Indian American Sikh Gursoach Kaur : 22 Year Old is first Turbaned Sikh woman in the NYPD

Indian American Sikh Gursoach Kaur : First Turbaned Female Officer in US Law Enforcement

Gursoach Kaur is 22 and completely badass. This Indian-American is the first turban-wearing Sikh woman in the NYPD. She graduated from the New York Police Academy  and became the force’s first turban wearing recruit. There are just under 2000 Sikh police officers in the NYPD, of them 10 are women but only one, Gursoch, wears a turban.

 She says her presence will also mean she can explain to people what the significance of the turban is. ‘I feel blessed,’ Kaur told Desi Talk in an interview. The turban it is believed stands for compassion and service to humanity. ‘People haven’t seen anything like that. It’s great because it gives me an opportunity to tell them what’s behind the turban, educate them. That’s how we love one another,’ she added.

Her recent achievement has been widely praised across the Sikh community in the U.S. The Sikh Officers Association of New York City tweeted a photo of Kaur celebrating her presence in the force. Gursoch wants to become a full-pledged police officer in the NYPD.’We are the eyes and ears of the community,’ she told Desi Talk. ‘I go on parades, am controlling traffic, making sure everybody is safe.’

America has half a million Sikh community people living there. Gursoch said to PTC news that women shouldn’t think they are any less than men“Wherever men can work, we too can work there. God has given us equal rights,” she says.

Gursoch wears the NYPD symbol in the front of her blue turban. In 2016 a massive lobbying by the Sikh community was consented to, which permitted wearing of the badge on the turban.

“It was important to me that as a member of the Sikh community, I too could share the importance of our community to the world.”

‘Officer Kaur will make all Sikhs around the world proud! By the community seeing officer Kaur wearing a turban and in uniform they will feel nothing but pride, seeing one of their own serving her community,’ Delare Rathour, NYPD officer said.

Female Sikhs do not traditionally wear the turban, only some do in India and Canada. However women are turn pro-choice and making their own decisions about how they would like to wear their religion on their sleeve.

For the first time, Sikhs in the US will be counted as a separate ethnic group in the 2020 Census as per reports.

Link:https://www.shethepeople.tv/top-stories/inspiration/22-year-old-gursoch-kaur-is-first-sikh-woman-in-the-nypd/

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC)- Online Webinar and Counselling Session for Issuance of Sikh Minority Certificate and Admissions in UG and other programmes 2020

SGPC in action to develop jungle around 50 historic Sikh shrines

CHANDIGARH, Punjab—With the support of Khadoor Sahib based Kaar Sewa sect head Baba Sewa Singh, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhik Committee has taken up a project to plant trees in one acre land of 50 historic Sikh shrines across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The project is aimed to develop the jungle for the betterment of the environment.

 Sharing the development with Sikh24, SGPC’s chief secretary Dr. Roop Singh informed that the work to develop jungle by planting trees has begun in several historic Sikh shrines including Gurdwara Satlani Sahib, Gurdwara Patshahi Panjvi (Batala), Gurdwara Beerh Baba Budha Sahib Ji (Jhabal) and Gurdwara Baba Beer Singh Rattoke. “We will complete this project by November this year,” he added.

Link:https://www.sikh24.com/2020/06/21/sgpc-in-action-to-plant-trees-in-one-acre-land-of-50-historic-sikh-shrines/#.XvA22ZozbIU

Prof. Dr. Deepak Manmohan Singh : Senate of The Punjabi University, Patiala,India

Prof.Dr.Deepak Manmohan Singh

Heartierst Congratulations to Dr.Deepak Manmohan Singh for his nomination as Senate of the Punjabi University,Patiala for a period of Two years ( 17th June 2020 till 16th June 2022).

With Thanks :Sehajpreet Mangat

Kartar Singh Lehri who cremated Padma Shri Nimral Singh Ragi : He cremates abandoned Covid victims

kartar Singh Lehri

AMRITSAR: With many people refusing to cremate bodies of persons who died of Covid-19, even if they happen to be deceased loved ones, it is up to the administration to perform their last rites. Under such circumstances, Kartar Singh Lehari, a patwari has volunteered to cremate bodies of people who died of the disease. His first such cremation was spiritual singer Padma Shri Nimral Singh Ragi, who died of coronavirus infection on April 2. Since then, Lehari has cremated 21 bodies of Covid 19 patients.

Lehari told TOI on Sunday that being a patwari, he was asked by his seniors to identify a cremation ground for Ragi’s last rites. However, he recalled the resistance they faced from residents of the area around Verka cremation ground, who feared the spread of coronavirus infection if the body of a person who died of the disease was cremated nearby. “Late in the evening, using lights of vehicles, the ambulance driver, the helper and I wore PPE kits. We took Ragi’s body from the ambulance and prepared a pyre. The pyre was lit by Ragi’s son,” he said.

According to him, there is no higher form of service to humanity than giving a dignified send-off to people rejected by their own. Therefore, he said he approached his seniors to volunteer his services for cremation of persons dying of coronavirus infection in future.

“Till now, I have cremated 21 people who died of Covid-19 and it has now become a mission of my life,” he said, adding that his wife Jaswinder Kaur, a teacher, never objected to him for doing the ‘risky’ job. “I tell my wife whenever I go to cremate a person who died of Covid 19. She offers prayers for me until I come home but I take adequate precautions like removing the clothes and taking a bath before entering my home,” he said.

Due to misinformation and social stigma surrounding the cremation of Covid 19 dead, the next of kin of the deceased often disown their loved ones and refused to even accompany them to the cremation ground.

“But now, in some cases, family members of Covid 19 deceased have started coming forward to at least light the pyres. Earlier, relatives, including wives or children would refuse to come to the cremation ground. Those who did would remain at a distance and record videos on their mobiles,” he said.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/amritsar/he-cremates-abandoned-covid-victims/articleshow/76500455.cms

Harmeet Singh :Pakistani news channel hires first male Sikh news anchor, earns Twitterati’s praise

“Pakistan’s 1st Sikh News Anchor Harmeet Singh only on #PublicNews.” 

A Pakistani news channel is garnering a lot of praise for hiring a male Sikh as its newscaster. This comes after a female Sikh and a transgender were hired by two other TV stations recently. Private news channel Public News has employed Harmeet Singh, who belongs to the Sikh minority community in Pakistan. Taking to Twitter, the official handle of the media house posted a video of Singh, and captioned, “Pakistan’s 1st Sikh News Anchor Harmeet Singh only on #PublicNews.”

 

 “Pakistan’s 1st Sikh News Anchor Harmeet Singh only on #PublicNews.” 

Many took to social media to laud the news channel. While some commented on Pakistan’s move to be more inclusive, others stated that it was ‘nice’ to see a Sikh man on a Pakistani channel. 

Harmeet Singh is a resident of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Chakesar city. His family is based in Pakistan, NDTV rep

Speaking about his appointment, Mr Singh said he had always been inclined towards Pakistani media industry. He had completed his masters in Journalism from Federal Urdu University Karachi.

https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/pakistan-first-sikh-male-news-anchor-5237397/

https://archive.siasat.com/news/pakistan-meet-harmeet-singh-first-sikh-anchor-1375613/

Punjab: Health minister overrules health secretary, puts dismissal of lab technicians in abeyance

“Amritsar is a hotspot. Maximum cases of Covid in Punjab are from that district. These technicians are needed for testing. The state government’s fight against the deadly virus will be hit if we start throwing people out at this juncture,” said  Health Minister Balbeer Singh Sidhu.

A day after Punjab Health Secretary Anurag Aggarwal ordered dismissal/termination of contract of 22 lab attendants posted at District Hospital, Amritsar, citing VIP culture, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu overruled the health secretary and put the orders in abeyance on Saturday.

Sidhu confirmed toThe Indian Express that the Health Secretary’s orders were “arbitrary”. “How can anyone dismiss 22 lab technicians like this? It is not a joke to take away jobs like this. That too at a time when the state is fighting Covid and there is so much of pressure on the healthcare system."

Sidhu added, “Amritsar is a hotspot. Maximum cases of Covid in Punjab are from that district. These technicians are needed for testing. The state government’s fight against the deadly virus will be hit if we start throwing people out at this juncture. We are rather asking doctors and technicians to volunteer so that we do not have a shortfall.”

The health minister also stated that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had promised jobs to the youth. “And we are throwing people out. That too with a stroke of a pen. This is not done. Nobody even discussed it with me. How can we say that the technicians were not following transfer orders? After all, there is a system. This is a government which is running. Everything is documented and on paper. The technicians cannot go to work at a place if they are not posted there.”

Responding to Aggarwal’s claim that there were only five sanctioned posts in the hospital and there were 27 technicians deployed, Sidhu said, “if there is a surplus, we should make lists. Then we should decide what is to be done. We can take a call later. This is no time to open these fronts when the state is fighting Covid.”

Aggarwal had ordered the dismissal/termination of contract of 22 lab technicians saying they were influential and whenever he ordered their transfer, it was not done. He had called it VIP culture and had also stated that they were too influential that a fair inquiry could not be conducted against them.

In his orders, he had written: ”We have to come out of VIP culture. Since all the surplus lab technicians are very influential, no fair inquiry can be held against them. Therefore under Article 311(2) (b) of Constitution of India, they are dismissed from the service and if some of them are on contract, their contracts are to be terminated with immediate effect.”

Link:https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-health-minister-overrules-health-secretary-puts-dismissal-of-lab-technicians-in-abeyance-6468536/

83 community transmission cases in Amritsar in 5 days

Dist records first 100 community transmission cases in 17 days and took 10 more days to record another 100 cases

The district administration and the health department are on toes as the Covid-19 spread in the community is increasing rapidly in Amritsar, with 83 cases being reported in five days where the patient had no travel history or been in proximity to an infected person from outside the state.

After relaxations in the lockdown were announced on May 19, it took 17 days (till June 5) for the district to record 100 community transmission cases and next 10 days (till June 15) to reach 200-mark of community transmission cases. However, the community transmission cases showed a sudden spike in the last five days as 83 more cases got added to the list.

To date, the district, which has been put in the ‘red-zone’ category, has recorded 752 Covid-19 cases, of which 499 patients have recovered and 31 had succumbed to the disease.

Since May 19, over 445 Covid-19 cases were reported in the district of which 283, approximately 63%, are community transmission cases. Sixty-six such cases surfaced on Thursday, Friday and Saturday alone.

“These community transmission patients were tested in flu corners after they showed symptoms of the disease. Their source of infection could not be traced yet but the administration and health department have made three containment and two micro-containment zones in the district, to further contain the spread of the disease. The cases are being increased rapidly as the lockdown was uplifted and people are community in the market without taking precautionary measures,” said civil surgeon Dr Jugal Kishore.

A health employee takes swab samples of a women at the Civil Hospital in Amritsar on Friday.

 “Also, to control its spread and to find out how much the community has been infected, we are taking over 1,000 swab samples daily from the district, which is being tested at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). The recovery rate in Amritsar is high and the active patients will soon get recovered,” he said.

ESI HOSPITAL CLOSED AFTER PHARMACIST TESTS POSITIVE

A day after a pharmacist of ESI Hospital, Amritsar, tested positive for Covid-19 the hospital has been temporarily closed.

“A team of the health department visited the ESI Hospital where a pharmacist was found infected. The swab samples of the entire staff have been taken for testing and disinfectants were sprayed. Till the reports of all the staff members are awaited, the hospital will be closed. The close contacts of the pharmacist have been quarantined,” said Dr Kishore.

Link:https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/83-community-transmission-cases-in-amritsar-in-5-days/story-MkK19yFYr36OMGWvKAsJ2N.html

1984 Anti-Sikh Riots in Kanpur: SIT’s probe stalled in four cases, seeks MHA’s help

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is further investigating the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases of Kanpur and has been given a six-month extension till November this year, has not been able to trace the complainants and the witnesses of four cases.

The anti-Sikh riots in Kanpur that erupted in the wake of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had left 127 people dead.

In order to jumpstart its probe in the four stalled cases, involving the murder of nine persons, the SIT has requested the UP Information Department to publish details of the four cases in newspapers in Punjab as they suspect that the victims’ families could have moved there.

 “After reading the case details in newspapers, people could come forward to help the SIT in the investigation. Telephone numbers of SIT members would be mentioned along with the details of the case in the newspapers,” said Superintendent of Police and SIT member, Balendu Bhushan.

The SIT has also written a letter to SSP Kanpur to circulate pamphlets and paste posters seeking information from the public about those four cases.

“So far, we have little information and documents of those four cases. For investigation, we need to speak to witnesses of the case,” Bhushan added.

The SIT shortlisted 39 cases of murder and dacoity in which the Kanpur police had earlier filed chargsheet in 11 and closure report in the remaining 28

Link:https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/1984-anti-sikh-riots-in-kanpur-sits-probe-stalled-in-four-cases-seeks-mhas-help-6468054/

On Video Call, Father-Son Salute Each Other In Army Uniform, Win Hearts

The father-son duo, both in Army uniform, salute each other on video call

A photo of a newly commissioned army officer salutes his father on a video call while they are both in uniform is winning hearts on social media. The young Sikh officer is seen outside while his father is indoors, the photograph suggests. It was shared by lawyer and author Navdeep Singh on Twitter and was liked by thousands. Mr Singh says he found it the photo on Facebook.

"A proud newly commissioned officer saluting his equally proud father, both in uniform, on a video call. From my Facebook timeline," Mr Singh tweeted with the photo.

The young officer is seen smiling as he salutes his father, also an army officer. An overdrive of likes and comments followed soon after the photo was shared.

Link:https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/on-video-call-father-son-salute-each-other-in-army-uniform-win-hearts-2246227

Amritsar Police Distribute Masks To Spread Awareness About COVID-19

Amritsar(Punjab) [India], June 20 (ANI): Police personnel in Amritsar on Saturday distributed face masks, specifically to those flouting government regulations put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Women, children and youth were seen roaming on the Taran Taran road here without masks on, despite the weekend lockdown enforced by the state government.

According to the DSP Harkrishan, the police are attempting to make people more aware about COVID-19 and how to protect themselves and others from the infectious virus.

"I'm glad that the local police are handing out masks and explaining to the public that we should wear masks not only for ourselves but also for the people around us" said Manu, a local resident.

On June 1, the Central Government eased certain restrictions after nearly three months of a nation-wide lockdown. With regard to this, the state is currently observing a weekend lockdown. Only shops selling essential items are allowed to open on Saturdays and Sundays.

Link:https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/amritsar-police-distribute-masks-to-spread-awareness-about-covid-1920200620155338/