Hi people i talked Sikh Unit into giving me some of their unreleased material. Killa sent me them with a few words too. (I have Put the tunes up in this post, it may take a while for them to show up (9 TRACKS IN TOTAL)Killaz Statement:
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
The Unreleased Sagaz (Sikh Unit Tunes)
Hi people i talked Sikh Unit into giving me some of their unreleased material. Killa sent me them with a few words too. (I have Put the tunes up in this post, it may take a while for them to show up (9 TRACKS IN TOTAL)Killaz Statement:
Amrit Sanchaars in U.K
Unless you have taken amrit one cannot call themselves a true son or daughter of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji. A person without having taken khande bata da amrit is like a stray dog in the city that has no owner. Taking of Amrit is giving your head to Guru Ji, if we have not done that yet, how can we call ourselves true Sikhs of Guru Ji.To Drink the Ambrosial nectar of the Khanda is the primary instruction for the Sikh. They who abandon all other initiations are truly a great Sikh. – Bhai Desa Singh Ji Rehatnama
Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji said that taking of Khande bata the Amrit is the primary- rehat (code of conduct) for his Sikhs. Guru Ji was initiated with Amrit himself by the 5 beloved ones. If Guru Ji took amrit, why do we think we don’t need to? Unless we do not listen to Guru Ji we will not obtain salvation, our soul will keep coming and going. We will not escape the cycle of birth and death. However if we take Amrit and live a Gursikhi Jeevan we can obtain Guru Ji’s blessing and obtain our salvation (when our soul merges into the supreme soul (God)). So take Amrit and become the Singh’s and KAURS of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Become fearless warriors and warrior princesses. Take Amrit from the 5 Singhs and Change your life! Some people say why can’t a woman be apart of the 5, where’s the equality? Well this has nothing to do with inequality, 5 Singhs stood up and gave their head to Guru Ji from the Sangat (keep in mind women were also present in the sangat) from then on the duty and right to distribute Amrit was given to 5 Singhs! It is as simple as that, but these days people try to alter things to suit their own views, what right do we have to change things if Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, stated 5 Singhs have the duty to distribute Amrit. If a woman stood up and gave her head, then things would have been different!
Offer your head and take Amrit by 5 Singhs, the code of conduct which they bless you with, should be enshrined within ones heart. Krith Bilaas Paathshahee Dasvee
Khande Di Pahul not only embodies the primary objects of Sikh faith and the promises connected therewith, but also is itself a promise to lead a pure and pious life to unite with Almighty Lord. It is about inward cleansing of the conscience and seeking unity with Supreme Lord through His Grace.
Contact Harpreets12@hotmail.co.uk for information on regular Amrit Sanchaars
Simply, getting initiation without practicing the proper way of life is of no use. Every neophyte is required to follow the set principles and Sikh concepts laid by the Gurus. Mere keeping of outer look will amount to show ritualistic tendencies and nothing else. The novice must be clean both from inside and outside.
Those who keep their hair but do not get initiated are faithless sinners. They will never receive my blessing. – Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Rehatnama Bhai Sahib Singh Jee)
AMRIT (KHANDE DA PAHUL) IS ESSENTAIL FOR SALVATION
There is jokers going around saying, “we do not need to take amrit” that is the biggest crap ever. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji themselves took amrit, if Guru Ji took amrit, who are we or these jokers to say any different. We should be following in the footsteps of Guru ji, and not in the footsteps of the jokers today, who haven’t got a clue. If you desire salvation amrit is a MUST, there isn’t no two ways about this. Only by receiving amrit and following the teachings of Guru Ji is salvation achieved.
Below is a picture of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji taking amrit, how some jokers can say we don’t need to take amrit is beyond me.
Amrit transforms a person from a coward to a fearless warrior, and this has been proven in history. A sadho like madho das (Shaheed Banda Singh Bahadur) took amrit and went on to being a great Sikh warrior who fought the evil-oppressors and claimed a just rule for all.
Shaheed Bhai Sant Singh Ji came out of the fort to face a number of 125.000 enemy soldiers on his own- (WAHEGURU)
Any ordinary person is transformed into a saint soldier, Shaheed Baba deep Singh Ji at the age of 80, died fighting for the protection of our faith So. many Sikhs have fearlessly given their lives in battle and service due to the power of amrit and their gursikhi jeevan.
The angelic persons and silent sages search for the divine nectar, that nectar I have obtained from the true guru- ANG 918- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
Take amrit prepared with the double edged sword, so that your life becomes successful and blessed. The khalsa adores the company of the holy beings, while the bystander is miserable. Hail! Hail! Guru Gobind Singh Ji who is both Guru and Disciple- Bhai Gurdas Singh Ji (a scribe of 10th Guru Ji)
Amrit is prepared by 5 Singh’s in the presence of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji; Amrit is the start of the journey to salvation. Get Guru Ji’s blessings, take amrit
Contact: Harpreets12@hotmail.co.uk for info on AMRIT SANCHARRS IN U.K
This Man is doing a good deed
We should all learn from the compassion of this man, all animals are Gods creation and the world is hunting them and killing them without any thought of guilt. Sikhs respect the cow because like a mother it provides us with milk. However we dont worship none but God (The Immortal soul) , while Hindus do worship the Cow.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Sunday, 30 March 2008
On one occasion, youths shouted: “This should not be a church, this should be a mosque, you should not be here”. I just walked away from it - you are too frightened to challenge them. We have church windows smashed two to three times a month. The youths are anti-Christian.’ … The Reverend Alan Green, Area Dean for Tower Hamlets, said it was the latest in a series of ‘faith hate’ crimes in the borough… ‘There are one or two incidents of faith hate every month across the borough and across all faiths’. The Sunday Telegraph further reported:Jihad in east Londonistan Melanie Philips Wednesday 19 March 2008 I wrote yesterday about the attack on Canon Michael Ainsworth in his own east London churchyard by three ‘Asian’ youths. From the rather fuller stories about this incident in today’s papers, it is clear that this is far from the first such attack in the area. Indeed, there appear to have been many attacks on vicars or churches by Muslims who are clearly intent on turning east London into a no-go area for Christians (and, given the stoning of the Jewish group visiting the area on Holocaust Remembrance Day, for Jews as well. The mosque in the picture, by the way, was once St Sophia cathedral which was converted into a mosque on the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the fate of innumerable churches under Islamic conquest). The jihadi nature of the attack on Canon Ainsworth, who was taken to hospital after being kicked and punched in the head when he asked three ‘Asian’ youths who had gathered in the churchyard of the ancient church of St George-in-the-
has regularly had windows smashed by youths - who on one occasion shouted: ‘This should not be a church, this should be a mosque.’…In another attack on the church, families were showered with glass when a brick was thrown through a window during a service. Mr Allan Ramanoop, a member of the Parochial Church Council, said often parishioners were too scared to challenge the gangs. The Asian church member, who lives nearby, said: ‘I've been physically threatened and verbally abused on the steps of the church. A survey of London clergy by National Churchwatch, which provides personal safety advice, found that nearly half said they had been attacked in the previous 12 months. The organisation suggested that vicars should consider taking off their dog collars when they are on their own.
Pinch yourself. This is Britain.
Lost behind bars
Gihan Shahine delves into the lives of Egyptians held in Guantanamo, the world's most infamous prison
 Click to view caption |
| Close to 600 detainees from 42 countries are being held at Guantanamo for allegedly posing a potential threat to US security in its war on terror (photos on the left are stills from The Road to Guantanamo) |
"My name's Shafiq Rasul and I'm from Tipton. I tell them I am not Taliban but they don't want to listen. You won't believe I just came out here for my mate's wedding, do you?"
The poignant scene is from the British blockbuster The Road to Guantanamo depicting the plight of an innocent Pakistani- Briton detainee who was subject to forced confessions at the notorious US military base in Guantanamo. The docu-drama tells the true story of how Rasul and two other Pakistani- Britons were caught in an unfortunate coincidence. The three flew to Pakistan to attend a friend's wedding, but instead of eating part of the cake, they ended up spending three miserable years in Guantanamo before they were eventually released in 2004 after having been found innocent.
But The Road to Guantanamo is not just drama; it is a documentary that seems to epitomise the plight of close to 600 detainees from 42 countries held at Guantanamo for allegedly posing a potential threat to US security in its war on terror.
Mat Whitecross and Michael Winterbottom, co-directors of the docu-drama, were unaware they had also been depicting the plight of Egyptian detainees Sherif El-Mashad and Adel El-Gazzar who happened to be in very similar circumstances when the film was in production but with one major difference: the two have yet to be released.
On Red Cross postcards delivered to his family back home upon his arrest, El-Mashad expressed similar anguish to that of Rasul. "I did nothing to deserve imprisonment and they have no charges against me... I'm probably only here for interrogation and will be released. Only God knows when.
"If I had known a war would break out in Afghanistan, I would never have gone there in the first place, but it is God's will," El-Mashad said, asking his mother to pray for his release.
El-Mashad was caught in more or less the same way as Rasul. El-Mashad had spent four years in Italy as a permanent resident before being invited by a friend in Afghanistan in July 2001 to take part in voluntary relief work and also to work in a clothing business. On 30 December 2001 he was caught on the Afghan-Pakistan border during a failed attempt to flee the country after the outbreak of war.
El-Gazzar's story was not much different. An accountant and the father of four children [his youngest daughter was only a few months old when he was incarcerated in Guantanamo], El-Gazzar went on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia on 27 August 2000 and then decided to stay to search for a job. He disappeared in 2001 and almost a year later, his family received a hand-delivered Red Cross postcard from him saying he was in Guantanamo. It turned out that El-Gazzar went to Afghanistan to engage in relief work and when the war broke out, he was caught on the border while trying to flee the country.
"El-Gazzar spent four months in a US-run detention camp on the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan where he was subjected to a range of the fiercest kinds of torture before he was finally moved to Guantanamo," said Adel Mekki, executive chair of the Egyptian Human Rights Association for the Assistance of Prisoners (HRAAP), which was involved in defending Egyptian detainees in Guantanamo.
According to American lawyer Carol Bruce, counsel for El-Mashad and El-Gazzar, what matters most "is that neither was arrested on or near a battlefield in Afghanistan and that both men insist they are not affiliated in any way with Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or any other terrorist or terrorist-supporting organisation."
"They were both arrested at different times and in different places in Pakistan in November/December of 2001, and were turned over to US authorities by Pakistani security forces," Bruce told Al-Ahram Weekly. "The US government was posting large bounties for the arrest of suspected Al-Qaeda or Taliban fighters. There has been much written about how many detainees apparently are innocent but were essentially sold to the US government by people eager to be paid the bounty."
El-Mashad and El-Gazzar are not alone. Almost all human rights activists talking to the Weekly confirmed Bruce's testimony. They argued that prisoners in Guantanamo seem to be totally innocent, were not engaged in any conflict upon arrest or even caught on the battlefield, and were abducted by local Afghans keen to collect the $5,000 reward that the US was offering for "foreign Taliban".
Clive Stafford-Smith, director of Justice in Exile, had previously told the Weekly, "US claims that Guantanamo prisoners were enemy combatants who were all captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan are pure fiction," citing two prisoners abducted in Gambia and six seized in Bosnia.
Like many others, both El-Mashad and El-Gazzar remain in custody without charge or a fair hearing. According to Bruce, the two men were wrongly found to be unlawful enemy combatants by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal (CSRT) at Guantanamo Bay in early 2005. She argued, however, that the two captives "have not yet had a fair hearing about their status; have not been charged with any war crimes or crimes; have not been given the opportunity to see or hear any of the so-called secret evidence against them; have not had a fair opportunity to challenge the accusations against them; and have not had the benefit of counsel in any military tribunal hearing to date."
A detailed picture about the health of the two prisoners is not available, although some unofficial reports claim that El-Gazzar is in bad health. Bruce said she has no reports that the two detainees are in poor health, but added she "cannot imagine they are in the best of spirits.
"They are both being held, like most of the men in Guantanamo, in super maximum security prisons, in individual, small, windowless cells, with little or no physical contact with other detainees, with little or no reading material, and with no ability to see the horizon during their one hour a day in a narrow, outside exercise yard." This sort of prison in the US, according to Bruce, "is usually reserved for men convicted of very serious crimes, yet these men have not been charged with any crime."
Egypt named five detainees held at Guantanamo: Alaaeddin Mohamed Salem, Reda Fadel El-Weleli, Sami El-Leithi, Adel Fattouh El-Gazzar and Sherif El-Mashad. El-Leithi and Salem were released in November 2006. El-Leithi returned to Egypt while Salem, afraid of further abuse back home, requested to be taken to Albania where he was granted asylum. The Weekly could not gather accurate information about El-Weleli who was allegedly released three years ago. Neither Salem nor El-Leithi were willing to talk to the press, but according to Mekki, the two were found innocent and released after spending more than three years in detention.
"Both Salem and El-Leithi were subject to the harshest ever modes of torture that left Salem with slurred speech and El-Leithi with total paralysis," Mekki said. Neither has received compensation.
The Road to Guantanamo depicts a bleak picture of how prisoners were tortured in Guantanamo. According to film producers, torture scenes had to be softened for the benefit of the actors who were unable to stand the pain caused by shackles pressing on their legs. The actors said they were unable to remain in the stress positions they were supposed to for more than an hour. The three prisoners claim they were held in the same positions for up to eight hours.
The US has been heavily criticised for holding hundreds of detainees without charge or fair trial. It has recently faced mounting pressure to close the camp after some prisoners driven by despair, committed suicide. US President George W Bush has repeatedly said he would like to close the camp and send detainees back to their home countries. But although many detainees held without charge have been released over the past two years, many others remain in custody.
Bruce doubts that the camp will be closed any time soon and if it is, "then I expect the government will simply move the detainees to other detention facilities in the US or elsewhere."
Mekki speculates that the US administration "is saving face by keeping many innocent captives in custody.
"The camp is internationally considered a stigma in US history and if the US decides to close it and release all prisoners for not posing any threat to the US, it would be telling the whole world that it has made a grave mistake that history will never forget." The fact that some prisoners were released while others were not despite being classified as non-enemy combatants may serve as a case in point, according to Mekki.
Mekki further regrets the absence of any criteria governing the release of prisoners, just as the case has been with random arrests. US authorities have, for instance, found that El-Gazzar could be released while according to Bruce, they have given no indication El-Mashad will be released any time soon. Not that El-Gazzar is so fortunate himself. Though he has been cleared by US authorities for almost a year now -- since February 2007, he has not yet been released.
"The prisoners are not more than scapegoats," Mekki insisted, claiming the US is allegedly keeping prisoners in detention "in order to use them as trump cards with countries of political and strategic interests to the US."
Mekki would equally blame the Egyptian Foreign Ministry for not pressing enough for the repatriation of its prisoners as other countries did. Mekki concedes that thanks to diplomatic efforts, two detainees were released. That said, he added that such effort "should have been exerted earlier to save innocent prisoners many years of unneeded suffering." In addition, according to Mekki, Egypt's diplomatic efforts have so far failed to release El-Mashad or El-Gazzar.
The HRAAP had won a lawsuit against the Egyptian Foreign Ministry demanding that it presses for the repatriation of the two remaining prisoners. "The ministry then sent two delegates to visit El-Mashad and El-Gazzar and hold high-level talks with US officials, which ministry officials claimed were very fruitful," Mekki said. "It remains questionable, however, what kind of success the talks achieved when the two prisoners remain in detention," Mekki said.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry refrained from commenting on the issue.
According to Bruce, "the only thing blocking El-Gazzar's return at this point, as far as we know, is the US government wanting to satisfy itself through its own discussions and negotiations with the Egyptian government that El-Gazzar will not be subjected to torture or abuse if he is returned to Egypt."
Which is one major issue of concern for both captives and human rights activists back home. HRAAP Director Mohamed Zarie is sceptical that El-Gazzar and El-Mashad will fair any better back home and suggests that the two might seek asylum in any other foreign country if they are released soon. "They have had enough and there is no guarantee that they would get fair treatment here in Egypt," a pessimistic Zarie speculated. Mekki said he had asked the Egyptian ministries of interior and foreign affairs for guarantees that Salem, who was granted asylum in Albania, would be safely repatriated without any further abuse, but he has received no answer. The ministry, however, had held a press conference last year to announce the success of Egypt's diplomatic efforts in the release of two Egyptian detainees, and that the released prisoner who chose to go to Albania "has the right to return home whenever he wants."
Mekki is not blatantly pessimistic. After all, he said, El-Leithi returned and was not subjected to any abuse. In fact, the government provided him with free medical care.
"There is no guarantee, of course, that other released prisoners would fare the same [since El-Leithi was in very bad health] but detainees should take the risk since they cannot stay away from family and home for the rest of their lives," Mekki advised. El-Gazzar has four children without a breadwinner and El-Mashad was the main financial earner for his family.
According to Bruce, both El-Gazzar and El-Mashad were initially concerned about how they would be treated in custody in Egypt because of the fact that they have been branded -- falsely, they argue -- "unlawful enemy combatants". Later, they individually and separately (they have no contact with each other in Guantanamo and apparently did not know each other before going to Guantanamo) concluded that they do not care what suffering may await them in custody in Egypt.
"They are confident that they have done nothing wrong and they are eager to see their families," Bruce said. "They want to leave Guantanamo. They want to see the Egyptian sun again."
The two prisoners, however, do not know that more family woes are in store back home. El-Gazzar's father, no longer able to cope with the heartbreak of losing his son, died a few months ago leaving El-Gazzar's wife and four children without any stable source of income. El-Mashad's mother is not fairing much better. According to close family sources, the teacher has been almost bed-ridden after suffering a series of health problems.
"We do not allow her [El-Mashad's mother] to see or talk to the press because her nerves are shot," a relative said, asking to have his name withheld. "Sherif has no criminal record here or there and his mother expected him to be the first to come out. Now the whole family languishes in sadness. They don't have a social life anymore."
November 1984 Sikh Genocide - Who Are Guilty
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh ||
Report on November 1984 Sikh Genocide issued by PUCL & PUDR named Who
Are Guilty? is available online.
Visit:
http://www.sikhstudentsfederation.com/link7/who-are-guilty.html
Report on November 1984 Sikh Genocide issued by PUCL & PUDR named Who
Are Guilty? is available online.
Visit:
http://www.sikhstud
Rabbi: Hang Arab children from trees
In an article published in the newsletter Eretz Yisrael Shelanu Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Safed, has urged the Israeli regime to officially allow "revenge against Arabs to restore Israel's deterrence." "I'm not talking about individual people in particular, I'm talking about the state. [Israel] has to pain them to the point where they scream 'Enough,' to the point where they fall flat on their face and scream 'help.' Not for the sake of satisfying the need for revenge but for the purposes of deterrence," he wrote. In the newsletter Eliyahu proposes "hanging the children" of those who attacked the Mercaz Harav yeshiva from a tree. The rabbi added: "We'll stay here. We need to live with those who understand very well the language of revenge." On Wednesday, Mossawa Center, an Arab human rights group, called for a probe into Eliyahu's remarks. |
Baby Seal Slaughter Opens at Dawn
Today marks both the opening of this year's Canadian commercial seal hunt—the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth—and the 25th anniversary of the European Union directive banning the trade in fur from newborn seals.
The 1983 directive brought the Canadian seal hunt to a virtual standstill for a number of years.
However, Canadian seal hunters now circumvent the law by killing the pups when they are just a few days older, allowing the legal trade of products from those baby seals in Europe.
"Today the slaughter of baby seals began again in Canada, largely because Europe continues to import seal products," stated Mark Glover, director of Humane Society International/
"A comprehensive ban on seal product trade in the European Union will stop the cruelty of commercial seal hunts and finally meet the expectations of the European Parliament and European citizens," Glover continued.
In 2006, the European Parliament passed a historic resolution calling on the European Commission to immediately draft legislation banning the trade in seal products, regardless of the age of the seal.
The European Commission then conducted a study on the animal welfare aspects of commercial seal hunting, the results of which should provide the foundation for a ban.
That study found, "in practice, seals are not always effectively killed", seals suffer "pain and distress" during Canada's commercial seal hunt, and "seals may be skinned while conscious."
"Just days ago, we stood on the ice floes with beautiful baby seals still covered in white fur. It is heartbreaking that the commercial seal hunt will begin today, and these pups will be brutally clubbed, shot and skinned to produce fashion items nobody needs," stated Rebecca Aldworth, director of Animal Programs for Humane Society International-
"The European Union holds the power to right an international wrong by ending its trade in all seal products."
Despite mounting pressure from around the world to end the commercial slaughter of seals, the Canadian government authorized seal hunters to kill 275,000 harp seals in 2008, one of the highest quotas in recent history. The slaughter officially opens at dawn on March 28.
A large delegation of sealing industry lobbyists traveled to Europe at the request of the Canadian government to lobby against the pending seal product ban.
Recent polling shows the overwhelming majority of Canadians are opposed to the commercial seal hunt, and two-thirds of Canadians holding an opinion support European nations banning seal product trade.
Facts
- Canada's commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth, with hundreds of thousands of seals killed annually.
- In Canada, more than 95 percent of the seals killed each year are less than 3 months old. At the time of slaughter, many have yet to eat their first solid meal or take their first swim, and they are utterly defenseless against the hunters.
- The seals are killed for their fur, which is sold in fashion markets in Europe, Russia and Asia.
- Nations around the world have taken action to end their trade in seal products or announced their intention to do so, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, Slovenia and the United States.
- In Canada, sealers are commercial fishermen, who earn only a small fraction of their annual incomes from killing seals during the off-season.
- HSUS is calling upon the Canadian government to end the seal hunt by implementing a fair buyout of the sealing industry, compensating seal hunters for lost income as the slaughter is closed.
- Since 2005, The HSUS has urged U.S. companies to avoid selling and serving Canadian seafood in order to convince that country's fishing industry to stop participating in and supporting the commercial seal hunt. Since the boycott began, the value of Canadian snow crab imports into the U.S. has decreased by more than $465 million.
- Trade data shows the 2007 value of exports to the U.S. from the Newfoundland fishing and seafood preparation industries decreased by 44 percent compared to 2004, the last year prior to the boycott. For Canada as a whole, the value of exports to the U.S. from the fishing and seafood preparation industries decreased by 22 percent.
Friday, 28 March 2008
Where was the media in 1984?
Babu Singh Dukhiya is the president of a 1984 riots victims’ society and he is getting cynical.
“A thousand years will pass but we still won’t get justice. It took months and years in filing cases, recording statements and other such court work. Now it is almost 24 years since the riots,” says Dukhiya. This veteran of countless protest marches says he never got attention to his demands.
Mohan Singh, a riot victim, the media didn’t pay attention during the 1984 riots. “In those days it was just Doordarshan for TV but now there are so many news channels. It is because of the media that there is hope of justice in the post-Godhra riots,” says Mohan Singh.
Senior journalist Manoj Mitta, who along with lawyer H S Phoolka has written a book called When a Tree Shook Delhi on the riots, feels that the media in 1984 focused on Indira Gandhi's assassination and not the riots that followed
“The media by and large went by the official line on the carnage. It focused on the happenings at Teen Murti Bhawan, where Indira Gandhi's body lay in state and where from people around the world had come to pay respect. So photographers were flocking to that place and the killings that were simultaneously going on in the capital did not get recorded at all. It’s bizarre but true,” he says.
The 2002 Gujarat riots in contrast got extensive media coverage, which helped human rights activists to prod both the judiciary as well as public conscience.
“At the time of Gujarat riots all these TV channels played a very important role in bringing out the magnitude of the violence that was going on and the dubious role played by state authorities. As a result, the National Human Rights Commission and the Supreme Court had to take cognizance of high profile cases,” says Mitta.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005 stood in Parliament to issue an apology on behalf of the Congress, admitting that the anti-Sikh riots were a shameful episode in India's history.
"On behalf of our government, on behalf of the entire people of our country, I bow my head in shame that such a thing took place," he said.
Congress leader Jagdish Tytler did resign from the Union Cabinet hours after the PM's apology, but no prominent politician or government official has been ever found guilty of involvement in the 1984 riots.
“A thousand years will pass but we still won’t get justice. It took months and years in filing cases, recording statements and other such court work. Now it is almost 24 years since the riots,” says Dukhiya. This veteran of countless protest marches says he never got attention to his demands.
Mohan Singh, a riot victim, the media didn’t pay attention during the 1984 riots. “In those days it was just Doordarshan for TV but now there are so many news channels. It is because of the media that there is hope of justice in the post-Godhra riots,” says Mohan Singh.
Senior journalist Manoj Mitta, who along with lawyer H S Phoolka has written a book called When a Tree Shook Delhi on the riots, feels that the media in 1984 focused on Indira Gandhi's assassination and not the riots that followed
“The media by and large went by the official line on the carnage. It focused on the happenings at Teen Murti Bhawan, where Indira Gandhi's body lay in state and where from people around the world had come to pay respect. So photographers were flocking to that place and the killings that were simultaneously going on in the capital did not get recorded at all. It’s bizarre but true,” he says.
The 2002 Gujarat riots in contrast got extensive media coverage, which helped human rights activists to prod both the judiciary as well as public conscience.
“At the time of Gujarat riots all these TV channels played a very important role in bringing out the magnitude of the violence that was going on and the dubious role played by state authorities. As a result, the National Human Rights Commission and the Supreme Court had to take cognizance of high profile cases,” says Mitta.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005 stood in Parliament to issue an apology on behalf of the Congress, admitting that the anti-Sikh riots were a shameful episode in India's history.
"On behalf of our government, on behalf of the entire people of our country, I bow my head in shame that such a thing took place," he said.
Congress leader Jagdish Tytler did resign from the Union Cabinet hours after the PM's apology, but no prominent politician or government official has been ever found guilty of involvement in the 1984 riots.
“In all big cases involving major political leaders and involving large-scale killings, there have been absolutely no convictions at all. So, that contrast is there to see between what happened in 1984 and what happened in 2002,” says Mitta.
Lawyer H S Phoolka, who has represented 1984 riot victims for almost 24 years, admits he has not achieved much for his clients. The reason he alleges is sustained political pressure.
“Some the judges were doing their duty very diligently and were giving orders of conviction, but the government manipulated in such a way that those judges were transferred. The cases then went to judges who looked pliable. Like we have mentioned one particular judge who was acquitting everybody. He decided 123 cases, out of which he acquitted 121,” says Phoolka.
India didn’t pay attention to the riots in 1984 and now the danger is that it may forget them, say victim
Grooming of White Girls
 |
| Det Supt HERRMANN: It is not about race' |
POLICE have been accused of not doing enough to tackle Asian men who groom white teenagers into prostitution for fear of being branded racist.
National Muslim organisation the Ramadhan Foundation said that extremist political parties like the BNP benefit from the vacuum left when police and local authorities do not speak out on the issue.
And he said the while Lancashire Police was doing more than most to tackle the problem, their efforts were not enough.
But Lancashire Police have hit back at the claims, saying that the problem of grooming young girls by Asian men, particularly in the Blackburn area, is being investigated actively - and publicly.
The issue has been highlighted in the Lancashire Telegraph's Keep Them Safe campaign, which began in 2006.
And a new team of officers in Blackburn working on Operation Engage has been formed by the police, council, the Blackburn with Darwen Safeguarding Child-ren Board and other young people's organisations.
Speaking about the national problem, Moha-mmed Shafiq, director of the Ramadhan Foundation, based in Rochdale, said: "We believe that practice of grooming white teenagers into prostitution is a problem that needs to be dealt with openly and without any fears.
"Having heard at first hand the effect this has on young girls and their families I am determined that we speak out and ensure that the communities recognise the problem and work to eradicate it.
"Whilst there is no evid-ence that the police or local authorities are deliberately not speaking out about this evil practice, due to the fear of being labelled racist, their silence is contributing to a vacuum where only the BNP benefit."
Det Supt Graham Herr-mann of Lancashire Police hit back and said that there was a danger that talk of ethnic origin of the criminals would take away from the focus on protecting vulnerable young women.
He said: "It doesn't matter what part of society these people are from, we will investigate stringently. It is not about race."
Mr Herrmann pointed to the high-profile re-launch of Operation Engage after an extra £250,000 was made available.
Police in Pennine Division, set up a similar operation called Freedom.
Police Take Revenge on Relative of Ex-Cop Turned Freedom Fighter
Karnal, Haryana (KP) – It has been over a week and Bibi Parveen Kaur is still lodged behind the bars. Several Panthic and Human Rights Organizations have come out to support her, but when and how she will be released remains a mystery to be solved. Ever since her arrest, the Bibi has had to face severe torture and access to her lawyer and family has also been somewhat limited.
Who Bibi Parveen Kaur is and on what grounds was she arrested? She is an innocent Sikh woman in her youth and comes from a middle class family. Quite oddly, while many perceive this simply as the cause of her harassment, it is not entirely true. The story of Parveen Kaur is not merely few weeks old, it is a legacy.
Two decades ago, her parents and relatives were targeted by the most ruthless and corrupt police force in the world, and now she and the rest of her family are under the authorities’ crosshairs. The police forces of Punjab and Haryana Police are notoriously known on record for eliminating thousands of innocent Sikh youths using conjured up charges and staged encounters. Now, these dishonest forces are targeting the next generation of Sikhs, and using similar age-old Indian police tactics.
Falsified Charges
Bibi Parveen Kaur was arrested on falsified charges of taking part in the supposed assassination attempt on Gurmeet Ram Rahim last month. Shortly after the blasts took place, the police named several suspects. Despite failing to provide credible evidence to support the arrests, the Haryana and Punjab Police have continued to use this as an opportunity to harass innocent Sikhs.
According to revelations made by police officials, Bibi Parveen Kaur was supposed to be used as a human bomb and she allegedly kept the 'explosives' in her custody for at least two weeks. While Parveen had refused to partake in the actual implementation of the action, the Police alleged that she remained faithful to the cause.
Sikh organizations, however, rejected such allegations against Parveen Kaur, and demanded her release from police custody. The Shiromani Akali Dal (A), Mata Gujri Sahara Trust, and Dal Khalsa leadership have shown particular interest in the case and have organized rallies in large scale to express their dissent with the Police. They state Parveen Kaur is completely innocent, and is being unfairly targeted by the Police due to her family’s background.
Family, friends, and neighbors have also totally rejected claims by the Police and state that Parveen has been falsely implicated in this case by the police to fulfill their self-interests. Parveen Kaur, who comes from a Muslim family, had converted to the Sikh religion years ago during the turbulent 1980s.
History of Police Persecution
As details of her family’s background emerge, the actual motives of the Haryana and Punjab Police behind her arrest become clearer. Parveen’s family has long suffered under the persecution of the Police forces of both states. Parveen’s father, Mohammed Sadiqque, was killed by the Punjab Police during the freedom uprising of the last two decades. His only fault was that he was married to the sister of Bashir Mohammed, an ex-Police officer who quit his Government job after observing human rights abuses at the hands of the Punjab Police.
Bashir Mohammed was set up as a spy against the Babbar Khalsa organization by DSP Sukhdevn Chahal and was sent to provide confidential news from the training camps. There, not only did he realize the reality of the Indian Government and Punjab Police, the jeevan of Babbar Khalsa Singhs deeply influenced Bashir Mohammed that he took up the Sikh baptism and became Lachman Singh.
Bhai Lachman Singh soon stopped proving reports to DSP Chahal which hurt many of his projects badly. In addition, he provided valuable information that helped safeguard many Sikh families. Eventually he crossed the border and settled in Calcutta with his pregnant wife Bibi Rani Kaur. The DSP was stunned by the conversion of Bashir Mohammed and saught revenge at all costs.
Massacre by Police
It was during 1993, when operatives of the Punjab Police led by DSP Sukhdev Chahal found out the whereabouts of Bhai Lachman Singh and came to Calcutta to assassinate them. Late at night on May 17th, the cowardice police officers entered the house of Bhai Lachman Singh and gunned him and his wife down while they were asleep. The unborn child of Bhai Lachman Singh also became the target of police brutality. There was huge uproar in the State of West Bengal and surrounding areas after the murder of Lachman Singh and his wife.
Supreme Court charged Punjab Police Officers
A case was filed by Bhai Lachman Singh’s mother-in-law (mother of Bibi Parveen Kaur) against the Punjab Police. The Supreme Court of India found very credible evidence against five Punjab Police Officers, all of them who were later sentenced. SP Operations SK Sinh (Bathinda), Sukhdev Chahal (Bathinda), Hawaldar Ramdayal, Sukhjiwan and Darshan Sipahi were found guilty of murder, abduction and forgery of evidence.
After collecting evidence from the State of West Bengal, the Supreme Court issued orders to summon the accused immediately so that they could not forge evidence any further. The evidence collected by the Court suggested that the Police officers involved in this case were wearing Police uniforms, were armed with Sten assault rifles, held walkie talkies, and spoke the Punjabi language. After killing the couple, they took the bodies in two blue Maruti cars. No report of the incident was filed with the local Police.
Retaliation and Torture
This past week, Bibi Parveen Kaur was presented to a local court after being arrested and a remand was issued to the Police. Ever since being in police custody, Bibi Parveen has been brutally tortured for her one and only crime of being related to Bhai Lachman Singh.
The Police officials who hold personal rivalry against Bhai Lachman Singh are using Parveen’s arrest as revenge against her family. The Sikh organzations are demanding a higher level inquiry into this case by national and international human rights organizations as well as by an independent CBI counsel directly under the supervision of the honorable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India.
Statement by Bibi Sohanjeet Kaur
Bibi Sohanjeet Kaur alleged that the arrest of Parveen Kaur is no different from hundreds of arrests that were made of innocent Sikhs during the 80’s and 90’s. Bibi Sohanjeet Kaur, who was widowed during the years of State organized oppression, is a key witness to many such arrests. She now runs the Mata Gujri Charitable Trust which provides housing to wards of Shaheeds and Bibi Parveen Kaur is one of them.
Bibi Sohanjeet Kaur held that she was arrested by the Haryana Police without any warrant. According to her statements to the press, the policemen first took away Bibi Parveen Kaur for some investigations at the Patiala Sadar Police Station. Later it was found that the police presented her in the court and received her remand.
Support by Human Rights Activists
Surprisingly not only the Sikh organizations have come up to support Bibi Parveen Kaur, she has won support of many non-Sikh organizations as well. The CPI ML Liberation also lashed out on the Haryana and the Punjab Police for arresting Bibi Parveen Kaur under false allegations. Rajvinder Singh Rana held that the arguments presented by the police were baseless and that it was clear that the police was preplanned her arrest. On behalf of his organization, he demanded the release of the Bibi and held that the Government should punish the police officials who arrested her without first registering the case.
SGPC President Alleges His Support
The SGPC President Avtar Makkar has also alleged his support for Bibi Parveen Kaur. At a meeting held at Fatehgarh Sahib, Avtar Makkar and several other SGPC members announced to provide support to the Bibi. He has however not raised this concern with the State Government, for which he remains most loyal to.
The type of support Bibi Parveen Kaur needs cannot be provided merely by using fancy words, if Avtar Makkar really wishes her well, he should use the resources of the SGPC and his self influence to provide her with good lawyers and proper media coverage. However, it will be interesting to note if Avtar Makkar does decide to take any part in the current issue as the counterpart of Makkar’s title-holder – Parkash Badal, Rajinder Bhandri has already released statements critical to the release of Bibi Parveen Kaur.
Who Bibi Parveen Kaur is and on what grounds was she arrested? She is an innocent Sikh woman in her youth and comes from a middle class family. Quite oddly, while many perceive this simply as the cause of her harassment, it is not entirely true. The story of Parveen Kaur is not merely few weeks old, it is a legacy.
Two decades ago, her parents and relatives were targeted by the most ruthless and corrupt police force in the world, and now she and the rest of her family are under the authorities’ crosshairs. The police forces of Punjab and Haryana Police are notoriously known on record for eliminating thousands of innocent Sikh youths using conjured up charges and staged encounters. Now, these dishonest forces are targeting the next generation of Sikhs, and using similar age-old Indian police tactics.
Falsified Charges
Bibi Parveen Kaur was arrested on falsified charges of taking part in the supposed assassination attempt on Gurmeet Ram Rahim last month. Shortly after the blasts took place, the police named several suspects. Despite failing to provide credible evidence to support the arrests, the Haryana and Punjab Police have continued to use this as an opportunity to harass innocent Sikhs.
According to revelations made by police officials, Bibi Parveen Kaur was supposed to be used as a human bomb and she allegedly kept the 'explosives' in her custody for at least two weeks. While Parveen had refused to partake in the actual implementation of the action, the Police alleged that she remained faithful to the cause.
Sikh organizations, however, rejected such allegations against Parveen Kaur, and demanded her release from police custody. The Shiromani Akali Dal (A), Mata Gujri Sahara Trust, and Dal Khalsa leadership have shown particular interest in the case and have organized rallies in large scale to express their dissent with the Police. They state Parveen Kaur is completely innocent, and is being unfairly targeted by the Police due to her family’s background.
Family, friends, and neighbors have also totally rejected claims by the Police and state that Parveen has been falsely implicated in this case by the police to fulfill their self-interests. Parveen Kaur, who comes from a Muslim family, had converted to the Sikh religion years ago during the turbulent 1980s.
History of Police Persecution
As details of her family’s background emerge, the actual motives of the Haryana and Punjab Police behind her arrest become clearer. Parveen’s family has long suffered under the persecution of the Police forces of both states. Parveen’s father, Mohammed Sadiqque, was killed by the Punjab Police during the freedom uprising of the last two decades. His only fault was that he was married to the sister of Bashir Mohammed, an ex-Police officer who quit his Government job after observing human rights abuses at the hands of the Punjab Police.
Bashir Mohammed was set up as a spy against the Babbar Khalsa organization by DSP Sukhdevn Chahal and was sent to provide confidential news from the training camps. There, not only did he realize the reality of the Indian Government and Punjab Police, the jeevan of Babbar Khalsa Singhs deeply influenced Bashir Mohammed that he took up the Sikh baptism and became Lachman Singh.
Bhai Lachman Singh soon stopped proving reports to DSP Chahal which hurt many of his projects badly. In addition, he provided valuable information that helped safeguard many Sikh families. Eventually he crossed the border and settled in Calcutta with his pregnant wife Bibi Rani Kaur. The DSP was stunned by the conversion of Bashir Mohammed and saught revenge at all costs.
Massacre by Police
It was during 1993, when operatives of the Punjab Police led by DSP Sukhdev Chahal found out the whereabouts of Bhai Lachman Singh and came to Calcutta to assassinate them. Late at night on May 17th, the cowardice police officers entered the house of Bhai Lachman Singh and gunned him and his wife down while they were asleep. The unborn child of Bhai Lachman Singh also became the target of police brutality. There was huge uproar in the State of West Bengal and surrounding areas after the murder of Lachman Singh and his wife.
Supreme Court charged Punjab Police Officers
A case was filed by Bhai Lachman Singh’s mother-in-law (mother of Bibi Parveen Kaur) against the Punjab Police. The Supreme Court of India found very credible evidence against five Punjab Police Officers, all of them who were later sentenced. SP Operations SK Sinh (Bathinda), Sukhdev Chahal (Bathinda), Hawaldar Ramdayal, Sukhjiwan and Darshan Sipahi were found guilty of murder, abduction and forgery of evidence.
After collecting evidence from the State of West Bengal, the Supreme Court issued orders to summon the accused immediately so that they could not forge evidence any further. The evidence collected by the Court suggested that the Police officers involved in this case were wearing Police uniforms, were armed with Sten assault rifles, held walkie talkies, and spoke the Punjabi language. After killing the couple, they took the bodies in two blue Maruti cars. No report of the incident was filed with the local Police.
Retaliation and Torture
This past week, Bibi Parveen Kaur was presented to a local court after being arrested and a remand was issued to the Police. Ever since being in police custody, Bibi Parveen has been brutally tortured for her one and only crime of being related to Bhai Lachman Singh.
The Police officials who hold personal rivalry against Bhai Lachman Singh are using Parveen’s arrest as revenge against her family. The Sikh organzations are demanding a higher level inquiry into this case by national and international human rights organizations as well as by an independent CBI counsel directly under the supervision of the honorable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India.
Statement by Bibi Sohanjeet Kaur
Bibi Sohanjeet Kaur alleged that the arrest of Parveen Kaur is no different from hundreds of arrests that were made of innocent Sikhs during the 80’s and 90’s. Bibi Sohanjeet Kaur, who was widowed during the years of State organized oppression, is a key witness to many such arrests. She now runs the Mata Gujri Charitable Trust which provides housing to wards of Shaheeds and Bibi Parveen Kaur is one of them.
Bibi Sohanjeet Kaur held that she was arrested by the Haryana Police without any warrant. According to her statements to the press, the policemen first took away Bibi Parveen Kaur for some investigations at the Patiala Sadar Police Station. Later it was found that the police presented her in the court and received her remand.
Support by Human Rights Activists
Surprisingly not only the Sikh organizations have come up to support Bibi Parveen Kaur, she has won support of many non-Sikh organizations as well. The CPI ML Liberation also lashed out on the Haryana and the Punjab Police for arresting Bibi Parveen Kaur under false allegations. Rajvinder Singh Rana held that the arguments presented by the police were baseless and that it was clear that the police was preplanned her arrest. On behalf of his organization, he demanded the release of the Bibi and held that the Government should punish the police officials who arrested her without first registering the case.
SGPC President Alleges His Support
The SGPC President Avtar Makkar has also alleged his support for Bibi Parveen Kaur. At a meeting held at Fatehgarh Sahib, Avtar Makkar and several other SGPC members announced to provide support to the Bibi. He has however not raised this concern with the State Government, for which he remains most loyal to.
The type of support Bibi Parveen Kaur needs cannot be provided merely by using fancy words, if Avtar Makkar really wishes her well, he should use the resources of the SGPC and his self influence to provide her with good lawyers and proper media coverage. However, it will be interesting to note if Avtar Makkar does decide to take any part in the current issue as the counterpart of Makkar’s title-holder – Parkash Badal, Rajinder Bhandri has already released statements critical to the release of Bibi Parveen Kaur.
Monday, 24 March 2008
Truth About Dasam Granth Sahib
It’s the Bani of Sri Dasam Granth Sahib which gives the Khalsa Panth it’s zeal to fight for Dharam Yudh.
Guru Gobind Singh Ji collected together the works of the Dasam Granth in Anandpur Sahib.
On the 5th December 1705 AD – Guru Ji left Anandpur Sahib the Dasam Granth was lost to the
Bhai Mani Singh – Head Granthi Sri Darbar Sahib – made great endeavours to collect together the Banis of Sri Dasam Granth.
Bhai Mani Singh prepared the Dasam Bir – historic birs from this period still survive – in Moti Bagh and Sangrur
Picture of Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Ji, he was cut limb by limb, but refused to alter his faith. There was no sign of pain shown, instead he kept reciting Gurbani. (Some Shallow Sikhs of today think they know better then him, even dough they cry with a little paper cut)Importance of Sri Dasam Granth Sahib
• There is NO ‘Ardas’ without Sri Dasam Granth Sahib
• There is NO ‘Nitnem’ without Sri Dasam Granth Sahib
• There is NO ‘Khande Da Amrit’ without Sri Dasam Granth.
• Conclusion – There is NO ‘Khalsa Panth’ without Sri Dasam Granth.
Bhai Desa Singh, known as "Rahitnamiya" (writer of a famous Rahitnama, or ethical code, of Sikhs), son of Bhai Mani Singh Shaheed, has written in his Rahitnama, in a vision of Guru Gobind Singh Jee said from his mouth:
"Oh Sikh, listen to what I say:
In the beginning I wrote Jaap,
Then I uttered Akal Ustat–
This is like the recital of Vedas.
Then I wrote Bachittar Natak–
In that the story of the Sodhi lineage is told.
Then two Chandi Charitras were compiled
And poets appreciated the poetry in them.
Then I recited Giyan Prabodh ["Source of Knowledge"]
I described that, and all the wise people understood.
Then came the stories of the 24 Incarnations,
Then the Masters of Datta Taraye [a saint who had 24 masters] were told,
Then Bachittar Bakhiyan ["wonderful descriptions"] were made;
Those were also called one scripture.
If a fool reads them, he becomes wise.
Then in Shabad Hazare the stories of all kings were told.
Then 404 Stories were made;
They described the guiles of women [and men]."
The banis included in Dasam Granth are as follows:
1. Jaap
2. Akal Ustat
3. Bachittar Natak
4. Chandi Charitra
5. Chandi Charitra II
6. War Bhagauti Ji Ki
7. Giyan Prabodh
8. Chaubis Avtar [incarnations of Lord Vishnu]
9. Up Avtar [Brahma and Rudr]
10. Shabd Hazare
11. Swaiye
12. Khalsa Mehma
13. Shashtar
14. Charitropakhiyan
15. Zafarnama, Hikayat
Rehatnama Bhai Desa Singh,
“ਦੁਹੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਮੈਂ ਬਾਣੀ ਜੋਈ॥ ਚੁੰਨ ਚੁੰਨ ਕੰਠਕਰੇ ਨਿਤ ਸੋਈ॥
Recite and learn off by heart Banis from both Granths [Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Sri Dasam Granth Sahib].”
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Tricked into Prostitution and rape
After the sordid tale of exploitation of Indian workers in “She was raped repeatedly by a gang of Indian travel agents, who wanted her to become a part of the flesh trade for the rest of her life”, Singh said. The family of 25-year-old Sarabjeet Kaur of a
Sarabjeet’s father Gurdev Singh said she was promised a clerical job in
“We are poor people and had to mortgage our house and land to a private moneylender. We did it in the hope of a well-paying job for our daughter, who had studied till Class 10,” Singh told Hindustan Times.
The family said their daughter was alive only because of the intervention of former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, and the alertness of the Indian mission in
Singh said the family agreed to send his daughter to
“However, instead of a job, Sarabjeet was forced into prostitution. On her refusal, she was made to work as a maid in somebody’s house, and all her documents taken away”, the depressed father said.
After two years, Sarabjeet was asked to move to
Sarabjeet was lucky in informing her family that she was in
Ramoowalia wrote to the Indian ambassador in
Demanding strong action against the agents who had sent Sarabjeet to
“Earlier, it was thought that the girls were being sent abroad only for marriage, but the latest reports were alarming. In this particular case, the amount spent by the victim’s family should be returned to her, who has lost everything”, the former minister said.
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