Another Sad Day For Sikhs

[Gurvah]

Another sad day for Sikhs

Sri Guru Singh Sabha – Southall – 17th February 2008 AGM

Senseless Violence against the Sangat by the President’s men

We report with sadness that the AGM of Sri Guru Singh Sabha on Sunday 17th February 2008 at Norwood School, Norwood Green Road, Southall, was again marred with violence inside the meeting tent. It is a shame for our Sikh faith that our meetings continue to be dominated by thugs who want to silence Sangat's voice through physical violence.

Guru Granth Sahib Ji's authority and respect continues to be ridiculed by the presidents of Sikh Gurdwara’s in the name of doing seva (voluntary service)?

His brothers first attacked an innocent man making a verbal request with folded hands and then his sons and other relatives joined the frenzied attack on targeted people with SS Johal co-ordinating their violence. Mr Harjit Singh, Mr Sulakhan Singh, Councillor Manjit Singh, Mr Avtar Singh Buttar, Mr Gurpreet Singh Malhi, Mr Gurvir Singh and others were injured by Sohi’s mob forcing him to formally close the meeting. The Gian’s performed Guru Ji’s Sukhassan in haste but Guru Ji’s pages were again re-opened without the due Ardaas upon instructions from thugs and most members left the meeting in disgust of the proceedings. The president illegally reopened the meeting with below quorum attendance of only about 100 members in the tent (as per information from Police), It was an act of disgrace and utmost disrespect as all normal respectful worship rites of Guru’s Prakaash ceremony were skipped. The assembly comprised mostly of unqualified members and non-members who were inside the grounds before the meeting started. Others were the hired thugs to intimidate the Sangat.

Dr Garcha's assurances of adequate security and guarantees of safety of attendees are again shown up as one-sided protection and totally inadequate for those members who oppose the committee. Dr Garcha and SS Johal were especially requested by the Lion group to assure safety of their members and instead of meeting that responsibility the leadership’s family once again became the attackers on the opposition. This vindicates, once again, Lion groups claim that their style of management is inappropriate for the Gurdwara and that this family is incapable of civilized conduct.

Lion Group and other Sangat continued the protest outside in Norwood Park opposite the gates and made their complaints and allegation of violence that occurred in the meeting. Several arrests were made of people as they left via the main gate, others were stopped to verify their names and address by police to interview later, some other offenders absconded through the rear of the grounds as well as by hiding in president’s Land Cruiser with him at the wheel. His brothers and sons vanished into thin air.

Many people were injured some requiring hospital treatment and most alleging assaults by Sohi's brothers, sons and other relatives. This is the 6th time the same family has been at the centre of violence in the Gurdwara and it is a very disturbing situation. The police had been warned of the potential for trouble and tried to manage the situation outside the grounds but could not do anything to prevent violence inside the meeting. Sohi’s relatives (brothers, brother-in-laws, sons, nephews were seen to be in control of the meeting) and seemingly planned the attack in conjunction with SS Johal. The ‘professional security’ failed to ensure the safety of the Sangat. Mr Sohi's elder son and nephew checked in members at the gate with SIA security badges displayed on their person. It remains to be seen what the ‘professional’ security reveal as to what they saw or were told to ignore? Was it professional security or just thugs hired to instil fear into innocent people?

The committee enabled their assembled thugs to attack anyone who dared to oppose the leadership once again under the noses of the police who could not intervene. This creates an undesirable suspicion in the simple minded Sangat that police aids those people who are known to attack Sangat members. The question that requires answer is why relatives of the leadership are employed to ensure meeting order when professional security is employed for that purpose. These relatives then beat up people and security is unable to help or identify committee side thugs and why only opposition members are ejected from the meeting?

Police response to the violence inside the meeting was delayed just enough time to stop them attending the scene in the tent to prevent or witness the assaults. The management had locked the entry gate to the premises, trapping everyone inside and it took a few minutes to get the gate opened. The police seized CCTV recording as an after thought once reminded by the opposition members, but it is likely that by this time the recording will have be doctored or missing like the last time in September 2004 when the same family attacked members outside Park Avenue Gurdwara no CCTV was available. The Gurdwara CCTV system was claimed to be faulty by Dr Garcha. It remains to be seen what will happen this time? Will events become bogged down under police limitations and outside influences to pervert the course of justice? Will innocent people be deprived of dignity even inside a religious temple? Will Sikhs be able to honour their citizen and religious duty or will they fail miserably like previous 5 times of violence at the Gurdwara with no evidence to secure a conviction?

Dr Garcha, Mr HS Sohi and SS Johal are responsible to ensure the legality and order of the meeting so it is unlikely that the Sangat, Police or the public will be told the truth of what happened. It is about time the authorities took appropriate measures to ensure that such thugs are exposed for what they are and failure will encourage further breakdown of law and order in the Gurdwara and their local and national communities.

There is a resurrection of the belief that attacks were facilitated by police complicity shown up by delay to reach incident tent and then refusal to apprehend offenders. Police justifies its position in legal complexities? It was apparent the police was more preoccupied to control the crowds outside than to attend to criminals inside the meeting. Police reluctance to apprehend offenders in the meeting reveals an ugly concept of no-go areas within Sikh religious establishment or is it part of a greater conspiracy?

The saddest part is that Sikhs themselves may not be able to fulfil their citizen and religious duty for fear of retribution by the perpetrators of this and past violence at this temple. It is difficult to accept that the same Sohi family has managed to get away with 5 separate counts of violent attack on members of this Gurdwara. The greater question is what motivates this family to want to preserve their 13-year-old hold on a Gurdwara at all costs? Is it a simple matter of local domination by thugs or part of a design to deny Sikhs any civilised approach to their freedom of natural progress and independent thought? It’s a question that will haunt Sikhs for a long time to come.

I the meantime the Police are requested to urgently seize the attendance log, details of security personnel and arrest the suspects for proper ID parade to ensure positive identification and then interview the many people who were in the tent especially Dr Garcha, SS Sohi (president), SS Johal (asst Gen Secretary) and other committee members. We also request a better police response and investigation than in the aftermath of Sept 2004 incident, so that Sikhs can truly take comfort in their claimed impartiality.

When are committee’s of Gurdwaras going to realise that civilised society will eventually desert them and our temples will become victims of their own success under the pressure of greed of criminality and arrogance for domination of inflated egos, the very human weaknesses the Guru’s wish us to conquer. No one can help where the guardians become the enemy of the institutions they administer? Sikhs rise up and help yourselves, nobody else will.

Lion Group

[Hardeep__singh]

A fantastic way to show others what Sikhism is all about. No wonder several people approach me sometimes, who are kesdhari and make fun out of these chamche and have no faith of entering in to a gurudwara or even be baptised because of these lowlife idiots who argue and fight all their life and give bad example, they can't even sort things out in a civilised manner, and drop on the first hurdle of ego, anger etc.

To talk ill of others is not good,

Only mean, ignorant persons talk thus.

Guru III, Suhi RAG

Brother, do not think evil of others,

And then no evil will come unto you.

Guru V, Gauri RAG

He who is full of jealousy of others,

Shall never get peace.

Guru IV, Gauri RAG

He, who comes to the world, and indulges in Ego, is swept away. P. 64

The world is like the stoe-house of collyrium; in it the body and mind are blackened. (Sri Rag M. 1)

The egotist is Blind; for his Conscience is Awakened not. He is the Killer of himself and so also the Killer of the world. (Majh M. 3)

These people are misguided idiots, who tarnish the image of Sikhi, and these are the exact people, that Guru Gobind Singh Ji has said that a Gursikh should keep away from, what a shame on them, they have really hanged themselves, and are like dead people walking on this earth! Good luck to them, they'll need it!

[khalistan_militant]

theres never any goood news that comes from southall

all u hear about is the commiite have done this done that, who actually vote these idiots in?

[THE WARRIOR]

What exactly is the conflict about?

[Gurvah]

That's exactly what the conflict is about. Sohi has been in power for the last 14 years and he wins the elections everytime. His committee makes the membership - so they can choose who they want to vote, they conduct the election process so they can rig the votes how they want. They can issue cards to whoever they want and how many they to anyone so people can multi-vote in favour of them.

All the other side want is a fair election process. In addition they have suspended 8 memebers of the opposition, therefore they can't even stand in the election against them.

Sohi & Co have no respect for the sentiments and respect of the sikh sangat and the principles of sikhi.

[Matheen]

Out of interest, what powers does a Gurudwara president have? Why the desperation to cling to power? Are there financial gains?

Personally, I feel the whole system of appointing Gurudwara leaders is flawed. All elections do is divide the community.

I hope these guys remember what Guru Ji did to the corrupt masands.......

[rupinder singh]

In a few lines please sum up what makes Sohi and the present committee so bad and notoriously"anti" panthic?

[Gurvah]

This gurdwara is one of the biggest in UK, if not one of the biggest in the world. It owns assets in excess of £30 million. They built a £17 million gurdwara, which many believe was an outrageous sum to pay, when plans for a similar gurdwara were estimated at nearly half that sum. The committee is not willingly allowing access to the accounts which were spent on this project. So where did all that money go?? No one knows... but apprently £4 million was spent on 'management' fees.

They continue to manipulate figures, intimidate the members and keep the truth from the sangat. But im sure the time will come when they have to pay for their actions, the Almighty Lord watches all, and even this maybe in his will!

[Akaali]

Get lawyers involved, take legal advice to what can be done about this, form a sub-committee that will contact the committee members and include their testimony to a corporate lawyer, I'm sure this is illegal and something can be done about it.

[khalistan_militant]

theres a blatent lack of transparency here, if the gurdwara committe is elected in by the members then the committe have to be directly accountable to the members