Tag: Sikh community

  • Sikh boy wearing ‘kripan’ barred from entering examination hall in Bokaro district

    Express News Service

    RANCHI: The Sikh community in Jharkhand has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking action against the school and its Principal for barring a Sikh student, Karandeep Singh, from entering the examination hall wearing a ‘kripan’on his sides.

    Though, the incident took place at Saraswati Vidya Mandir at Dugdha in Bokaro district on May 13,  the letter was handed over the Deputy Commissioner on May 15 after the matter was put to the notice of Sikh Welfare Society.

    Karandeep had his class 10th final examination centre at Saraswati Vidya Mandir at Dugdha in Bokaro. During checking at the door, he was found carrying a ‘kirpan’ following which he was asked to submit it outside the examination hall, for which, he was not ready.

    After being pressurized by school administration, he decided to submit it outside the examination hall as he did not want to spoil his future. “Finally, Karandeep had to lay it down his ‘kripan’ and then allowed to enter the examination hall,” said President of Sikh Welfare Society Seva Singh.

    After the matter was put to the notice of Sikh Welfare Society, it took the matter seriously and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking action against the school and the school and its Principal saying that the sentiments of the Sikh community have been hurt by the incident, he added.

    “It seems that the principal and school administration did this intentionally to hurt the sentiments of the Sikh student which is not only an insult to the Sikh Panth but also a violation of the fundamental rights of the constitution,”  stated the letter written to PM Modi.

    Therefore, the Sikh community requested the Prime Minister to direct CBSE, Saraswati Shishu Mandir organizational head, Human Resource Development Department and State Government to take actionagainst the school and it’s principal, it added.

    According to Seva Singh, thousands of Sikh students appear in Civil and Administrative Services and competitive along with school and college examinations, but never objected to carry ‘kirpan’. Even in past, Saraswati Vidya Mandir never objected to it, he added.

    “It is a serious matter. Sikh Welfare Society would wait for a response from PMO and do the needful for protection of Sikh Panths,” said Singh. Principal of Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Dugdha, however, was not available for comments on the incident.

  • Sikh community a strong link in India’s relations with other countries: PM Narendra Modi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Asserting that the new India is leaving its mark on the whole world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Sikh community has been a strong link in relations between India and other countries.

    Addressing a Sikh delegation at his residence, he said the entire country feels grateful to Sikhs for their contributions in the freedom struggle as well as in the post-independence era.

    The prime minister hosted the Sikh delegation which included people from different walks of life.

    Modi said the gurus inspired people and the Sikh tradition is indeed a living tradition of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.

    The new India is touching new dimensions and leaving its mark on the whole world, Modi said, adding that the period of the coronavirus pandemic is the biggest example of this.

    “At the beginning of the pandemic, people of an old mindset were expressing concerns about India but now people are giving examples of the country,” he said.

    “Earlier it was being said that with such a large population, from where will India get the vaccine, how will people’s lives be saved? But today India has emerged as the manufacturer of the biggest protective shield of vaccines,” the prime minister said.

    Lauding the Indian diaspora across the globe, Modi said he has always considered them as the country’s ambassadors.

    “All of you who are out of India are the loud voice of ‘Maa Bharati’, its lofty identity,” he said.

    The people of India went to different parts of the world without any resources and achieved success through their labour, he said.

    This is the spirit of the new India, he added.

    Modi also said that going to gurudwaras, spending time in service, getting langar, and staying at the homes of Sikh families have been a part of his life.

    “The feet of Sikh sants from time to time keep falling in the prime minister’s residence here. I keep getting the good fortune of their company,” he said.

    Modi has met members of the Sikh community at frequent intervals.

    He had recently delivered an address from the Red Fort at an event to mark the birth anniversary of ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur.

  • No namaz at Gurugram gurdwara, Hindu group distributes books at site

    By PTI

    GURUGRAM: Namaz was not offered at Gurdwara Singh Sabha here on Friday even as some members of the Sikh community opposed the shrine management committee’s decision to allow Muslims offer prayers there.

    They said they will protest if the gurdwara management committee goes ahead with the decision to offer the shrine’s premises for namaz.

    Members of a radical Hindu group, Sanyukta Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, reached the gurdwara around 12 noon, distributed books titled “Guru Tegh Bahadur-Hind ki Chadar” and stayed there till 2 pm.

    Representatives of the Muslim community decided not to offer namaz at the gurdwara to “avoid anything untoward on the festival”.

    “We had offered an open space in an adjacent school and the basement of the gurdwara for Friday prayers but the Muslim brothers decided not to offer namaz. They did not want any issue on the occasion of Gurupurab,” Daya Singh, the spokesperson of the management committee said.

    A delegation, including Mufti Mohammad Salim, president of Jamiat Ulema Hind, Gurugram, and Altaf Ahmad, co-founder of the Gurugram Muslim Council, met the committee members on Friday afternoon to thank them for their efforts to promote peace and harmony.

    ​ALSO READ | Video shows group offering ‘namaz’ in Ahmedabad garden; VHP men ‘purify’ site

    Ahmad said they did not want any inconvenience to members of the Sikh community but have offered namaz “through the hearts” of Sikh brothers.

    Ahmad is also part of the Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch, a citizen’s initiative which Monday felicitated Sherdil Singh Sidhu, the president of the gurdwara management committee, and Akshay Yadav, who has offered his automobile workshop for namaz in Sector 12.

    It was the second Friday on the trot that Yadav, 40, offered his commercial space for namaz.

    The Gurugram administration had earlier revoked permission to offer Friday congregational prayers at eight of the 37 public grounds in the city, citing objections from local residents.

    Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, legal adviser to the Sanyukta Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, said they distributed 2,500 books titled “Guru Tegh Bahadur-Hind ki Chadar” and paid their tributes to Gur Nanak Dev.

    “We did not go there to protest against the gurdwara management committee’s decision to offer their premises for namaz.

    We are not against anyone offering prayers indoors, be it from any community.

    We are against the practice of namaz being offered in public places,” he said.

    “If someone is offering open space in their garage, house or place of worship to Muslims for namaz, that’s their own choice. We do not have any objection to it,” he said.

    However, everyone in the Sikh community did not seem to be on the same page over the decision to offer gurdwara for namaz.

    “They cannot offer namaz in the gurdwara. Shri Guru Granth Sahibji doesn’t permit it. The prabandhak (management) committee allowed them to offer namaz but we are not in favor of it,” Jowahar Singh, a local resident, said.

    “People from all religions are welcome but there can only be gurbani in a gurdwara and nothing else. The property of a gurdwara cannot be used for any purpose which goes against the ‘maryada’ (customs) of Shri Guru Granth Sahibji,” said Gurcharan Singh.

    Jowahar Singh claimed the management committee has told the Sikh sangat they will review the decision after the festivities are over on November 21.

    Committee spokesperson Daya Singh said they do not allow any ritual (other than that permitted under Sikhism) in the sanctum sanctorum of the gurdwara but no one should have any objection to other empty spaces such as the basement and parking area being used for namaz.

    Around four kilometers away, Friday prayers continued without any disruption at Leisure Valley Ground in Sector 29.

    Around 4,000 people offered namaz at three spots in the large ground on Friday, Mohammad Ibrahim Hussain said.

    “Locals started offering prayers here in 2013. They come here because there is no mosque nearby,” he said, rolling his carpet after offering namaz.

    “Many properties of the Waqf Board have been encroached upon. We are forced to offer namaz in the open. People defecate in this ground. No one would like to pray sitting near poop. It’s our ‘majboori’,” he said.

    “The entire issue is about offering namaz in public places in residential areas. It’s a vast ground, away from residential societies. The prayers here do not cause inconvenience to anyone. There is no “controversy” here, Mufti Murshad Rehman said, even as a police gypsy circled the area.

  • Sikhs perform thanksgiving prayer after safe return with ‘Swaroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib from Afghanistan

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: It was an emotional moment not only for the Sikh community but for the entire country when the “Swaroops” of Shri Guru Granth Sahib were brought to Delhi safely from Afghanistan after its complete takeover by the Taliban.

    Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, carried on his head the Sikh Holy book Guru Granth Sahib on its arrival at T-3 Terminal in Delhi on Tuesday, August 24, 2021. It was a testimony of India’s rich culture and tradition.

    For all good things that happen, there is a tradition in our country to thank God and the people behind it. In line with this rich tradition, Sukran Ki Ardaas (a thanksgiving prayer) was organised by the members of the Sikh community at Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurudwara near Tilak Nagar in Delhi.

    #FlyAI : Air India is blessed to have this opportunity to fly three Holy saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji from Dushanbe (from Kabul) to Delhi, which was received at the T3 by the Hon’ble Union Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. @PMOIndia @HardeepSPuri @JM_Scindia pic.twitter.com/R9vc2QPqqp
    — Air India (@airindiain) August 25, 2021
    Pratap Singh, a member of the Sikh comminity said, “We urge the Government of India to prioritise the return of the remaining people of the Sikh community who are still stuck in Afghanistan so that they can celebrate Gurupurab in India and participate in yatras organised on the occasion.”

    Special thanksgiving prayers were also performed by the Sikh Community on Thursday in the main Gurudwara in Shimla, E-4 Gurudwara in Bhopal, Gurudwara Baba Naam Dev in Kanpur, Digyana Gurudwara in Jammu, Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara at Rani Bazar Shariefpur in Amritsar and Gurudwara Har Gobind Singh in new Guru Nanak Pura area of Jalandhar.

    After the prayers, the Sikh Community leaders had also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring the safe arrival of the Swaroops and urged the central government to do its best to bring to safety the remaining Sikh families stuck in Kabul.

    “The entire Sikh community thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for the safe return of Sikh and Hindu families. Today, a ‘Sukran ki Ardaas’ was held at Gurudwara Singh Sabha in Arera Colony, Bhopal to pray for the safe return of the remaining Sikh and Hindu families who are still in Afghanistan,” said a member of Gurudwara Singh Sabha in Arera Colony, Bhopal.

    Gurpreet Singh, another Gurudwara member had said, “Sukran ki Ardaas was held at Gurudwara Singh Sabha in Arera Colony after ‘Swaroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib were flown back from Afghanistan. I thank the Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for the safe return of Sikh and Hindu families from Afghanistan. We pray to God for the safe return of the remaining Sikh and Hindu families in Afghanistan.”

    The three copies of the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib arrived from Kabul along with 75 evacuees from Afghanistan on an Indian Air Force plane on Tuesday.

    Hardeep Singh Puri, in a tweet on Tuesday, said, “Blessed to receive and pay obeisance to three holy Swaroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from Kabul to Delhi a short while ago.”

  • Sikh panel meets Amit Shah over anti-conversion law

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: A delegation of All Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee Kashmir met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday after it was alleged that two Sikh women were forcefully converted to Islam in J&K.

    “Met a delegation from All Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee-Kashmir,” Shah tweeted. Though the details of the meeting was not shared officially, sources said the Sikh body representatives demanded an anti-conversion law for J&K like UP and MP, to prevent forceful conversion in the UT.

    Recently, the Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee protested against alleged conversion of two Sikh girls after they were allegedly kidnapped.

    The Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, the highest temporal seat of Sikhism, had taken a serious view of reports of Sikh women being subjected to alleged “love jihad” and has written to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha seeking a law to prevent forceful religious conversion and marriage. 

  • AAP’s CM face for Punjab polls 2022 to be from Sikh community, announces Arvind Kejriwal

    By PTI
    AMRITSAR: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced that the party’s chief ministerial face for the 2022 Punjab assembly polls will be from the Sikh community.

    When asked who will be the CM’s face of the party for the 2022 polls, Kejriwal said, “discussions are going on in the party regarding this, when time comes, you will be informed”.

    “But one thing I can tell you is that the entire Punjab will be proud of him. One thing is certain that AAP’s CM face will be from the Sikh community,” he said.

    Kejriwal, who is the AAP national convener, asserted that the people of Punjab are fed up with the present leadership ruling the state and added that the state is looking for a new type of leadership.

    ALSO READ | Former Punjab police officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap joins AAP ahead of Punjab polls

    Kejriwal was here to induct former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who was part of the SIT probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident in Punjab, into the Aam Aadmi Party here.

    Singh joined the party fold in presence of Kejriwal and other senior leaders including Raghav Chadha and AAP state unit chief and MP, Bhagwant Mann.

    When asked during a press conference if the AAP’s CM face can be from the Dalit community, Kejriwal replied, “Entire Punjab will be proud of him and he will be from Sikh community”.

    To a question on from where Kunwar Vijay Pratap will fight the polls, Kejriwal said it will be decided later.

    Asked if there have been any talks with Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Congress leader, who has been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, the AAP leader said, “Sidhu is a Congress leader, a senior leader. I respect him a lot. So, I think there should be no loose talk regarding any leader”. 

    To a question if there been any meeting with Sidhu, Kejriwal said, “If anything happens, you will be the first to know.”

  • Republic Day violence: Media house denies in Delhi HC any offensive reporting against Sikh community

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A media house has denied before the Delhi High Court the allegations of indulging in “offensive and potentially fatal” attack on the Sikh community by airing on its channel unverified videos regarding the Republic Day protest by farmers against new agri laws.

    In an affidavit filed in the high court, it has claimed that “not even a single assertion was made in relation to the Sikh community”.

    The affidavit has been filed in response to one of two PILs which have alleged that the media house “concocted”, “offensive and potentially fatal” attack on the Sikh community by circulating unverified videos regarding the Republic Day protest by farmers on its news platform.

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has also filed its response to one of the two PILs, saying it is the responsibility of the channel owner to ensure that a programme telecast on TV does not violate the Programme Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (CTN) Rules.

    “Whenever a violation of the Programme Code is brought to the notice of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, appropriate action is taken as per the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act,” said the affidavit, filed through central government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul.

    The ministry said it has also set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to look into specific complaints regarding violation of the code.

    The affidavits of the ministry and the media house have been filed in response to the plea moved by Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa claiming that the “vicious campaign directed against a particular community at a time when public sentiments are flared up could result in disastrous consequences, including endangering the lives, property and liberty of members of that community”.

    A similar plea was moved by Delhi resident Manjit Singh G K contending that “allegations as made out in the said videos are absolutely untrue, baseless and a concoction of phantom imagination which bears no nexus to facts, whatsoever”.

    Denying the allegations against it, the media house has claimed that the plea by Dhindsa was an attempt to “impose fetters or stifle the reporting of the press”. It has also alleged that the petition was a “political gimmick to gain political mileage”.

    Referring to the CTN Act and Rules, the media house said, “There is a complete mechanism in relation to the regulation of the content of news broadcast in India. There is no further requirement of any additional legal structure or legislation in this regard.”

    It has also contended that the petitioner has not approached the appropriate body, News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), with any grievance before coming to the court.