears in his eyes. He was quickly whisked away. The judge was nowhere to be seen. Only a completely shaken and almost shattered Jagdish Kaur and her son screaming and thumping the table. And then as I could gather my wits I found that the absolute unexpected had happened. Sajjan Kumar had been acquitted of all charges. He was from that moment a free man.