GlobalSikhNews

AUSTRALIAN Sikhs are fighting for the right to bring ceremonial daggers through airports. Their move follows the seizure of a number of the small swords by Customs officials. Unless Attorney-General Robert McClelland agrees to rule them as personal religious items and not illegal weapons, Australia's peak Sikh group plans to launch legal action before the dhHuman Rights Commission. The Sikh religion requires the all ordained followers - whether male or female - must wear the short, often decorative daggers known as kirpans at all times. Australian Sikhs agreed to put the daggers in their check-in luggage when travelling on aircraft but are now fighting to recover them after Customs officers decided they could be seized for being unlicensed imports, Sikh Council of Australia president Ajmer Singh Gill said. Mr Gill has said the swords were ceremonial defensive pieces, worn within casings inside a sash and identifying the wearer as following the principles of the 10th guru. Symbolically, the kirpan represents the ability to cut through untruths and the readiness to defend the innocent. But Customs recently seized a kirpan from the check-in luggage of a Queensland Sikh, saying there was no permit to import the piece. Mr Gill said a separate case in Perth was resolved after a former Minister stepped in and ordered the kirpan be returned to its owner. But Mr McClelland needed to better define swords in the restricted import laws and allow Sikhs to travel with kirpans in their luggage into and out of Australia, he said. Source: Herald Sun

Chandigarh, November 11 Surprisingly for Punjab, which boasts of being one of the top states in the country in terms of the Human Development Index, the major killer is not the burden of lifestyle diseases, but diseases from contaminated water and poor sanitation. As a result, the national programmes that address specific morbidities are inadequate to meet the state’s specific needs. Punjab needs to have its own health policy based on its own specifications. At the moment, the state is dependent on the Central Government for social sector programmes. Thus, the state is characterised by high prevalence of water-borne and communicable diseases, low outcomes for vaccination and other basic women and child health programmes and high cost of health care. Coming out with this finding, the Punjab Governance Reforms Commission has said that the social gap in access to health services across gender, income and social groups is large in the state, is unacceptable and this has even increased in recent years. “The morbidity patterns suggest that still a large portion of diseases are communicable in nature and are influenced by basic water and sanitation and directly related with levels of income at the household level,” the report has said. The report has further suggested that the medical facilities available, including basic infrastructure, to run hospitals and health centres is inadequate and unsatisfactory. The report that aims at looking at what ails the system and be a background paper on “Status of Health Services and Health Outcomes in Punjab and Recommendations for the Health Sector” says that only 26 per cent of Public Health Centres (PHCs) have residential quarters for medical officers, which is much below the national average. Only 17 per cent of the PHCs are functioning for 24 hours. However, in terms of bed availability, 75 per cent of the PHCs had at least four beds, which is above the national average. In terms of regular power supply to the PHCs, which is essential to run machines, etc, only 7.5 per cent the PHCs have a regular supply, which is a shockingly low number as compared to the national average of 36 per cent and is the worst in the country. Further, the survey has come up with a disturbing finding that nurses were not willing to working night hours, due to security reasons. The absence of nurses, due to their sense of insecurity, contributed, as per the study, to general dissatisfaction of the communities towards the health service. The report has recommended that fragmentation in the health sector, spreading responsibilities across departments, must be streamlined. Doctors who hold administrative positions should be trained in management and administrative skills. Also the report before the government for implementation calls for provision for constant in- house training programmes and upgradation of skills of paramedics, nurses and other medical staff. Trauma training and counselling services are given priority in the report. Emergency services, regulation of food, diagnostic facilities, drugs and alcohol abuse are other areas in which initiatives are recommended. And finally the paper argues that privatisation and Public Private Partnership (PPP) cannot be viewed as substitute for good governance. Rather good governance is a pre-requisite for the success of PPPs. Source: TNS

Jalandhar, November 11 Taking on the administration of the Punjab Pollution Control Board ( PPCB), environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal said today that the board was not serious about tackling the problem of pollution in the state. He is also a member of the board. Talking to The Tribune at his headquarters at Sultanpur Lodhi, Sant Seechewal said the board had failed to enforce various laws related to the checking of air and water pollution in the state, adding that the board was answerable to the people of the state with regard to the deteriorating scenario on the environmental pollution front. The board should act against those industries that were resorting to air and water pollution in spite of repeated warnings. “ I am all for industrial development in the state but it should not be at the cost of lives of the people,” said Seechewal. “There is no use of development that adversely affects the lives of people,” he said. “By resorting to pollution, some industries were violating human rights of the people and posing danger to their lives. The board must act against such industries,” he added. He further said after his becoming the member, the board authorities had been made to discuss some important issues related to pollution in the state. “Earlier, board meetings used to be more about non-pollution issues”, he said. He said some of the functionaries of the board had been playing clever with him. “The points raised by me in some of the meetings were not included in the proceedings of such meetings,” he said. “When I came to know about it, I started recording the proceedings of the meetings at my own level and started pointing out about deficiencies in the writing of the proceedings,” he said. He said the Board authorities were told not to confirm the proceedings of 148th meeting till the issues raised by him were not made part of it. He said while people in many parts of the state were dying because of the high-level air and water pollution, the board should make sincere efforts to stop such a phenomenon. He said it was constitutional responsibility of the board to check the growing menace of pollution in the state. “I pointed out that on testing the samples of Kali Bein and Kala Sanghian drain, the water of Kali Bein was found to be of “ A” category while of Kala Sanghian drain, it was of “D” category. That means the board did not make efforts to stop the draining of filth and toxic waste into the Kala Sanghian drain. Source: Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI: A witness, who lost his three brothers during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, on Wednesday told a trial court that he narrated the same incident to the CBI as well as the court and there was no discrepancy in his statements. The defence counsel confronted witness Jagsher Singh on the grounds that he had not given the exact details of the incident before the CBI but had narrated the entire incident before the court and, hence, his statement could not be relied upon. To this, Singh said the CBI had recorded only the relevant portion of his statement and that he had given the investigating agency the exact information as he had given before the court. Earlier, he had said that a Hindu man was arrested by police for providing shelter to Sikhs during the carnage. During the ongoing trial against senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, witness Jagsher Singh, who deposed before additional sessions judge Sunita Gupta, was being cross-examined by Sajjan Kumar's counsel in the 1984 carnage case. In his testimony on October 19, Singh had identified in the court Sajjan Kumar as the one who had allegedly provoked the mob to kill his brothers during the carnage. Singh, 43, is a cousin of complainant Jagdish Kaur whose husband Kehar Singh and a son were also killed during the riots. Source: Times of India

NEW DELHI: A witness, who lost his three brothers during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, on Wednesday told a trial court that he narrated the same incident to the CBI as well as the court and there was no discrepancy in his statements. The defence counsel confronted witness Jagsher Singh on the grounds that he had not given the exact details of the incident before the CBI but had narrated the entire incident before the court and, hence, his statement could not be relied upon. To this, Singh said the CBI had recorded only the relevant portion of his statement and that he had given the investigating agency the exact information as he had given before the court. Earlier, he had said that a Hindu man was arrested by police for providing shelter to Sikhs during the carnage. During the ongoing trial against senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, witness Jagsher Singh, who deposed before additional sessions judge Sunita Gupta, was being cross-examined by Sajjan Kumar's counsel in the 1984 carnage case. In his testimony on October 19, Singh had identified in the court Sajjan Kumar as the one who had allegedly provoked the mob to kill his brothers during the carnage. Singh, 43, is a cousin of complainant Jagdish Kaur whose husband Kehar Singh and a son were also killed during the riots. Source: Times of India

With NRI Sikhs offering free land in US and Canada, to put up mission offices and printing units for publishing scriptures of Guru Granth Sahib, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is planning to go global. Disclosing this to Hindustan Times, SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar said that the Gurdwara Committee of Charlotte city in New Carolina state in US and Satnam Education Society of Surry in Canada, had offered them free lands to put up mission offices and printing units to fulfill the requirement of religious preaching and providing Birs of Guru Granth Sahib on demand in that part of the globe. While Charlotte Gurdwara committee has formally offered to spare 2.5 acres for the proposed SGPC projects, Satnam Education Society from Surry has offered 16.5 acres for the purpose. Welcoming the offer, Makkar has decided to send two-member panel comprising of SGPC Secretary Joginder Singh and Executive Member Rajinder Singh Mehta to study the viability of projects. As per plan SGPC panel would visit both the spots in December first week. "Following a minute analysis if our panel cleared the proposal, we would certainly put up mission offices and printing units there," said Makkar. He said that the nomenclature of mission offices would be finalised following series of deliberations with Sikh intellectuals and Sikh Diaspora. He said that printing unit would be established at one of these two locations after studying the requirements of Birs of Guru Granth Sahib and other religious scriptures such as Sukhmani Sahib, Japuji Sahib and Rehras Sahib etc in US as well as neighbouring Canada. Both US and Canada have considerable chunk of Sikh population. Apart from requirement in shrines several Sikhs like to adorn Guru Granth Sahib in their respective houses for recitation of Gurbani. Till date no printing of Guru Granth Sahib is allowed outside Amritsar. All the requirements of Birs of Guru Granth Sahib are met with a lone unit in the city controlled by the SGPC. SGPC chief said that depending upon the success of mission offices in US and Canada, they would spread similar branches in other countries like England, Italy, Germany and Australia. Source: HT

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- President and Michelle Obama visited India on an economic mission and despite outcries from human rights organizations the President did not address India's terrible human rights record including India's genocide on the Sikh community. While the First Couple was dancing at exclusive cultural events in Delhi, several hundred widows took to the streets urging the First Lady (who traditionally performs charitable missions) to visit the "Widow Colony", a grief stricken locality in the heart of Delhi which is inhabited by thousands of women who lost their male family members during the Indian government's 1984 Sikh genocide. The Widow Rally, organized by the National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society, the All India Sikh Students Federation and Sikhs for Justice was attended by hundreds of victims and survivors of the genocide to draw President Obama's attention to the plight of the victims and urge him to press the Indian Government to bring justice to the victims. A delegation of victims delivered a memorandum for President Obama to the U.S. Ambassador for India, Timothy J. Roemer. According to Ms. Ganga Kaur, whose father, uncles, and brothers were burnt alive in November 1984, her organization the National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society approached the Obamas prior to and during their visit to India urging them to be the voice for victims. Ms. Kaur stated, "For the widows and survivors there is no difference between the Indian government who has been denying justice to the Sikhs for the past twenty six years and the Obamas who ignored their pleas." Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the spokesperson and legal advisor for Sikhs for Justice, stated, "The First Couple has utterly disappointed the downtrodden and suppressed people of this world who had pinned their hopes on them. President and Michelle Obama come from a community which has suffered discrimination in America for a longtime and we hoped they would show compassion towards victims of human rights violations. President Obama had a unique opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to human rights by speaking for and standing with the religious minorities of India, however, he chose economic interests over human rights." Babu Singh Dukhiya, President of the National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society, said, "President Obama should have convinced Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to fire and prosecute members and ministers of his party who participated in the Sikh genocide. There is already a lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Kamal Nath, India's Union Minister for Transportation, for his involvement in the attack of the Gurudawara (temple) Rakab Ganj in Delhi." All India Sikh Students Federation President, Karnail Singh Peermohammad, stated, "The failure of President Obama to raise his voice for the victims of the November 1984 Sikh Genocide proves that even the United States, the so called leader and champion of human rights, is biased towards the religious minorities in India. President Obama paid tribute to the victims of Mumbai but ignored the gross human rights violations committed against religious minorities in India including human rights violations in Kashmir, the killing of Christians in Orissa, the killing of Muslims in Gujarat and the denial of justice to thousands of Sikhs massacred in November 1984." Source: PRN Newswire

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- President and Michelle Obama visited India on an economic mission and despite outcries from human rights organizations the President did not address India's terrible human rights record including India's genocide on the Sikh community. While the First Couple was dancing at exclusive cultural events in Delhi, several hundred widows took to the streets urging the First Lady (who traditionally performs charitable missions) to visit the "Widow Colony", a grief stricken locality in the heart of Delhi which is inhabited by thousands of women who lost their male family members during the Indian government's 1984 Sikh genocide. The Widow Rally, organized by the National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society, the All India Sikh Students Federation and Sikhs for Justice was attended by hundreds of victims and survivors of the genocide to draw President Obama's attention to the plight of the victims and urge him to press the Indian Government to bring justice to the victims. A delegation of victims delivered a memorandum for President Obama to the U.S. Ambassador for India, Timothy J. Roemer. According to Ms. Ganga Kaur, whose father, uncles, and brothers were burnt alive in November 1984, her organization the National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society approached the Obamas prior to and during their visit to India urging them to be the voice for victims. Ms. Kaur stated, "For the widows and survivors there is no difference between the Indian government who has been denying justice to the Sikhs for the past twenty six years and the Obamas who ignored their pleas." Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the spokesperson and legal advisor for Sikhs for Justice, stated, "The First Couple has utterly disappointed the downtrodden and suppressed people of this world who had pinned their hopes on them. President and Michelle Obama come from a community which has suffered discrimination in America for a longtime and we hoped they would show compassion towards victims of human rights violations. President Obama had a unique opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to human rights by speaking for and standing with the religious minorities of India, however, he chose economic interests over human rights." Babu Singh Dukhiya, President of the National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society, said, "President Obama should have convinced Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to fire and prosecute members and ministers of his party who participated in the Sikh genocide. There is already a lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Kamal Nath, India's Union Minister for Transportation, for his involvement in the attack of the Gurudawara (temple) Rakab Ganj in Delhi." All India Sikh Students Federation President, Karnail Singh Peermohammad, stated, "The failure of President Obama to raise his voice for the victims of the November 1984 Sikh Genocide proves that even the United States, the so called leader and champion of human rights, is biased towards the religious minorities in India. President Obama paid tribute to the victims of Mumbai but ignored the gross human rights violations committed against religious minorities in India including human rights violations in Kashmir, the killing of Christians in Orissa, the killing of Muslims in Gujarat and the denial of justice to thousands of Sikhs massacred in November 1984." Source: PRN Newswire

]Amritsar, Punjab: 1 LAKH HECTARE LAND - ON LEASE, RS 5 CR, 200 FARMERS SET OUT FOR DESTINATION AFRICA.[/b] A group of farmers from Punjab are planning to take 1 lakh hectare land on lease in the African nation of Ethiopia for cultivation. The plan follows the visit of a delegation of the Jalandhar Potato Growers Association (JPGA) to the country on an invitation by the Ethiopian government, which offered the land on a subsidised lease plan. “Initially, for two years, we would cultivate only reg ular crops and then the cultivation of potatoes, in which the association has expertise, would be started,“ JPGA president Raghbir Singh told HT. As per plan, a company would be formed with at least 200 farmers contributing the initial share capital of Rs 5 crore for the project. The association has already submitted an application for registration of the group as a company in Ethiopia. “Ethiopian Ambassador Gennet Zewide and Minister for Capacity Building Tefera Walwa assured us that there would be no charges for the lease in the first four years, and only Rs 500 per acre per annum for the subsequent 25-30 years,“ he added. The equipment would be taken from India under a dutyfree import arrangement. Narrating the experience of the delegation of five farmers that went to Ethiopia, Singh said the Director (Agriculture) of Ethiopia offered them land in two states, Gambela near the border with Sudan and Tegre near the Somalia border. “The soil in Gambela is good for cotton, maize, wheat and paddy while Tegre is good for pulses,“ said Jaswinder Singh Sangha, secretary of the association, adding that the delegation would make some more visits to Ethiopia before finally selecting land. Source: HT

Amritsar, Punjab: Giving another chance to Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Paramjit Singh Sarna, the Akal Takht has now summoned him on August 7 after the latter expressed inability to present himself at the Akal Takht today through his messenger.</p> The Sikh clergy, highly placed sources revealed, had taken a serious view of Sarna’s allegations against Phoolka and it was not in a mood to give any further relaxation to Sarna. “It is a serious matter relating to sentiments of the Sikh community. Phoolka has been putting in a lot of hard work to get justice for the Sikhs,” said Giani Gurbachan Singh, talking to The Tribune. He said anybody could come across familial exigencies and Sikh priests were not averse to extending another hearing chance to anybody on such grounds. Sources close to the Akal Takht have also pointed out that the Sikh high priests will not expect anything short of a detailed clarification from Sarna in black and white on August 7, irrespective of the fact that Sarna’s letter to the Akal Takht has virtually denied of having subjected Phoolka to any allegations. Sarna, in his letter, explained that he had not levelled any allegations against Phoolka and rather it was the other way around as Phoolka had used “foul language” against him in a TV channel interview. “It was the DSGMC executive committee which had sought to know about the slow pace of the 1984 cases and a resolution to find reasons was also passed at its meeting on May 5. We did whatever we could to satisfy Phoolka so that he would plead the cases before the Nanawati Commission in an effective manner. We are also enclosing copies of expenditure of more than Rs. 1 crore incurred on this account,” said Sarna, urging the Akal Takht to summon him on any day between August 8 and 16. Meanwhile, senior advocate HS Phoolka appeared before the Sikh high priests at the Akal Takht. He alleged that Sarna had levelled false allegations against him that he had been given huge money to contest the cases of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims only to demoralise him. “The allegations have come at a crucial time when judgment in a few cases was expected. They (Sarnas) want to mentally disturb him,” said Phoolka after his meeting with the Sikh high priests led by the Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. Asserting that he would be abiding by any directive of the Akal Takht, Phoolka said,” I have full faith in the Akal Takht and the Jathedar of the Akal Takht. The Akal Takht has also asked me to contest cases of the 1984 victims. My case is crystal clear. I have been working for the Sikh community for many years and I will keep doing so,” said Phoolka. He was accompanied by Delhi-based journalist Jarnail Singh. Sarna, who was summoned by the Akal Takht to explain his position vis-à-vis his allegations against Phoolka, was represented by his messenger Bhajan Singh Walia who handed over a letter of Sarna to the Sikh high priests. In his letter, Sarna citied a couple of reasons behind his inability to appear before the Takht, including that he could not appear today for he was pre-occupied with arrangements regarding his father’s death anniversary on July 28.

The issue of occupancy of flats at the CRPF Colony, Dugri, by 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims continued to simmer for the second day on Tuesday. Some of the displaced families sat outside the flats and refused to budge. A clash had broken out between at this colony on Monday between riot victims and government employees residing in a section of the flats. The riot victims claim that the employees were supported by the police. This clash left Jaspal Singh dead and his cremation took place on Tuesday afternoon. Singh’s cremation was attended by D S Cheema, political advisor to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased and a job for one of his children. Jaspal Singh is survived by his wife and four children. While the riot victims claim that Singh died as a result of injuries received during the clash, the police and doctors who tended to him claim that he died of a cardiac arrest.

As Nikki Haley Randhawa created history in the United States of America after being elected as the Governor of the South Carolina, her family members in the small punjabi town of Verka are jubilant and expect Nikki to visit India soon and pay obeisance at Harmandar Sahib. Notably, Dr. Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Randhawa (parents of Nikki) migrated abroad in early 1960’s. Nikki was born in the US in 1972. But Nikki has a connection in the small town of Verka, as the family of Subedar Major (retd) Pritam Singh Randhawa, the elder brother of Dr. Ajit Singh, lives in Verka. The house on the main road has been buzzing with activity ever since Nikki Randhawa got elected as Governor. From regular visitors to phone calls, everyone is congratulating Pritam Singh and his family. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Kanwaljit Singh Randhawa, Pritam Singh's son and cousin of Nikki, said, “Nikki has made the entire family proud. Ever since Nikki got elected, there have been congratulatory messages coming to our house. This is a big feat and we are very happy.” Telling us more about Nikki, the proud cousin said, “My uncle Dr. Ajit Randhawa and her wife had come here many times but Nikki has only visited us once when she was three years old. But now, when she has achieved this big success, we want her to come to the holy city and pay obeisance at Harmandar Sahib and thank the almighty. We are waiting to see her” "Nikki has been intrerested in politics since her youth. She talked about politics. Now when she has achieved a major success, we hope that she will address the problems of the people in best manner", he added. "Although my Uncle Dr. Ajit Randhawa and others were supposed to visit Amritsar in December but now since Nikki is very busy, they may have to delay their visit", he added. About any of their plans to go to USA, he said “We are very eager to go. But since Nikki is busy and travelling, we plan to leave for USA in January or February next year.” Charanjit Kaur, also a family member said, “The mood in the house has been very upbeat and we wish to meet Nikki very soon.” The family also possesses a collection of pictures of Nikki and her parents. They have quite a few pictures of Nikki as a child. Nikkis original sikh name is Nimrata Randhawa. Source: Hindustan Times

FORT JACKSON, S.C. (AP) -- The first Sikh to go through U.S. Army basic combat training in 30 years is graduating at a South Carolina military installation, just hours after becoming an American citizen. Spc. Simran Lamba was completing his training Wednesday at Fort Jackson outside Columbia. He was permitted to wear unshorn hair and a turban under a religious accommodation granted by the nation's largest military branch. Army policies had effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting since 1984. The Army has two Sikhs who became medical officers in recent years, but it hasn't had one in the enlisted ranks. Lamba was recruited under a special program seeking speakers of two languages in India, Hindi and Punjabi.

NEW DELHI — An Indian lawmaker from Punjab said Tuesday she had asked President Barack Obama to put a stop to the U.S. border practice of frisking Sikh turbans. Sikhs worldwide have long protested the American security measure as discriminatory and unnecessary in a world with machines for body scanning and metal detection. New U.S. guidelines put into effect two weeks ago no longer require air passengers to remove turbans if doing so makes them uncomfortable, the U.S. Transport Security Administration said. But they may still have their turbans patted down — something Sikhs say is happening increasingly amid global terror alerts. And in some cases women are asked to unpin their hair. Religious groups say it is a form of racial profiling. The U.S. president said he would have a "close look" at the issue, parliamentarian Harsimrat Kaur Badal said Tuesday after the two spoke during an honorary dinner Sunday in New Delhi when Obama was visiting India. "I'm very hopeful for a change. It sends a really negative message to Sikhs from the moment they step foot on American soil," she said. "It is a humiliating experience. For us it's like telling us to remove our clothes," she said. The turban — along with a comb, a sword, a specific undergarment and a metallic wrist bangle — are part of the required dress for Sikh men, according to the religion, which is a mix of Hindu and Islam founded in the 15th Century in Punjab. Sikh women are forbidden to cut their hair. Men have long accepted they cannot carry a sword aboard planes, Badal said, and so have modified the religious requirement by carrying pendants or blades embedded in their comb "as a symbolic symbol." But this can mean they do not clear a metal detector, which prompts a second security screening. Sikhs worldwide also expressed disappointment when Obama cancelled a visit over the weekend to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the religion's most revered shrine. The White House cited a time constraint during Obama's tightly packed three-day visit.

New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) Victims of the 1984 Sikh Genocide are to hold a protest rally in the capital Wednesday demanding punishment for those guilty and present a memorandum to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. The victims under the banner of Anti-Sikh Riots Society will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar, said Atma Singh Lubana, president of the group. “We want immediate action against those guilty in the Sikh Genocide. It is shameful that the government has not been able to punish them even after so many years have elapsed,” said Lubana. Over 3,000 Sikhs across Delhi were killed in communal frenzy in the days following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984.

A Delhi court was today told by a witness, who lost his three brothers during 1984 anti-Sikh riots, that a Hindu man was arrested by the police for giving shelters to Sikhs. During the on-going trial against senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, the witness said "I met Major Yadav and told him that the person who had saved us has been arrested, he sent an Army officer to Sadar Bazar police station where we met one officer and I informed him that Ramavtar Sharma saved us and he had been arrested" Jagsher Singh, who deposed before Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Gupta, however, denied a suggestion by a defence counsel that the fact of arrest of Sharma was for the first time disclosed by him in court. It was at the house of Sharma that the victims' family had taken shelter during the carnage. "I had stated this fact before CBI but it was not recorded by them. It is incorrect to suggest that I never stated this fact before CBI or that now at the instance of CBI officials, I am deposing this fact before court," he said. He was being cross-examined for the sixth day in the case relating to the riots that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. His cross examination remained inconclusive and is likely to resume on November 10. In his testimony on October 19, Singh had identified in the court Sajjan Kumar as one who had allegedly provoked the mob to kill his brothers during the carnage. 43-year-old Singh is a cousin of complainant Jagdish Kaur whose husband Kehar Singh and a son were also killed during the riots. Kaur had on July 3 identified Kumar and his nephew Khokkar and other accused Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal as accomplices who had allegedly instigated mobs during the 1984 carnage. CBI had filed two chargesheets against Kumar and others on January 13 in the riots cases registered in 2005 on the recommendation of the G T Nanavati Commission. Source: HT

CHANDIGARH: Punjab police on Wednesday arrested radical Sikh leaders as a preventive measure after many groups called a state wide shutdown to highlight the delay in justice to victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. "Keeping in mind the law and order situation in the state, we have made some preventive arrests. Only those people were arrested who were trying to damage public property and to halt rail traffic. We did not use force against anybody," a police officer said here Wednesday. The Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), the Dal Khalsa and some other Sikh groups had Oct 28 given the call for state wide bandh. Around 200 agitators, including KAC chairman Bhai Mokham Singh and Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh, were arrested from Amritsar railway station Wednesday morning, according to police. "We were peacefully protesting and sitting on the railway tracks. Punjab police used force and dragged us from there. They arrested around 200 Sikh protestors from there and have kept them in detention in different police station," Kanwarpal Singh said. "We had given this call on humanitarian grounds to pay homage to those who had lost their lives in 1984 riots. We were not disturbing the peace or law and order situation. This is a clear case of justice denial and violation of human rights," Kanwarpal Singh said. Singh added that Punjab Police have arrested around 100 Sikh leaders from various parts of the state to foil their bandh call. Shopkeepers who on their own wanted to join the bandh were forced by the police to open their shops, he claimed. In their bandh call, Sikh leaders said they would not stop private vehicles, and hospitals and chemist shops would be allowed to function normally. However, Wednesday's bandh largely turned out to be a lukewarm affair, with police disallowing the protestors to gather in large numbers anywhere. Sikh leaders detained Chandigarh, Nov 3 (PTI) Police today detained some Sikh leaders in Amritsar, who were squatting on rail lines, as part of the Punjab bandh call given by some Sikh groups including Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), the Dal Khalsa against the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh and KAC Chairman Bhai Mokham Singh were among those taken into preventive custody by the Amritsar police this morning. Kanwar Pal Singh claimed that they were peacefully squatting on the rail lines near the Amritsar railway station when the police "forcefully had us removed from there". While, police claimed that they tried to stop the Amritsar-Delhi Swarn Shatabdi. Kanwar claimed that the police had made around 300 preventive arrests throughout the state to foil their bandh. He also claimed that those shopkeepers and other commercial establishments which voluntarily wanted to join the bandh were also forced to open their shops by the police at various places in the state. The police, however, denied the allegation. The bandh call was given by the Dal Khalsa and others, who described the 1984 incident as "genocide of Sikhs". Last year on November 3, various Sikhs groups had given a call to protest alleged inaction against the 1984 riots accused. Meanwhile, the bandh has evoked partial response in Jalandhar with the rail and road traffic plying normal in the area. The banks, commercial establishments and schools were closed in the wake of the bandh call. There was, however, no report of any violence from the region. Security has been beefed up, police said. Source: TOI, MSN News

BATALA: Age is not a hurdle in the way of Davinder Pal Singh who has created the history by translating holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib into Urdu language from the Gurmukhi script. This is the first Urdu translation of holy Siukh scripture. 85 year old Davinder Pal Singh, a resident of Bora village in Bhatinda district had translated the Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Urdu after a period of 10 year. Inspired from his teacher who was a muslim by caste, chosen topic to translate the Guru Granth Sahib as he was a revenue officer (Patwari) in the revenue department. He has a good command of the Urdu language as he used to work in Urdu language because all the record of revenue is in Urdu language. Besides his age factor, Davinder Pal Singh who hails Bhatinda district used to come at Qadian town in Gurdaspur district after covering a distance of more than 200 Kilometers which is International headquarters of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Now, he wanted to computerize of his hand written translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and for this purpose he is getting the help of Unitech publication Qadian and hoped that the Urdu translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib would available at the Internet. Talking to the media persons who was at Qadian town for his translation work, he said that translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib was available in Hindi, English and Malayalam but was not available in the Urdu, which has a number of readership in the country and abroad. He has decided to make available the Urdu translation to the sikh community living in the Pakistan and he would be visiting the Pakistan in the mid of this month. Source: Punjab Newsline

Washington - South Carolina on Tuesday elected Republican Nikki Haley, the daughter of Sikh immigrant parents, as the first Asian woman to become a US governor. She beat fellow state legislator Vincent Sheheen, taking 51 per cent of the vote to his 47 per cent. 'Tomorrow morning there's going to be a lot of news and a lot of observers who say we made history. And in some ways, you can look at me and say, 'Yes, we did,'' Haley said Tuesday night in her victory speech. 'But what I want this to be is that we're turning a page. We're turning a page on where we've been, but the history is going to be on where we're going to go.' She made little of her immigrant family background during her speech, aside from a reference to her parents reminding her how lucky she is to live in the United States. Instead, the speech accentuated that she is through-and-through American, with references to family, '80s music and politics all delivered with the hint of a southern drawl. 'Regardless of how you voted, I'm going to get to work for you,' she assured voters. An accountant and businesswoman, she has served in the South Carolina legislature since 2004, when she became the first Indian American elected to a state office. Haley, 38, was born Nimrata Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina, one of three children of parents from Amritsar, India. She eventually went to work in the family's prosperous apparel business. Haley converted to Protestant Christianity before getting married but attends both Methodist and Sikh services out of respect to her parents. With a reputation in the legislature as an anti-tax, fiscal conservative, her long-shot candidacy starting in 2009 for the Republican nomination for governor melded easily with the national anti-government mood. She replaces Governor Mark Sanford, who is stepping down due to term limits. However, his tenure in office, which was overshadowed by a sex scandal, trickled over into Haley's race, with ultimately disproven claims that Haley had also had an affair with Sanford, turning the campaign into one of the 'tawdriest races in history,' according to realclearpolitics.com. The race saw Haley endure one of her opponents for the Republican nomination smearing her with the ethnic slur 'raghead.' But she also enjoyed support via endorsements from former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and, even, Sanford's wife.

Washington - South Carolina on Tuesday elected Republican Nikki Haley, the daughter of Sikh immigrant parents, as the first Asian woman to become a US governor. She beat fellow state legislator Vincent Sheheen, taking 51 per cent of the vote to his 47 per cent. 'Tomorrow morning there's going to be a lot of news and a lot of observers who say we made history. And in some ways, you can look at me and say, 'Yes, we did,'' Haley said Tuesday night in her victory speech. 'But what I want this to be is that we're turning a page. We're turning a page on where we've been, but the history is going to be on where we're going to go.' She made little of her immigrant family background during her speech, aside from a reference to her parents reminding her how lucky she is to live in the United States. Instead, the speech accentuated that she is through-and-through American, with references to family, '80s music and politics all delivered with the hint of a southern drawl. 'Regardless of how you voted, I'm going to get to work for you,' she assured voters. An accountant and businesswoman, she has served in the South Carolina legislature since 2004, when she became the first Indian American elected to a state office. Haley, 38, was born Nimrata Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina, one of three children of parents from Amritsar, India. She eventually went to work in the family's prosperous apparel business. Haley converted to Protestant Christianity before getting married but attends both Methodist and Sikh services out of respect to her parents. With a reputation in the legislature as an anti-tax, fiscal conservative, her long-shot candidacy starting in 2009 for the Republican nomination for governor melded easily with the national anti-government mood. She replaces Governor Mark Sanford, who is stepping down due to term limits. However, his tenure in office, which was overshadowed by a sex scandal, trickled over into Haley's race, with ultimately disproven claims that Haley had also had an affair with Sanford, turning the campaign into one of the 'tawdriest races in history,' according to realclearpolitics.com. The race saw Haley endure one of her opponents for the Republican nomination smearing her with the ethnic slur 'raghead.' But she also enjoyed support via endorsements from former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and, even, Sanford's wife.

A cash-strapped project to build a Sikh place of worship in Gravesend procured the large marble domes, arched windows and highly ornate stonework from India - and saved more than £2m along the way Even putting its striking appearance to one side, you still couldn’t describe the gurdwara in Gravesend as a conventional build. As a place of worship for the UK’s third-largest Sikh population, the project has been on site for the best part of eight years. When it started there was only enough money to complete the foundations; the rest of the cash still had to be raised, most of it from donations. And to get the best value for money, and keep control of the complex project, the local community set up its own construction company. Added to all this was the intricately detailed stone cladding. Teja Biring, a partner in Calford Seaden, the architects behind the gurdwara (door to the guru), says: “The community wanted a very traditional-looking building.” As a result, it incorporates plenty of the design cues of a traditional gurdwara such as the five large marble domes, the arched windows and the Indian motifs which embellish the stonework. Procuring such an ornate design was always going to be tricky given the tight budget, and it quickly transpired that the best way to achieve the traditional detail at a realistic price was to obtain the stone, already carved, directly from India. Teja Biring, partner in charge at Calford Seaden, spent two weeks touring India until he found a company capable of handling the project. Trivedi Tectonics based in Ahmedabad in western India had expertise in hand carving and also the CNC machine tools to cut and carve large quantities of stone, which was a must if the project was going to complete in the next decade. It also had its own marble quarry. However, Biring had concerns about using marble because of the UK climate and the porosity of the stone. “I was looking for a life expectancy of 100 years plus, like a church or cathedral,” he says. For this reason a mix of pink and grey granite has been used for a large proportion of the building, particularly where weathering might be an issue, such as ledges. Marble, easier to work with, has been used where there is intricate detailing and to create the traditional covering for the domes. The entrance porch The structure of the Gravesend Gurdwara has been kept simple to make it cheap and easy to build. It uses conventional insitu reinforced concrete clad with ready carved granite and marble panels. The entrance porch is one of the most detailed sections of the building, bringing together intricately carved columns, marble Jali windows, traditional Indian motifs and a marble clad dome. 1 Gold finial 2 Screen created from marble 3 Solid marble petals 4 White marble sections 5 Insitu concrete structure 6 Concrete soffit clad with ceramic mosaic tiles 7 Pink granite 8 White marble To ensure value for money and keep control of the project, the local community set up its own construction company, GNG Construction. Each package of work was let separately and it also meant they were able to draw on construction workers within the Sikh community. To keep costs down and capitalise on this local labour, Biring was keen to keep the build as simple as possible. The building itself is formed out of cast insitu reinforced concrete and the stone panels have been designed so that they are loadbearing like the outer skin of a cavity wall. Each stone section rests on top of the other, bonded with an epoxy resin to make it weathertight and tied back to the concrete structure with stainless steel ties. Between the concrete and stone is a 100mm cavity filled with high-performance insulation to meet Part L requirements. Taking the CAD drawing produced by Calford Seaden, the stonemasons in India produced detailed designs and then set about cutting and carving the stone. Mark Stott, project architect, describes the results as being like a giant Airfix kit. The solid stone is cut to size, shaped and carved, then given a reference ready for assembling when it arrives on site. The columns, for example, are carved out of a solid piece of stone and then bored and cut to wrap around a conventional reinforced concrete column. The thickness of the stone varies, but a minimum of 40mm was set for flat panels increasing to 200mm for the larger, more ornate sections, some of which weigh close to a tonne. Because of the weight of the panels, stonemasons from India came over to help with the installation, to avoid chipping and damaging the edges in transit, and also so that they could make any adjustments or changes that might be needed on site. The project has come in at £13m, with the stonework, including the flooring and landscaping, costing £2.7m. Procuring the stonework for the facades alone in the UK would have been in the order of £4.5m, without the intricate detailing. A building like the Gravesend Gurdwara is rare and unlikely to be repeated, and this way of working won’t suit many clients, but Biring argues that the way they have procured the stonework - and the ornately carved timber come to that - is a lesson for others. “You need to hold your nerve and everything has to be made and shipped but if you have got the time it can be achieved; you just need to plan ahead.” Stand-out features Domes There are five domes on the gurdwara, exposed on the inside and ranging in diameter from 6m to 18m. The “onion” shape is constructed using sprayed concrete with an insulation core. Externally they are covered in square marble tiles with the ribs picked out in curving solid marble sections, while marble petals decorate the edges. Inside, the domes are lined with specially-commissioned glass mosaics. Each of the four main domes has its own unique design and colour scheme while the dome over the entrance has a carved and vaulted ceiling. External cladding The outside of the building is clad in granite and marble - the granite was selected for its durability. The details around the doors and windows are picked out in finely carved white marble. The porch and veranda provide a focal point and so is clad entirely in finely carved white marble with inlay panels and bas-relief images of historic gurdwara buildings. Inside, the floor iswhite marble, inlaid with coloured marble in a traditional pattern. Parapet The parapet of the building with the corner turrets is another important feature of the building. This is created using pink and grey granite, which is hard-wearing but much more difficult to carve than marble. Although it looks like it is cantilevered, the granite supports are actually decorative rather than structural. Source: Building.co.uk

NEW YORK: After President Obama shied away from Sikh Human Rights issue by refusing to visit Golden Temple, he was reminded by hundreds of Sikhs who gathered in New York City in front of United Nations Headquarters, of his campaign promise and legal obligation to victims of Sikh Genocide (1984-1998). Hundreds of Sikhs,US political activists including NYC Councilwomen Julissa Ferraris, Hispanic Organizations of New York,prominent Sikh activists from USA, Canada and India rallied in front of United Nations Headquarters in New York and submitted a memorandum to UN Human Rights Commission to intervene on behalf of Sikh victims of November 1984 Genocide. The "Justice Rally" was organized by "Sikhs for Justice" (SFJ), a human rights organizations spearheading justice campaign with the support of Gurudwaras of North America. The rally was attended by many US political activists including NYC Councilwomen Julissa Ferraris, Hispanic Organizations, and prominent Sikh activists from USA, Canada and India. Councilwomen Ms. Julissa Ferraris paid tribute to innocent Sikhs who lost their lives in November 1984 and stated that United States respects human rights of all and specially religious minorities. SFJ also announced that widows of November 1984 Anti Sikh Riots will also hold a rally on November 08, 2010 in New Delhi while President Obama will be addressing the Indian Parliament. Ms. Ganga Kaur coordinator of "National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society" whose father was burnt alive in November 1984 will lead the rally and campaign by widows of November 1984 Sikh Genocide to approach first lady Michelle Obama urging her to visit Delhis"Widow Colony", a grief stricken locality in the heart of Indian capital."Widow Colony" is inhibited by thousands of Sikh females who lost their male family members during organized massacre in November 1984. Noted human rights lawyer from India, advocate Navkiran Singh stated that "In November 1984 Sikhs were murdered in 18 states of India but the official investigations has been confined to Delhi alone." He further stated that their organization has obtained data and evidence showing that thousands of Sikhs were killed in 100 cities of India during November 1984 and not a single prosecution has been conducted so far.Advocate Singh emphasizes that "by prosecuting the killers of Sikhs, religious minorities of India will become safer". Addressing the rally, human rights lawyer and SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, stated that President Obama must raise the issue of Sikh Genocide in his speech to the Indian Parliament on November 8, 2010 and United States should not "trade dollars with blood". "The purpose of the protest is to remind President Obama that Sikhs and other religious minorities of India have been victims of violence and as President of United States he has obligation to address the violation of human rights, irrespective of the economic status of the offending nation (India)" stated attorney Pannun. Dr. Bakhshish Singh Sandhu, Coordinator of "Sikhs For Justice" who briefed President Obama in September 2010 about the issue of Sikh Genocide stated that "victims of Sikh Genocide will keep reminding President Obama of his moral and legal duties and will "Chase Obama from New York to New Delhi" reminding him of Sikh Genocide issue." Jatinder Singh Grewal, Coordinator Canada, "Sikhs For Justice" stated that it's the duty of the justice loving citizens from the free world to speak for the victims of November 1984 and pointed out that November 1984 Sikh Killings were not "riots" but rather an organized "Genocide" against the Sikhs. This is outlined in the 2005 Nanavati Commission which clearly states that a systematic method of killing commenced against the Sikh religious minority, amounting to "Genocide." Avtar Singh Pannu, Coordinator "Sikhs For Justice" urged President Obama not retract from his electoral promise of responding forcefully to all Genocides, and take the opportunity while addressing the Indian Parliament on November 1984 to pay tribute to the thousands of innocent Sikhs who were killed in a S tat Sponsored spree. Jasbir Singh, who is main witness against Congress (I) leader Jagdish Tytler's involvement in November 1984 Sikh Genocide, in his speech stated that "In 1984 leaders of Indian National Congress planned and organized the murder of Sikhs and that is why Indian National Congress has been protecting the killers of Sikhs". Mohender Singh, who lost five family members during November 1984 Sikh Genocide and who is a plaintiff against Kamal Nath in a lawsuit pending before US Federal Court, stated that "his family members were targeted and murdered only because they were Sikhs and Indian government is continuously shielded the killers of Sikhs and is denying justice." Bhupinder Singh Bhoparai, President Sikh Cultural Society, New York in his speech lamented that "despite overwhelming evidence as to the involvement of Congress (I) leaders into the killings of Sikhs during November 1984, the Government of India has failed to act against Congress leaders and instead people like Kamal Nath are made Union Ministers."

Srinagar, November 1: In view of the appeal made by the Sikh community in the Kashmir Valley to amend the protest calendar on the eve of Diwali, Chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani Monday exempted Friday, November 5 from the purview of strike. “Hindus and Sikhs are our brothers, and respecting their religions is one of our religious duties. They are an important part of our society. Our struggle is not against Hindu religion or Hindu people. We are not against India because it is a Hindu majority country. We are against India because it has illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and broken the promises made to Kashmiri people,” Geelani said in a statement issued here. Pertinently, All Party Sikh Coordination Committee had appealed Geelani to amend the protest calendar so that Sikhs and Hindus could celebrate the festival in Kashmir Valley. Reacting to the critics of the ongoing “resistance movement,” Geelani said the Kashmiri people had crossed several milestones in the past four months and, for the first time, “our movement has been recognized as a people’s movement.” “No doubt we have suffered, but nations have to sacrifice everything for a big cause like freedom. Furthermore, no one is forcing the people to follow our resistance programmes, they are following them because they realize this struggle for the future of their coming generations,” the veteran leader said. Geelani said the ongoing “resistance movement” had left Indian establishment speechless before the international community and its own people. “From P. Chidambaram to Omar Abdullah, the ruling class, willingly or unwillingly seem to be admitting some facts about the Kashmir dispute while realistic people like Arundhati Roy and Gautam Navlakha have come out openly in support of our cause,” he said. Reiterating that the world attention would be focused on Kashmir during Obama’s upcoming India visit, Geelani urged people to strictly follow the protest calendar in order to send a message to the international community that Kashmir dispute cannot be solved without respecting the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiri people.

Srinagar, November 1: In view of the appeal made by the Sikh community in the Kashmir Valley to amend the protest calendar on the eve of Diwali, Chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani Monday exempted Friday, November 5 from the purview of strike. “Hindus and Sikhs are our brothers, and respecting their religions is one of our religious duties. They are an important part of our society. Our struggle is not against Hindu religion or Hindu people. We are not against India because it is a Hindu majority country. We are against India because it has illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and broken the promises made to Kashmiri people,” Geelani said in a statement issued here. Pertinently, All Party Sikh Coordination Committee had appealed Geelani to amend the protest calendar so that Sikhs and Hindus could celebrate the festival in Kashmir Valley. Reacting to the critics of the ongoing “resistance movement,” Geelani said the Kashmiri people had crossed several milestones in the past four months and, for the first time, “our movement has been recognized as a people’s movement.” “No doubt we have suffered, but nations have to sacrifice everything for a big cause like freedom. Furthermore, no one is forcing the people to follow our resistance programmes, they are following them because they realize this struggle for the future of their coming generations,” the veteran leader said. Geelani said the ongoing “resistance movement” had left Indian establishment speechless before the international community and its own people. “From P. Chidambaram to Omar Abdullah, the ruling class, willingly or unwillingly seem to be admitting some facts about the Kashmir dispute while realistic people like Arundhati Roy and Gautam Navlakha have come out openly in support of our cause,” he said. Reiterating that the world attention would be focused on Kashmir during Obama’s upcoming India visit, Geelani urged people to strictly follow the protest calendar in order to send a message to the international community that Kashmir dispute cannot be solved without respecting the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiri people.

A large number of victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots staged a protest rally here on Monday against the Central government's failure to punish the accused in murder of innocent Sikhs. Atma Ram, one of the relatives of the riots, said that the Supreme Court should punish the main accused in the 1984 riots at the earliest. "We want to appeal to judiciary that criminals like Sajjan Kumar (1984 riots accused), who is facing charges under section 302 according to the Indian Penal Code should not be given bail and he should be behind bars. This is how we will get satisfaction. He still tries to harass people and doesn't let them live in peace and he is trying to delay the proceedings in the Supreme Court, whereas the High Court said that we will get justice within six months," said Atma Ram. (ANI)