Taliban seize houses, shops of Sikhs in Orakzai

Taliban seize houses, shops of Sikhs in Orakzai

HANGU: Taliban on Wednesday forcibly occupied three houses and 10 trade centres belonging to Sikhs in Orakzai Agency for not paying jizia, a tax levied on non-Muslims living under Islamic law. A few days ago, the local Taliban had asked Sikh families living in the agency to pay jizia amounting to Rs 50 million, which was later reduced to Rs 15 million after negotiations. They had set a deadline to pay the amount. Taliban occupied Sikhs houses and business centres in Samma Feroz Khel, Qasim Khel and Chirat areas after the deadline expired. Sources said the Taliban also burnt three trade centres belonging to the Sikh community. Around 15 Sikh families have left their ancestral villages and have taken refuge in Minni Khel area of the agency. staff report.

with thanks : source : http://www.dailytimes.com.pk

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'Non-Sikh' PM comment has Punjab politics fired up

'Non-Sikh' PM comment has Punjab politics fired up


Chandigarh, April 28: What the Congress could not do in Punjab - making Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's credentials as the first Sikh PM an issue - the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and the ruling Akali Dal have done.

Remarks by SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar at political rallies for the Akali Dal and alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that "Manmohan Singh is not a Sikh as he has done nothing for the community" have given a new direction to politics in the run-up to the two-phase poll on May 7 and 13 for Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats.

It has given the Congress a stick to beat the Akalis with and has put the Akali Dal on the defensive.

Makkar, who is best known in Punjab's political and religious circles as a mouthpiece of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal-dominated Akali Dal, heads the SGPC - the mini-parliament of Sikh religious affairs that manages Sikh shrines in the state.

As Makkar's remarks turned out to be immensely controversial, the SGPC president changed his stance from "PM is not a Sikh" to "PM is not a true (or good) Sikh".

Ironically, Makkar sat next to the prime minister when Manmohan Singh visited Amritsar's 'Harmandar Sahib' (popularly known as Golden Temple), the holiest of Sikh shrines, just a month ago for a thanksgiving prayer after a successful heart surgery.

Makkar remained seated next to the same "non-Sikh" for a good 30 minutes while the prime minister, with his eyes closed, listened to hymns and prayers inside the sanctum sanctorum.

"What sewa (service) has he done for Sikhi (Sikhism)? We don't want a Sikh PM like this. The list of Manmohan Singh's failures is long. From past experience, we would not like to have any Sikh on the top post as prime minister or president. Even Giani Zail Singh (India's first Sikh president) failed when it came to Sikh issues," Makkar reportedly said.

The outburst from Makkar came during rallies where he said that the prime minister failed to fulfil any of the 20 points raised by the SGPC.

The SGPC chief's remarks against Manmohan Singh's religious beliefs have not only given the Congress a handle to beat the Akalis with but have left the Akali Dal on the defensive.

Chief Minister Badal and Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal have refrained from supporting Makkar.

A calculated Badal senior said: "We don't want a Congress prime minister. It is a non-issue whether the PM is a Sikh or not. Our fight is political and not directed against any person. He (Manmohan Singh) is an honourable person. I have great regard for him."

Badal senior had got continuous prayers organised at the Golden Temple for the speedy recovery of the prime minister when he underwent heart surgery in New Delhi in January.

Sikh leader and SGPC member Manjit Singh Calcutta termed Makkar's remarks "politically immature".

Congress legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira called the outburst a "smear campaign". "He (Makkar) does not have a mind of his own and blindly follows the Akalis. Manmohan Singh's leadership is internationally acclaimed, even by President Barrack Obama," former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said.

IANS

with thanks : http://www.zeenews.com/news527271.html

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Apply Gujarat riot case principle to Sikh riots case: PIL in SC

Apply Gujarat riot case principle to Sikh riots case: PIL in SC
29 Apr 2009, 0138 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: A day after Supreme Court directed a Special Investigation Team probe into the alleged role of chief minister Narendra Modi in the 2002
post-Godhra communal carnage, a PIL sought to draw a parallel between the Gujarat riots and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots seeking parallel treatment by the judiciary.

The petition filed by advocate M S Butalia said the Supreme Court has handled the Gujarat riot cases with singular motive to bring to book the alleged perpetrators of the mayhem and requested it to take up the hundreds of anti-Sikh riots cases pending in various courts for 25 years without there being any justice to the victims and their families.

The PIL, filed through advocate Harshvir Pratap Singh, was also categoric that pendency of the anti-Sikh riot cases for 25 years made a mockery of the criminal justice system that should equally protect the victims and the right of the accused for a speedy trial.

If the accused are guilty, they should be punished or else they be let off, the PIL said while seeking an independent probe into the anti-Sikh riot cases on the line similar to one being conducted by SIT under ex-CBI director R K Raghavan into the Gujarat riot cases.

Referring to the infamous Best Bakery case and the judgment in it, the PIL petitioner said the SC had laid down several guidelines regarding the trial, which was transferred to Mumbai, to be conducted in a free and fair manner.

Butalia in his petition pleaded that after a free and fair investigation into the anti-Sikh riot cases, the trial should be conducted by public prosecutors appointed in consultation with the families of the victims.

The Supreme Court had on Monday ordered a SIT probe into the alleged role of chief minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues, BJP MLAs, VHP leaders including Praveen Togadia, and top police officials and bureaucrats on the basis of a complaint filed by Jakia Nasim Ahesan Jaffri, widow of ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jaffri who was killed by a rampaging mob at Gulbarg Society in 2002.

with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Apply-Gujarat-riot-case-principle-to-Sikh-riots-case-PIL-in-SC/articleshow/4460532.cms

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Silent vote that may tilt Punjab

Manish Tiwari, Hindustan Time
Bathinda, April 28, 2009

Dera Sacha Sauda extended its support to the Congress in the 2007 Assembly election. The Congress’ showing improved and it won 18 seats with the Dera’s help. The group has again come to haunt the ruling Akali Dal.

True that the Dera has run into trouble since that time. The Dera chief, Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is caught in a controversy and is facing a CBI probe. But, still it still remains a major factor that could influence the poll outcome in the state.

The Dera, a centre for spiritual learning based in Sirsa, has a strong following among the farmers and dalits in the Malwa region of Punjab and parts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal.

In 2007, the Akalis lost a majority of seats in the Malwa region, considered as its traditional stronghold. The shocker was due to Dera followers voting en-masse for the Congress. The Akalis haven’t forgotten or forgiven the Dera even as the region prepares for the May 7 ballot.

The Akalis are also a worried lot. Even SAD president and Punjab’s deputy CM Sukhbir Badal (47), who was perceived to be spearheading a campaign against the Dera, likes to avoid questions on the issue. “Please don’t ask me this question…it’s between the Dera and SGPC,” he says.

Akali's worries spring from their running animosity with the Dera, which has been at the receiving end of Sikh bodies after the sect chief allegedly imitated Guru Gobind Singh two years ago. After the controversy, the Dera followers — mostly dalits — were frequently attacked by Sikh groups, and subjected to humiliation and police action.

In Punjab, the followers have been keeping a grudge against the SAD-BJP government, especially Sukhbir Badal who is seen as spearheading a campaign against them.

But the “enraged” followers are unlikely to vote for the ruling party unless the Dera chief himself asks them to do so.

Politicians who are aware of the Dera influence have already started making a beeline at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. Among those who recently paid a visit to the Dera included former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Haryana minister Randeep Surjewala and CM Om Prakash Chautala’s son Abhay Chautala, besides some Lok Sabha candidates such as Congress nominee for Bathinda Raninder Singh, Sangrur Congress pick Vijay Inder Singla.


with thanks : source : www.hindustantimes.com

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Visually challenged Rashpal Kaur's Gatka Performance in Dance India Dance show

with thanks : source : amritsarovar.com & mrsikhnet.com

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Shoebite: PM feels the pinch at Gujarat rally

Shoebite: PM feels the pinch at Gujarat rally
27 Apr 2009, 0020 hrs IST, Leena Mishra, TNN

AHMEDABAD/SURAT: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday became the latest target of the now-popular political missile — the cross-trainer — flung this time by a 21-year-old computer engineering student, to mark Gujarat's first "shoe-bite" that came as the PM addressed a rally at the Sanskar Kendra grounds.

The shoe-thrower, identified by cops as Hitesh Chauhan, had failed his fourth semester in computer engineering from an institute in Gandhinagar and reportedly told the police that he had thrown the shoe for five minutes of fame. Cops said Chauhan was notorious on the campus for leading protests, joining inter-college clashes and has been booked once for cheating in an exam.

Later in the evening, BJP leader L K Advani, who's had footwear flung at him in Madhya Pradesh, was targeted again. An attempt by a bearded man to chuck his sandal at the NDA's prime ministerial candidate was thwarted by others who had come to hear him at a rally in Ahmedabad's Vyaswadi neighbourhood. No details were available about the would-be assailant who was whisked away by the police.

The shoe thrown at the PM landed some 30 feet from the high podium, causing a flutter in the crowd. Although he had no press credentials, Chauhan was sitting among the front rows of the media enclosure.

The shoe has steadily gained popularity as a political weapon since George W Bush ducked a pair at his last press conference as president in Baghdad. The contagion erupted in India with a Sikh reporter chucking his running shoe at home minister P Chidambaram to vent his ire over CBI giving a clean chit to Congress politician Jagdish Tytler, a suspect in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Others who have had footwear flying at them in recent weeks include BJP leader L K Advani and Congress MP Navin Jindal.

Singh, who was on this first visit to Gujarat to campaign this elections, was nonplussed and continued with his address. Police nabbed the boy and took him away to the Ellisbridge police station.

Chauhan apparently belongs to the BJP's youth wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad. The ABVP, however was quick to disown him and sent a rejoinder clarifying that he had nothing to do with them.

Although the Special Protection Group personnel accompanying the PM requested that the boy be set free, he was questioned to determine the real motive for the attack. He later told police that he was not happy with the schemes of the central government which had prompted the attack, but the police did not find that convincing.

In his speech, Singh launched a fresh assault on Advani. "By putting up huge advertisements with photographs, a leader did not become decisive and strong." He was affirming his stand against Advani's remark that Singh was a weak PM.

At Surat, Singh slammed Gujarat government's relief package for the diamond industry announced in March as an eyewash. "When Gujarat government can't help the diamond industry it has no right to talk about industrialisation," he said.

"BJP can only give you divisive politics. They promote communalism and insult Mahatma Gandhi and Gujarat. During the NDA rule, whatever happened in Gujarat in 2002 because of a few persons was against our culture and tradition," he said.

with thanks : Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Shoebite-PM-feels-the-pinch-at-Gujarat-rally/articleshow/4451332.cms

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At Amritsar, devotee takes Granth Sahib seat, detained

At Amritsar, devotee takes Granth Sahib seat, detained
27 Apr 2009, 0437 hrs IST, Yudhvir Rana, TNN


AMRITSAR: A regular visitor to the Golden Temple, who had been coming to the shrine for the last five years and offering sewa, surprised the
religious gathering there early Sunday when he jumped the brass barricades and took the holy Guru Granth Sahib seat.

"It happened at the sanctum sanctorum around 3am, just when the daily traditional rituals had been completed," an eyewitness told TOI. As startled devotees tried to pull him away, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) task force pounced on him. The young man, wearing a turban, tried holding on to the barricades, but was dragged away.

The police, who detained the youth, have identified him as Rajiv Kumar (21), of Amritsar's Golbagh area. They later took him to a hospital for treatment to the injuries he had sustained on his head and other body parts. An unemployed youth, he is the son of a BSNL employee originally from Himachal Pradesh.

Jasbir Singh, a devotee, said, "He kept telling the task force men that he had a dream in which Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru, asked him to take the Granth Sahib seat. Such an incident is unheard of in the 16th century Sikh holy shrine. The security should be stepped up."

"It's an unfortunate incident," SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said. "The man appears to be mentally challenged. We'll tighten the security to prevent a repeat of this incident." He said SGPC will hold an inquiry into the incident and take action in case of any laxity on the part of the SGPC staff. Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, who is abroad, too, said an inquiry would be held.

with thanks : source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Youth-defiles-Granth-Sahib/articleshow/4452900.cms

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Army tells Sikh officers to change appearance

Army tells Sikh officers to change appearance

By Tony Lombardo - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 25, 2009 8:31:13 EDT

Torn between their Sikh faith and their military duty, two soldiers are fighting Army policy that requires them to shave their beards, cut their hair and remove their turbans.

“I don’t think it’s fair for anybody to ask me to choose between my religion and my country,” Capt. Kamaljeet Kalsi said. “Shaving my beard and taking off my turban — these are part of my body. It’s part of my being.”

Kalsi, a doctor trained in emergency medicine, and 2nd Lt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist, were first recruited for the Army’s Health Professions Scholarship Program. Kalsi said the recruiters with the Army Medical Corps gave assurances that wearing a beard and turban — mandatory articles of the Sikh faith — would not be a problem. And during several years of graduate school and medical training, Kalsi and Rattan both said their beards and turbans drew no concerns.

Now facing active duty in July, Kalsi and Rattan said their superiors are no longer accepting of their religious accommodations. As a result, the soldiers, through a civil rights group called the Sikh Coalition, recently filed formal complaints with the Army Inspector General’s Office and the Defense Department.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks, in a prepared statement, said that while the Army places a “high value” on religious freedoms, special exceptions to regulation are not guaranteed.

“There are times when the Army cannot accommodate for religious reasons, such as when those religious observations would interfere with the wear of proper military headgear or protective clothing or equipment,” Banks said.

Kalsi, a 32-year-old New Jersey native, said he represents the fourth generation of military service in his family. He hopes his 3-month-old son, Kabir, will represent the fifth.

“This is a struggle for acceptance for our community,” Kalsi said. “The greatest nation in the world, the United States, is so diverse. We’re at the forefront of freedom throughout the world, and yet we have an army that doesn’t accurately reflect the diversity of its people.”

with thanks : source : http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/04/army_sikhs_042509w/

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Launch of the British Sikh Police Association

Thu, Apr 23, 2009 11:02:16
Launch of the British Sikh Police Association


A national body for Sikh Police Officers and Police Staff is to be launched to meet the needs of Sikhs in the police service.

There have been a number of enquiries in the last decade about community policing and racism in the police service. There have been many other issues related to Sikhs and the police service. After the attacks in New York in 2001, Sikh communities around the world became the target of race hate campaign by the ignorant and the bigots.

There are many local and national issues which require tackling by the Sikh community. The Sikh community can and is doing as much as possible but they require a partner from within.

Since March 2008 a series of meetings have been held around the country. Police Officers and Police staff from Thames Valley Police, Metropolitan Police service, Leicestershire Constabulary, West Midlands Police and Kent Constabulary have participated in a series of discussions on the way to progress.

It was apparent to all that a national body of Police Officer and Police Staff was needed. The level of support and enthusiasm for such a venture encouraged the participants. Discussions progressed well and support increased. Other Sikh officer from forces with very small number of Sikh personnel also came into the fold.

Further work and discussions led to a constitution being adopted and the decision to launch the association nationally was taken.

Thames Valley Police management was approached and with their support and encouragement a date and venue was set.

The launch of the BRITISH SIKH POLICE ASSOCIATION (BSPA) will at Thames Valley Police HQ in Kidlington, OXFORD on 29th April 2009.

Everyone is welcome to the launch.

The aims and objectives of the BSPA are;

To establish a national forum for Sikh members of the British police services

To assist the British police services in developing strategies to recruit, retain and progress Sikh members of the service hence increasing Sikh representation in the police service at all levels

To provide a religious, cultural and social forum for members of the BSPA through celebration of dates and festivals on the Sikh calendar.

To promote an understanding of the Sikh Faith and the Sikh values of democracy, equality and justice within the police services

To provide support and advice to Sikh members of the police service.

To promote social cohesion and integration.

Contact: Kashmira Singh Mann 07811 433 026
Gian Singh Chahal 07980 705 539
Maninder Kaur Desoura 07931 308 832
Jaswant Singh Uppal 07896 291 055
Balwinder Singh 07980 683 422
Kooldip Singh Johal 07971 092 001

with thanks : http://www.emgonline.co.uk/news.php?news=4751

PM no Sikh, says SGPC chief Makkar

PM no Sikh, says SGPC chief Makkar
23 Apr 2009, 0432 hrs IST, Khushwant Singh


HOSHIARPUR: Whipping up a huge row on Manmohan Singh’s Sikh credentials and in an attempt to counter the Congress party’s propaganda on projecting
the prime minister as representative of the community, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee on Wednesday said the PM is not a Sikh, triggering angry protests from Congress leaders.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, who said “Manomohan Singh is not a Sikh’’ and kept up the tirade as he addressed an election rally at Hoshiarpur’s Roshan ground in support of BJP candidate Som Prakash, added, “Any Sikh connected with the Congress can never be a true Sikh. Giani Zail Singh, Buta Singh, Darbara Singh and now Amarinder Singh are all examples in front of you.’’

The SGPC said the PM had rejected a list of 20 demands on Punjab and Sikhs some time back. “Even if one demand had been met by the PM, I would have still called him a Sikh who has done something for the community,” Makkar said to a gathering of BJP-Akali supporters.

The Congress immediately lashed back saying Manmohan Singh did not need any certificate either from the SGPC chief or the Akalis. Party spokesman Sukhpal Khaira said, “Sikhs supporting the Congress, and who are in large numbers, do not need a certificate from Makkar. In fact, it is most outrageous coming from such a highly placed person and he needs to apologize to the PM and the countrymen, including Sikhs, who take pride in Manmohan Singh leading the country.’’

The remark challenging PM’s religious belief by the SGPC president seems to be part of a well planned strategy to thwart votes coming from here to the Congress because of the PM.

with thanks : timesofindia.indiatimes.com