Threatened, assaulted in Bangalore, Sikh family turns to Akal Takht for help

AMRITSAR: A Bangalore-based retired Sikh Army officer, whose wife and two sons were allegedly assaulted and threatened, has approached the Akal Takht requesting it to use its influence on the Karnataka government to give him justice in the case.

In a letter written to the Akal Takht jathedar, a copy of which was sent to TOI on Saturday, Col R S Uppal (retd) wrote, "My son Harmeet Uppal was brutally assaulted and he suffered multiple facial fractures and a broken jaw. He had to undergo a 5-our surgery and has six plates in his mouth. He was also hit on the chest, head, back and limbs. My younger son, Harpreet Uppal, suffered multiple blunt injuries on head, chest, face, back and limbs."

Harmeet spoke to TOI from Bangalore, saying his family had been getting threats from people, who told them to sell their property and leave the city. "We have met everybody in the Bangalore police establishment to get justice, but to no avail. Now, we have approached the Akal Takht to ensure that the culprits are booked immediately and we can live safely in Bangalore," he said.

Harmeet, an IT professional having worked in US, alleged, "They threatened to break the legs of my mother Surinder Kaur and outrage her modesty. Police did nothing to safeguard us."

In the letter, Uppal has also mentioned that they were called 'Pakistani'. He stated that despite the seriousness of the assault on the family, they were not even being provided its CCTV footage. "There are three cameras on the main road which captured the assault," he mentioned.

Harmeet said he was hopeful that the Akal Takht jathedar would give directions to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to constitute a committee and probe into the incident which had scared them enough to leave in India's 'Silicon valley'. "We hope the Akal Takht will write to the Karnataka government," he said.

When contacted on Tuesday, Akal Takht jathedar Gurbachan Singh's personal assistant Jaswinderpal Singh said they had received the letter and asked for CCTV footage, FIR, medical report and other relevant documents of the assault from the Uppal family.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK : for detailed report & video

Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib : Inside view

pic with thanks : Jasmen Singh Noni

Langer at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib : Waheguru

with thanks to : Amandeep Singh - Timesgroup

B S Vohra with RJ Rounac - Red FM 93.5 - Bajate Raho

Community shaken after 2 US Sikhs killed in 10 days

AMRITSAR: Three incidents of attacks on Sikhs in California in a span of 10 days, which left two Sikhs dead, has left the Sikh American community worried and shaken. In the first incident on July 18, a Sikh American woman Simranjit Grewal was driving to work when suddenly an unknown assailant threw a stone at her car, which shattered the wind-shield on the passenger side. The assaulter reportedly shouted "Go back to your country".

On July 23, Subag Singh (68) was seen leaving his home in Fresno, California. When he didn't return in the evening, his family released a missing person notice. He was later found dead in a canal with injuries. In the third incident on the night of July 25, Simranjit Singh (20) was shot dead while working at a gas station near Sacramento in California. Before the attack was carried out on Simranjit, his colleague faced verbal and physical attack by a group of men.

"These attacks are inexcusable and we offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of Subag and Simranjit," said Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF) executive director Baldev Singh while talking to TOI on Saturday. He said that they had called upon local and federal law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate these crimes and classify them as hate incidents if that was the motive.

with thanks : TOI : LINK : for detailed news

Stem cell swab event held at Surrey Sikh Temple, encourages members of South Asian community to become donors

A stem cell drive is being held in Surrey today to encourage members of the South Asian community to consider being a donor.

“Only 6 percent of Canada’s adult stem cell registry includes registrants of South Asian descent”

Sarah Jasmins, Territory Manager for Canadian Blood Services says only 6 percent of Canada’s adult stem cell registry include those of South Asian descent.

That’s even though there are currently 37 South Asian patients in Canada searching for a stem cell match.

“Currently there are 37 South Asian patients in Canada searching for stem cell matches, but only 6 percent of Canada’s adult stem cell registry includes registrants of South Asian descent.”

“Patients are more likely to find a donor from their own ancestral group”

with thanks : LINK : for detailed news report

RAM NATH KOVIND PAYS OBEISANCE AT GURUDWARA BANGLA SAHIB BEFORE RESULTS

New Delhi, July 20 : Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, likely next President of India, paid obeisance at historic Gurudwara Bangla Sahib late last evening and prayed before the almighty for his victory. He was accompanied by his wife and children.

       This was his first after the voting on Presidential election and before counting of votes today.

      Mr. Manjinder Singh Sirsa General Secretary of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC)  congratulated him for his almost certain victory. He said that this will be  a historic victory where a candidate will get most of the votes and win with huge margin.

       Mr. Kovind said on the occasion that he has great belief in Guru Granth Sahib and he had come to seek blessings from the almighty before the results.

PR

HARYANA POLICE ARRESTS TWO IN CASE OF MERCILESSLY BEATING UP OF A SIKH YOUTH IN AMBALA

SIRSA TOOK UP ISSUE WITH HARYANA DGP, CASE REGISTERED

New Delhi, July 17 :  Haryana Police has registered a case at Mullana police station under section 295, 323 and 307 IPC FIR No. 167/17 for mercilessly beating a sikh youth Harjeet Singh yesterday and two persons have been arrested in the case. 

The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) General Secretary Mr. Manjinder Singh Sirsa took serious notice of the incident occurred in Ambala where a sikh youth Harjeet Singh was mercilessly beaten up by some youth in a case of hate crime. Mr. Sirsa immediately took up the matter with Haryana DGP Mr. BS Sandhu and also sent a team of three member from DSGMC including Gurmeet Singh Bhatia, Sarbjit Singh Virk and Harjit Singh Pappa to Mullana.

Police has arrested Kamalajit Singh and Abhay Chauhan in the case and further investigation in on.

Mr. Sirsa disclosed that he had a telephonic talk with Harjeet Singh today and he is doing fine and went to Madhya Pradesh after getting medical aid.

He also said that DSGMC will not tolerate hate crimes against the community members wherever in the world they occur and it will act swiftly in these matters.

          

Mr. Sirsa thanked Haryana DGP and Ambala SSP for swift action taken in the case.  He also thanked three member team of the DSGMC.

PR

ਹੁੱਲੜਬਾਜ਼ਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਰੋਕਣ 'ਤੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਦੀ ਬੇਰਹਿਮੀ ਨਾਲ ਕੁੱਟਮਾਰ

ABPSANJHA.in NEWS VIDEO can be viewed from the link below :
http://abpsanjha.abplive.in/videos/2-arrested-in-sikh-man-beaten-case-in-ambala-293029/

How can there be tax on religious and community service, asks SGPC

Questioning the logic of the central government and the GST Council imposing a tax on religious and social service done for common people, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages Sikh shrines in Punjab and runs a "langar" (free community kitchen) for hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis, has made its displeasure known.

SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar says that he is aghast at the "additional tax burden of nearly Rs 10 crore" (Rs 100 million) on the SGPC for running its free and voluntary "sewa" (community service).

"There is SGPC doing social and religious service for the betterment of the people. The (Narendra) Modi government and (Union Finance Minister) Arun Jaitley have imposed this unwarranted tax burden on us. Jaitley is misleading the people by saying that there is no GST on 'kara-prasad' (sacrament). All ingredients like ghee, flour, sugar and other things that go into making the prasad have been taxed heavily," Badungar pointed out.

Having written letters to the Finance Minister, the GST Council and now even to the Punjab government, the SGPC is seeking exemption for itself from the Goods and Services Tax (GST), saying that it is carrying out the sewa for the overall welfare of people -- irrespective of religion, caste, colour, gender or creed.

"This is like taxing the religious sentiments of people. This means that the government wants to impose tax on the sewa that SGPC does. Can we compromise on the quality of our service? It is done 24x7. We cannot stop doing this," a clearly upset Badungar said.

He pointed out that the SGPC runs langars for hundreds of thousands of people, gives kara prasad, maintains 'sarais' (shelters for people to stay) and other gurdwara buildings, helps poor and needy children as well as students, and performs a host of other social activities.

with thanks : Business standard : LINK : must read

How ‘The Bachelorette’ showed millions a different side of the Sikh faith

What happens when America’s best-known dating show meets one of its most-misunderstood religions?

“The Bachelorette” brought Sikhs into the spotlight Monday night. One of the finalists took Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay home to meet his estranged dad, a yogi and convert to the minority faith. People who identify as Sikh make up just a fraction of 1 percent of the population.

Sikh fans were nervous about the portrayal, which was teased in promotions as part of the drama between contestant Dean Unglert and his father, who he says emotionally abandoned him and became “eccentric” after his mother died. Before the episode, Dean took to Instagram with a heartfelt call for religious understanding.

“I’m asking for a favor: when I said my father was eccentric, I was not referring to his Sikh faith or the turban he wears on his head,” he wrote. “I’m not asking you to spare his feelings (or mine) but instead to be cognizant and accepting of the millions of people that belong to the Sikh community.”

with thanks : washingtonpost : LINK : for detailed News Story. Must read.