Fraud And Embezzlement At Seven Kings Gurdwara Carried Out Last Year

[harjapbhangal]

WJKK WJKF,

Last year one of my viewers of the TV programme sent me this photo of a notice that was on the noticeboard at Seven Kings Gurdwara.

After i did a few enquiries news emerged of a fraud that had been committed by a committee member and that had been discovered and exposed by the incoming committee. It emerged that there was some hera pheri in the donation receipts and that the amounts donated by the Sangat did not tally with the amounts on the counterfoils.

I set this as a topic to be discussed on one of my shows however low and behold on the same day around lunchtime i received a call from the Pardhaan of the Gurdwara. At first his tone was "you want to make yourself popular by highlighting this". i reminded him that i was already well known for many years. He then tried the tact of "you will only make our religion weaker if you expose this on TV". i was quite stunned by the fact that exposing crime is seen to be weaking the religion as opposed to actually committing the crime.

Anyhow after much thought i decided not to talk about it on TV as it would bring negative publicity to the religion.

However what i am interested is in is the following:

1). What has the follow up to this been? I have heard that a "behind closed doors" apology has been made by the culprit but not in front of the Sangat.

2) Secondly i have been informed that the culprit has been asked to repay the amount he stole in interest free instalments.

3) Why has no police report been made in this case. It is a clear case of theft from a charity or an employer. If a thief comes to our house and tries to steal our TV we are on the phone to the police like a shot. This person was allowed to steal from the Sangat for a consistent period of time. Upon discovery no police report was made. Instead this person was told you can pay it back in instalments interest free.

4). This person has not been banned from the Gurdwara. Why not?

5). Last year he was seen serving langar at the Seven Kings Nagar Kirtan.

6). There are rumours that he is a small part in a larger series of frauds. this is not confirmed but has been given as an explanation for perhaps an attempted cover up.

7). Why has this not been covered by any media or any websites? (my apologies if it has).

8). Has anybody living in Seven Kings got any update on this?

[Pyara]

Bhangal Ji,

There's so much crap going on with the committee at Seven Kings Gurdwara even I've lost the plot.... Can't keep up with whose done what and who's banned and who's not....who's done which fraud....even the final episode of LOST was less complicated...

[N30S1NGH]

Harjap bhangal ji,

First of all i want to congratulate you for great working you doing bringing awareness of these issues which are under carpet for many years. I myself live in Canada, i am great fan of your show.. i saw all the clips from youtube. Committees in Gurdwara here as well are guilty abuse of power and control. This is great seva that you bringing these issues on world wide forums that we (sangat) can follow your advise to demand gurdwara's committee to be transparent about their spending and their structure.

One of the suggestions i have suggesting for years on my own forum- sikhawareness.com that have independent body which audits gurdwara's expenses/charity of all the gurdwaras in specific demographics and report directly to abroad organization set up and authorize by akaal tatkh and post it online for everyone else to see.

But such things just looks good in writing, to implement them, we need sevadars like yourself to bring awareness of these issues to general public. I also believe these people who are using sangat's money needs to be exposed. It may look bad on religion but revolution of committee reform within gurdwara must start with awareness. No community is immune from bad apples. That has to be acknowledge first instead of living in denial and once we fully acknowledge then put the pressure to our leaders to do something about it or if thats of no avail, just one should take initiative on themselves to bring awareness to sangat not just by rumors- he said or i said but through proper sting operations where everything is recorded and documented.

[SunSingh]

when cockroaches are exposed to the light of day, they run. i don't think that exposing them will make the dharm look bad, nor do i think they care about the dharm. to force a person to repay what they stole with no penalty (in frigging installments no less), is not a deterrant to future crimes. it's not even enough to constitute a slap on the wrist. the person who stole has no penalty, so what will discourage future thefts?

sometimes, name and shame in public is the best way to deal with scum.

[guruvah]

always wondered why this gurdwara was soooooo expensive for people to hold any sort of smagams/programs.

now I know why :rolleyes:

[sall]

WJKK WJKF

After a few decades of these people running in the Gurdwara committees acros the UK their true colours are finally coming out. What goes around comes around sooner or later....always does. The same kind of thing is happenning in Gravesend..do what we want tell the sangat later or not at all. It stinks of pendo style running of Gurdwaras which will die out hopefully in the next couple of decades.The meaning of a Gurdwara has been belittled, no social structural support to the community, just take take only..The future isn't too bright at present as the youth with full time jobs don't have the time to run Gurdwaras,where are we heading in the next 10-20 years???scary thought

[genie]

If it wasnt so serious it would be funny, these people run gurdwara's like businesses forget opening a textile or cash and carry open a gurdwara and see the maya rolling in. Shameless people are they any different from masands who took over darbar sahib back in the 19th century and before that had corrupted the system created by guru ram das to serve the community. For a long time now some gurdwara committee's have now in effect become the neo-masands and its time corruption was rooted out (clear accountable management and finances should be implemented) by listening to the specific hukamnamahs of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on this issue.

"In the hukamnamahs of 1698, Guru Gobind Singh advised the Sikhs not to recognize or befriend the Masands, and their deputies. Whatever offerings they wanted to make, they could either send through bankers' drafts, or hold and bring those along, at the time of the Baisakhi, harvest festival, in the following year –1699. Sikhs were joyful, at the good riddance of the Masands. Now they could visit the Guru, without escort of the detested Masands." -sikhiwiki

[Pyara]

If my memory serves me right, the case discussed above was in relation to Mr Jasjeet "EastEnders" Singh (the turbaned one who walks around as an Extra on the sets of BBC Eastenders) who was also a cashier for the Guru Ghar. He was tampering with the receipt books regarding the donations given by the sangat. When caught out during a covert operation by the committee, he eventually admitted his guilt and I believe he paid (or is still paying) the Gurdwara back something in the region of £10k. The Police were not informed as he agreed to pay everything back.

Duf Duf Duf DA DA DA DA (EastEnders theme tune....)

[harjapbhangal]

Yes Pyara you are 100% right it is the same person....the random singh on eastenders who everybody is proud of is the same one who was pilfering money from the Guru Ghar....