Sunday 15 February 2009

Fabricated Kirpan Case Haunts Sikh Community Two Years Later


Friday 13th of February 2009
Panthic Weekly News Bureau

TORONTO, Canada (KP)— Another kirpan case has reached the court in Montreal, and this time a thirteen year old Sikh student is accused of allegedly using his kirpan to threaten his classmates. It is believed that the case should follow precedent set in the case filed earlier in 2006, which was awarded in favor of another Sikh Student.

Renowned lawyer Julius Grey, who successfully defended Gurbaj Singh in 2006, has again taken up the kirpan case this year. Julius Grey believes that the Sikh student has been framed in this case and he has not violated the law in any way. He denied the allegation of the Sikh Student pulling out his kirpan, saying that the Sikhs are barred from unsheathing the kirpan in public.

Grey held that the only time the Sikh Student had unsheathed the kirpan was when asked by the police and when school officials forced him to show it after the alleged incident took place. In contrast, the school is pushing the case as a clear incident of assault.

Julius Grey said that the two classmates who were blaming the Sikh student wanted to teach him a lesson as they held a personal grudge against him. The story was clearly fabricated and then reported to the principal who, without investigating the case, reported it to the police.

Observers say that xenophobia has steadily been on the rise in Quebec. Some in the province are still getting used to the influx of immigrants, other Canadians and non-French speakers. Customs and religious beliefs that they do not understand are often shunned and outlawed without an attempt to create understanding and cross-cultural communication.

The Sikh community stands united with the young Sikh Student. They are condemning the case and seeing it as a fabrication by the police to “get back to the Sikhs” as they lost the landmark case in 2006 against Gurbaj Singh, alleged Manjit Singh, a local, well renowned leader of the Sikh community.


Student Protesting at Jallianwala Bagh Beaten by Police

Friday 13th of February 2009

Panthic Weekly News Bureau

AMRITSAR SAHIB (KP)—In a strange twist, Punjab Police lashed out at young protestors at Jallianwala Bagh. The protest by college students, led by the Punjab Students Union and Punjab Naujawan Sabha, was held to air views against the renovation of certain parts of Jallianwala Bagh. A warning was already given to the Punjab Government in the past to stop construction at Jallianwala Bagh, however the protest was carried out due to the lack of a Government response.

The Punjab Police showed no mercy when they attacked the students as well as women and elders. The police charged the protestors with batons and did not stop as the protestors took sanctuary inside Sri Harmandir Sahib. The protestors had demolished the much debated “light and sound” gallery built here recently.

While speaking to the press, the student body led by Gurmukh Singh Mann alleged that the history of Jallianwala Bagh was being destroyed by the Punjab Government. The students raised objections over a newly constructed structure at Jallianwala Bagh and held that the Government was bent on destroying the history of Punjab by modernizing old landmarks. They said that Jallianwala Bagh demonstrated the struggles of Punjab’s forefathers and it needed to be preserved in its original form.

The protesters belonging to the Punjab Students Union, who later paid obeisance at Harmandir Sahib and did ardas, later told the press that several students were forced out of Harmandir Sahib by the police and illegally beaten. In addition, over twenty five students, including eleven females, were arrested by the Police without warrant. Several eye witnesses also testified against such cruel brutalities of the police.

Eyeing another wave of protests against the Government, Sukhbir Badal, deputy Chief Minister, has asked the Director General of the Police to investigate the incident and submit a report. He admitted that such an incident should have never have happened and apologized for the actions of the Police.

The merciless beating of innocent students reminds many of the brutality by British troops against civilians who were massacred here ninety years ago. The incident resulted in almost four hundred casualties in about 10 minutes. Over the years, there have been complaints due to a lack of Government intervention in preserving the Bagh.

Organizations have asked the Punjab Government to issue a proper investigation into the incident and to further stop any such constructions or renovation work without the consultation of experts. Modernization of historical landmarks will only result in damage to the golden history of Punjab and should never be tolerated. The release of all students without charges has also been demanded by different organizations in this case.

http://www.panthic.org/news/125/ARTICLE/4746/2009-02-13.html

http://www.panthic.org/news/124/ARTICLE/4754/2009-02-13.html

UK's Sikh Youth Group Promoting RSS & Hindu Sanatanist Websites
Friday 13th of February 2009
Panthic Weekly News Bureau

LONDON (KP)— A UK Sikh youth group under the name of ‘Project Naad’ has been discovered to be supporting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a fundamentalist Hindu right-wing nationalist movement that has and plans to further distort Sikh history and religion and claims that Sikhs are Hindus. Worryingly, this group claims to be providing resources and materials to promote the Sikh religion to Sikh youth and non-Sikhs in colleges and universities. The same group is involved in the discredited ‘Sikh Student Camp’ (Chigwell, England), in which last year they were group leaders and also were invited to deliver a talk to naïve campers.

In July 2008, Panthic Weekly exposed Project Naad for supporting the Dera Sacha Sauda cult, who has mercilessly murdered innocent Sikhs, and for writing against the Sikhs who seek justice. Further to this, in September 2008, Panthic Weekly exposed some of the subtle anti-Gurmat propaganda contained within the Project Naad leaflets, articles and statements by them on Sikh forums. This week, Panthic Weekly exposes and highlights how this small group of UK youngsters in Sikh guise are aligned to anti-Sikh elements and promote their ideology via their website, internet forums, social-networking sites, university Sikh societies, and the Sikh Student Camp (Chigwell, England).

"they (Project Naad) are openly promoting the so-called Sanatan Sikhi ideology and RSS sites on their own website"

Promotion of anti-Sikh groups by Project Naad had already been raised as a concern by Sikhs on internet forums in the past. Project Naad members replied on these forumsm including our own, in support of Radha Soamis, Namdharis, Nakli Nirankaris, and Dera Jhoota Sauda. Now it appears that they are openly promoting the so-called Sanatan Sikhi ideology and RSS websites on their own website.

Screen shot images from Project Naad Website:

Project Naad's official site contains links to Sanatan Hindu and RSS websites

It is clear by now that Project Naad supports the widely discredited Sanatan view of Sikhi that is propagated and supported by UK Nangs (fake Neo-Nihangs) and the RSS. Panthic Weekly urges the UK Sangat to be cautious of this and other anti-Panthic and anti-Gurmat groups targeting the youth and wider Sangat through discreet Parchar on the Internet, universities, and particular camps.


Related Articles:

Exposé: Project Naad's Anti-Gurmat Views on Relationships
http://www.panthic.org/news/129/ARTICLE/4327/2008-08-29.html

Is Project Naad now supporting Dera Jhoota Sauda Sirsa Cult ?
http://www.panthic.org/news/123/ARTICLE/4247/2008-07-25.html