Biased & Highly Inaccurate Article On Rajoana By Uk Press

[Toofana]

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

The following article by Fionnuala Bourke was published in the Sunday Mercury on 08 April 2012.

Read for yourself and you will see that it is highly inaccurate and biased against Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana.

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2012/04/08/sikh-protesters-carry-banners-for-banned-terror-group-66331-30715608/

PLEASE REGISTER A COMPLAINT WITH THE PRESS COMPLAINTS COMMISSION AT

http://www.pcc.org.u...aints/form.html

Here is an example:

Dear Sirs,

I write following the above article by Fionnuala Bourke published in the Sunday Mercury on 08 April 2012.

This is one of the most shockingly inaccurate and biased articles I have ever set my eyes on.

Without going into the details of this case, the chief inaccuracy is:

‘Rajoana readily admits to being a member of Babbar Khalsa International, which once had its UK headquarters in Birmingham before being banned under anti-terror laws’

This is an absolute lie and has only been published in order to build the body for the remainder of the article.

Balwant Singh Rajoana has NEVER claimed to be a member of Babbar Khalsa. The Court transcripts and his own letters are testament to this. If anything, he has claimed allegiance to the Khalistan Liberation Force. The article does not mention this as they are not a banned group in the UK and therefore the story would lose it's 'appeal'.

The author provides a one sided partial view of the story making zero reference to the extrajudicial murders of Balwant Singh Rajoana's foster sister and brother by the Punjab Police force. No reference is made to the thousands of murders and human rights attrocities documented against the regime of Chief Minister Beant Singh.

It is an utter shame this biased and inaccurate article was ever conceived let alone published. Accordingly, I request this matter be investigated and relevant action taken.

I trust all the above is clear however should you require any further information supporting this complaint, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will endeavour to forward them to you.

Yours faithfully

CODES OF PRACTICE BREACHED

1) Accuracy

i) The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information, including pictures.

ii) A significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence, and - where appropriate - an apology published. In cases involving the Commission, prominence should be agreed with the PCC in advance.

iii) The Press, whilst free to be partisan, must distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture and fact.

iv) A publication must report fairly and accurately the outcome of an action for defamation to which it has been a party, unless an agreed settlement states otherwise, or an agreed statement is published

[11Gurus1Jot]

The reporter writes in her article that the organisation which she incorrectly states Balwant Singh Ji Rajoana belonged (even though he has been proven not to have belonged to) and other organisations had similar ideas:

Line for report April 8 2012 by Fionnuala Bourke, Sunday Mercury

"believes that Sikhs are a persecuted minority in India and calls for an armed struggle to create a breakaway Sikh homeland called Khalistan (Land Of The Pure)".

I am just going to select that one line abone and show the inaccuracies in that one line alone. . .

Why is Fionnula Bourke using the word 'believes' when tens and tens of thousands (some estimates up to .25million) of innocent Sikhs were actually raped and killed in Punjab, India (the word belief should be used when you do not have hard facts - but in this case there are thousands of thousands of hard facts so why use the word believes?). Why is she using the term believes when even India has already started to admit the murder of this very very long line of innocent Sikhs by awarding compensation for 1600 innocent Sikhs killed on last week?

Also, this reporter is in media, so if she believes in media why doesn't she mention that India carried out one of the cruellest and most vicious media black outs ever witnessed by the World when they carried out these atrocities against the Sikhs back in the 80s and 90s. Media is a good thing, people only keep media out when they do bad - she should know that! She has completely over gone the facts as to why a Sikh Homeland is asked for. She does not mention that even today you can ask millions and millions of Sikhs all around the world and they will all say the still can't believe that India is still holding back justice for the thousands and thousands of family members who have not received justice to date.

She forgets to mention that to gang rape and kill thousands of Sikhs in just the one single month of November 1984 alone (Indian governments own figures,) must have took thousands and thousands of rapist and murderers. However, India will still not prosecute those rapist and murderers. She does not mention that.

To mention just a couple of further facts, against the hundreds of facts we could use. She hasn't even looked into the water, tax, and land laws which are geared up against the Punjab, and Sikhs in Punjab in particular (even though Punjab is supposed to be a part of India). Like how any Indian from outside the Punjab can buy Land within the Punjab but Sikhs from within the Punjab can't by land in the rest of India. And how cheap housing is being built in the Punjab which only non-Sikhs can buy in the Punjab. There are loads more facts we can use for Sikhs asking for a separate state, but I am sure this journalist would not be interested!

Finally, she doesn't mention at all that we, the Sikhs, are not asking for an armed struggle but instead have always asked for the opportunity to be able to negotiate for this homeland in a peacefully and legal way, with the involvement of all other democratic countries in the world, the united nations, Amnesty International, and any other honest nations and bodies prepared to listen and review the facts. She does not mention that the armed struggle has always been self defence to prevent, or halt completely the rape and murder of innocent Sikh Men, Women and Children. Does this reporter really believe that Sikhs should have watched their women and children being raped and murdered? As the Sikhs had NO police and army they could report this to as it WAS the police and army that was doing it to them - under the cover of a total media black enforced by the Indian Government!

She also forgets to mention that all peaceful means have always been tried by the Sikhs from the very beginning to simply get India to honour all the promises made to the Sikhs in 1947, by the Indian Government. The British gave India independence after the contribution the Sikhs made in both WW1 & WW2. The Sikhs sacrificed a greater percentage of its men than any other for British freedom as acknowledged by no other than Winston Churchill !! However, she forgets the thousands and thousands of Sikh Solders who died fighting for the freedom of the country she now lives in, Britain, when they fought Hitler and his Nazis. She instead, condemns some Sikhs for killing Beant, the Hitler of the Punjab in the 1990s, but would rather he lived longer to rape and murder more Sikhs Men, Women and Children, as that’s exactly what would have continued to happen with Beant the Chief Minister of Punjab organising it all. Why it is Sikhs were asked to fight Hitler but could not fight Beant (Hitler leader of Germany, and Beant leader of Punjab, were NO different!!! – does this reporter care about that? It would appear NOT!)

Finally, which is more damaging, this newspaper article, or the fact that we Sikhs will NOT support the Sikh Channel which can get out true story across to the rest of the world. Shall we just keep on blaming western media who have NO knowledge, insight, or family and witnesses that they have spoken to who actually witnessed all the injustices carried out against the Sikhs in India in the 1980s and 1990s. Should not we Sikhs just get on with supporting our own media, the Sikh Channel who can tell, and are telling, the truth to the rest of the World!! Are we UK Sikhs much more guilty than this reporter as we are the ones muting our Sikh Media Channel sky 840 by deliberately not supporting if financially?

Update to this post after seeing Kalyugi's post below (yes I totally agree, great find and letter from Toofana above (we should actually do both, support our Sikh Media and pick up on biased and highly inaccurate reports produced by other media, as Toofana has done!!)

[VanHelsingh]

Good letter, Toofana. Should we all send one to the PCC (which doesn't seem like it'll be open for business for much longer) or is one enough?

[Toofana]

Kaljugi, I think we should all register some form of complaint with PCC or the Sunday Mercury themselves.

Journalists revel in controversial articles but if they are not being impartial and out right lying, they should be picked up on it. This isn't the first time shes tried to author something controversial about Sikhs.

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2009/05/31/militant-sikh-clashes-may-happen-in-midlands-66331-23749472/

Unfortunately, our community is a push over as we tend not to complain where we are justified in doing so. I am in the process of consulting some legal experts and local politicians as to the next step with respect to this particular journalist and will keep people informed accordingly.

[11Gurus1Jot]

Kaljugi, I think we should all register some form of complaint with PCC or the Sunday Mercury themselves.

Journalists revel in controversial articles but if they are not being impartial and out right lying, they should be picked up on it. This isn't the first time shes tried to author something controversial about Sikhs.

http://www.sundaymer...66331-23749472/

Unfortunately, our community is a push over as we tend not to complain where we are justified in doing so. I am in the process of consulting some legal experts and local politicians as to the next step with respect to this particular journalist and will keep people informed accordingly.

All individuals, and even more importantly, every jathabundi, Sikh Organisation and Gurdwara should send in a letter too. The Sikh Council UK are already dealing with the BCC maybe, they should be contacting these newspapers/journalist/press complaints commision too.

[Toofana]

^^^^^^^^^ Great idea. Would be great to hear something from them once in a while especially in light of recent events.

[VanHelsingh]

It amuses me how the hypocrisy of - I don't want to say 'white people' as its generalising so I'll use the catch-all term of - The West reveals it's bias and double standards.

Let me give you an example of how the actions taken by Bhai Balwant Singh would be perceived if the events of the 80s and 90s had not occurred on Indian soil (and Punjab) but in Europe and Britain during WWII.

Just read and decide how "brown people" such as us are considered to be second-class beings in this world and any action we take in self-defence or to rout our enemies is immediately classed as insurgency and militancy.

Imagine Bhai Balwant Singh was an English policeman called P.C. Barry Ransome who saw the injustices handed out to fellow English citizens by invading German forces. Imagine the Nazis had successfully invaded the British Isles and had taken control of the country.

Imagine if the Germans went around killing English people in order to scare any potential English insurgents from fighting back. Now, a representative from the invading Germans was put in-charge of the English police - a General Ballard Smith for example - to ensure any English who had banded together to form an insurgency, were to be found and killed even if that meant the murder of innocent English women and children was permissable. General Ballard Smith commanded the English police officers to either tow the line or face the same consequences as their English countrymen.

Imagine a normal, everyday English policeman such as Barry Ransome seeing his own people being killed on a daily basis, whilst the Germans did everything they could to ensure England came under German control and any dissenting voices or forces were to be quickly put down. Think of how Barry Ransome felt the anger stir inside him at how we had to do something to end the horror being meted out to his own people. So Barry Ransome decides to get in touch with the English Liberation Force and tell them that he can help get to General Ballard Smith. The ELF decide its their best chance of ending the murder of hundreds of English people and so enlist the help of Barry Ransome.

Eventually alongwith some other members of the ELF, Barry Ransome gets close enough to kill General Ballard Smith. The German operation is thrown into disarray but thankfully the policy forged by General Ballard Smith of targetting English citizens dies with him. The death of the general galvanizes the ELF and many English men and youth from across the country fight back against the Germans. Somehow (don't ask me how, lol) some British troops from overseas return home and defeat the Germans and throw them out of England.

P.C. Barry Ransome is hailed as the saviour of England for causing the downfall of General Ballard Smith. When the Royal Family return from exile, he is summoned to Buckingham Palace and is knighted. He becomes a modern-day hero for the English and even has a Bank Holiday dedicated to him.

The bravery of P.C. Barry Ransome is taught in schools, as well as BBC documentaries and Hollywood movies are made about his exploits, and he is considered to be the greatest Englisman of all time for taking action against a tyrannical regime hell-bent on the death and destruction of the English people.

Now you tell me why our Balwant Singh is not considered to be a hero for putting down a dog like Beant Singh? Would anyone dare to describe Barry Ransome as a suicide bomber, a militant, etc. NO! He'd be a freedom fighter, a warrior...god knows what else.

Hypocrisy.

[Toofana]

Two Western quotes I have come across in recent weeks which I feel are very relevant to the Sikh sangarsh:

I was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists. I tell them that I was also a terrorist yesterday, but, today, I am admired by the very people who said I was one.

NELSON MANDELA, Larry King Live, May 16, 2000

An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

[West London Singh]

Not too impressed with Toofan's letter of complaint. To make an impact, a lettter such as that needs to be short and sweet. It needs to make an instant impact by, instead of rambling, addressing the main facts that make the article a farce.

The 2 points that were relevant but were ommitted by the article :

That Beant Singh was not democratically elected....i.e he was the equivelent of a dictator.

That INDEPENDENT international human rights organisations say the number of innocents he had murdered through his death squads totals many thousands.

We should all make complaints. Not only is this Irishwoman totally oblivious to the good race relations of the Sikhs and the natives but she has obviously cut and paste large chunks of her 'article' from Canadian articles. This woman is the assistant editor of the paper !!! At the very least, the other proper journalists at the Birmingham Mail or mercury or whatever need to be made aware how their editor has the journalistic quality of a 12 year old. I will write direct to the paper. The job of a proper journalist is to provide its readers with news based on the facts. Without the 'facts' an article becomes nothing more than a biased rant under the guise of 'news'. In that instance, the people who have been insulted the most are the good citizens of the west midlands who have been fed these distorted rants under the guise of news. Write your letters in the right way and to the right people....and this woman will soon be put on a one way ferry back to Dublin.

[Toofana]

West London Singh, I am just trying to make my humble effort and encourage the sangat to do the same. Positive criticism I can take. My letter is to the point as it addresses the main issue as far as the press code of conduct breach is concerned. The connection to Babbar Khalsa is totally inaccurate and that is what the PCC will be concerned with.

West London Singh, what you fail to have notice is that the Babbar Khalsa connection was to build the connection to Birmingham and hence the UK. The issues about Beant Singh relate to impartiality and hence I alluded to them.

Like I say, it was my humble effort and I hope that instead of complaining about it, you would send your own detailed version.