Starting Point Of Punjabi Gangwar Vancouver

[sikhstudent99]

From ballots to bullets in the Indo-Canadian community

Thu, July 11 2002

So now they have buried Robbie Kandola, another statistic in the on-going cycle of violence in Vancouver's Indo-Canadian community.

He has become another classic case of a young life stopped on the streets of Vancouver by a hail of bullets.

The police, who appear powerless to stop this killing spree came out last month to hold a forum in a very public attempt to involve the community in their investigation. If anything has come out of Kandola's murder in June, it is that those blaming the youth for the violence don't have the complete picture.

Police have now documented more than 50 murders involving Vancouver area's large Indo-Canadian community. These assassinations in night clubs, drive-by shootings and attacks at family gatherings has created a climate of fear, with witnesses unwilling to come forward and families forced to hire extra security guards for normally joyous events such as weddings.

The words "gangs" and "drugs" time and again tumble out of the stories by the media and the police, both of whom are seeking to explain the motives for the killings. Neither, however, has publicly accounted for the undertow of violence and factionalism stirring deeper through the troubled heart of the Indo-Canadian community.

It may be shocking and some may say racist, but when you dissect these murders you will eventually find many of the problems in the Lower Mainland's Sikh community are tributaries flowing out of their temples. It is here that the so-called rival 'drug' or 'gang' factions first came to life.

Police point to the two separate 1994 killings of brothers Ron and Jimmy Dosanjh, reputed drug kingpins, as the start of the current cycle of violence. The brothers, both leading members of the International Sikh Youth Federation, made no bones about their devotion to the cause for an independent Sikh state in India, and moreover in their involvement with the Ross Street Temple and the fight for its control.

Throughout most of the 90's, the temple, like Guru Nanak Temple on Surrey's Scott Road, was under the strain of conflict between rival community groups seeking to control its cash flow and power base. These camps mainstream media would dub 'moderates' and 'fundamentalists', according to misperceived allegiances to the struggle for an independent state, Khalistan, in India.

Street thugs like Bindy Johal, who was eventually killed in Vancouver's Paladium night club in December 1998, were recruited by these camps to show muscle, and provide intimidation, a la third world banana republics. It wasn't uncommon for renowned toughs to receive the accolades and blessings of temple priests and senior community leaders by day and then their blind eye by night as the same young men peddled drugs as petty dealers.

Ultimately, 'moderate' parties would take control of the Ross Street Temple, and Surrey's Guru Nanak, thanks no doubt in part to the violent fervour of their youth recruits.

As moderate leaders have settled nicely on their thrones atop temple committees, and the conflict for control of temples has waned with rival camps setting up their own edifices, the death and destruction wrought by the next generation of Indo-Canadians has not waned, but escalated tragically. In fact, many of the men who have died or been involved in the street violence come directly from the various 'moderate' families controlling Lower Mainland's temples.

Listless, and glutted by the endless financial support of their parents, these young men continue the gun play and violence, only now over issues as trivial as cheating girlfriends, or even caste differences.

The fact that many of the young men who have died in the recent past are known to police as petty dealers, and felons, is often incidental to their premature deaths. Though many had risky dealings and links with disreputable people, the young men on the most part were not career criminals, or members of established gangs. Some were even professionals with university accreditation and posts as public school teachers.

They were kids, who easily hypnotised by the glory of violence, believed in its efficacy as tacitly supported by their parents and religious leaders. Now with their parents no longer able to control them, and not knowing what or whom to believe, they have cloaked their struggle with boredom beneath vicious masks of bravado and turned on one another, and no doubt will continue to do so.

What began as a fight between their parents and religious leaders over money has become a cancer slowly taking one young man at a time to his grave. The community leaders who show up to public forums and lament the violence are as much to blame as the boys packing their guns, and they must be held accountable.

A share of the blame also belongs to municipal and provincial politicians who toady up to 'moderate' and 'fundamentalist' slates for votes come election time but then conveniently avoid casting blame on Indo-Canadian leaders for their own role in perpetuating the violence of their children.

The current pack of 'so-called' religious and community leaders must admit their culpability, and correct their own divisive ways. Until they do so, a coming generation of boys will continue biting the

[canucksingh]

The so called "Indo-Canadian gang-war" in B.C is just media sensationalism that has been pumped out for years. There are no real organized Indo-canadian gangs in B.C, Hells Angels have a firm grip on the illicit trade. Most these apnai kids (and kids are what most of them are) peddle low level crime like selling marijuana and fight amongst each other for slim pickings. I think legalization would put a stop to a lot of the crime experienced in B.C, but we will have to see the results of the next federal election before that would ever happen.

[KhoonKaBadlaKhoon]

The so called "Indo-Canadian gang-war" in B.C is just media sensationalism that has been pumped out for years. There are no real organized Indo-canadian gangs in B.C, Hells Angels have a firm grip on the illicit trade. Most these apnai kids (and kids are what most of them are) peddle low level crime like selling marijuana and fight amongst each other for slim pickings. I think legalization would put a stop to a lot of the crime experienced in B.C, but we will have to see the results of the next federal election before that would ever happen.

You from BC? If so, you would know who the Bikers work with for precursors or even heroin. Or even in general what goes on here. I'll guess you just read the recent headlines over the shootings and are going off that. But you're right, a lot of it the media just loves to jump on because it gets ratings. Article is also pretty off, amount of guys whos dads are "fundamentalists" but they got involved is ridiculously high.

[ghettosikh]

R most of the punjabi gangsters in bc from moga because i no tht the one or 2 punjabi gangs here in cgy tht r considered real n rough r made up of majority moga wale

[ghettosikh]

N wat do they mean moderates?

[Guest Jacfsing2]

Are any of these gangsters Amritdhari? One is only truly a follower of the Guru of they believe in Amrit.

[KhoonKaBadlaKhoon]

R most of the punjabi gangsters in bc from moga because i no tht the one or 2 punjabi gangs here in cgy tht r considered real n rough r made up of majority moga wale

Never heard of any punjabi crews in calgary. But I think most of the punjabi community is Doabi, a slight majority probably.

N wat do they mean moderates?

Basically the guys that opposed Khalistan movement and their supporters during the 80s/90s. Some of the "moderates" cant be considered Sikhs, theyre communists.

[ghettosikh]

There not really any punjabi gangs in cgy at all just a group of local dealers nothing major at all but threy are all from moga. The majority of dealers in the Immigrant communitys are mostly middle easterns paks ect

So a bunch of these gangs r anti khalstan in surrey? How did they take over the gurdwara is ross street gurdwara popular

[KhoonKaBadlaKhoon]

There not really any punjabi gangs in cgy at all just a group of local dealers nothing major at all but threy are all from moga. The majority of dealers in the Immigrant communitys are mostly middle easterns paks ect

So a bunch of these gangs r anti khalstan in surrey? How did they take over the gurdwara is ross street gurdwara popular

Maybe they're all family or something lol. I think muslims outnumber Sikhs too in calgary though.

"Moderates" are mostly just commitee babay, the gangbangers aren't involved in any of it, in the past maybe a 2-3 guys worked with moderates, 2-3 worked with fundamentalists/isy. Its just that the fundementalists/isyf/babbars/moderates would at time hire these younger guys for a hit. But, there is trend of many Khalistani dads, whos kids are involved in crime.

In the mid-late 90's people were fed up with the violence and the fundementalists were definitely more violent, so people went with moderates in the 96/98 elections. Most gurdwara today are though are run by fundamentalists, the Ross moderates are still playing dirty to keep their power. I can only think of 2 gurdwaray run by moderates, most are either neutral or fundementalists.

[sikhstudent99]

Bindy johal an his friends were hired by the moderates after they got beat up at a gurdwara cause alot of the khalistani fundementalist where scared of bindy johal an his friends after they they murdered the dosanjh brothers

The dosanjh where leaders of the sikh youth federation an where big time khalistanis

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AyKn5uuaEEw