Pressure from Sikh orgs on Indian authorities to investigate concerns about forced Christian conversions in Punjab have resulted in the arrest of two men.

Reports of Punjab’s impoverished Sikh community being forced and/or financially coerced into converting to Christianity have caused tensions to rise between the communities. Earlier this month the Akal Takht (supreme Sikh body of authority) Jathedar (head) Harpreet Singh calls for authorities to look into the issue, following Sikh acts of disruption to Christian conversion events which went viral across the globe.

Read more on that from Sikh PA here.

Media reports (released on 13.09.22) from India have named Balkar Masih and Jagtar Singh as those arrested for forcing one Onkar Singh to convert into following Christianity. Police stated that the duo made repeated visits to the home of Onkar Singh in Ludhiana, pressuring him into converting. Police have cited this officially as “forced conversion”. In such instances promises made in regards to paying off debts, finding miracle cures for illnesses and emotional pressure are usually part of what makes individuals convert.

Onkar Singh’s forced conversion issue was looked into after local Sikh orgs, including representatives of respected Sikh seminary Dam-Dami Taksal, pressed the issue with local police.

Some Punjab based Christian groups have condemned the actions of the Christian groups involved in the forced conversions with Apostolic administrator of the Jalandhar Diocese, Bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias calling the actions of some Christian groups “suspicious” and admitting there was “aggressive proselytization” in Punjab in a recent media interview.

The Jathedar (Head) of the Akal Takht, the supreme Sikh body of authority, has called for the Indian government to “control” the Christian groups “forcibly converting Sikhs” in Punjab, whilst also motioning Sikh action on the issue.

The statement by Giani (meaning “Knowledgeable One”, referring to a Sikh faith leader) Harpreet Singh was released this week after an incident which saw Nihang (followers of a specific Sikh martial order) Singhs (Sikh men) disrupt a Christian conversion event in the village of Daduana, Amritsar (Punjab), an action taken based on reports the missionary groups were bribing and tricking poorer Sikhs into converting.

Indian media have reported that over 150 Nihang Singhs have been booked for investigations into their alleged crimes after complaints from a Christian pastor. Giani Harpreet Singh said about this, “The case which has been registered against Sikhs should be cancelled immediately as Sri Akal Takht Sahib (the supreme Sikh authority body) and Sikhs of the entire world are standing firm with them.” The Jathedar went on to say on 5th September a resolution will be motioned by the Akal Takht on measures to be taken to counter the “pakhandwaad” (trickery/fakery/hypocrisy) of the Christian missionary groups.

Various Christian missionary groups have been targeting Punjabi Sikhs affiliated with a “low caste” (according to cultural labels in India) background. The Sikh faith mandates no value, status or discrimination is made based on caste. However, cultural practices continue to see those associated with certain backgrounds – usually the Dalit (untouchable) caste – suffer with poverty and discrimination. This has made members of the group vulnerable to being targeted for conversion, with various reports of monetary incentives offered by Christian missionaries for people to convert, including promises to pay off debts, handle healthcare issues (sometimes through promises of miracles) and even arrange emigration for youngsters to the West, but only if families accept Christianity and renounce Sikhi. There have also been reports that families are being called to attend community support gatherings that are then revealed to be Christian conversion events where financial incentives are given to attendees to convert. Even upon converting, some families have complained they receive no financial aid and were simply used to publicise conversion to Christianity on social media. Speaking to Indian media, Nihang leader Baba Major Singh stated that Sikh groups had complained to authorities about these actions of Christian groups but no action was taken, leading to their decision to deal with the situation themselves. Giani Harpreet Singh stated that government inaction against Christian missionary groups was due to their “vote-bank” influence.

Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh also highlighted the role of “foreign funding” in the Christian missionary efforts and called for it to be investigated, whilst ending his statement by saying should the cases against the Nihang Singhs not be cancelled, “a big action programme” would be taken by Sikhs, which would be the “responsibility of government”. Speaking to Indian media, the Jathedar also said the Sikh community needs to “seriously think about demanding an anti-conversion law” in Punjab.

Whilst the issue of Christian conversions has been raised for over a decade in some Sikh circles, in the last few years it has become a more pressing issue as cases of forced conversion seem to be rising.

Christian groups and supporters of the conversions have claimed that “high caste” discrimination from Sikhs is the main factor as to why other Sikhs are converting. Whilst issues related to this topic exist, the reports of financial coercion of poorer Sikhs to convert remains the main point of contention for those standing against the conversions. The issue of foreign funded missionaries targeting poorer communities of India has caused clashes between various groups and Christians across the country. Some speaking against the actions of the Nihang Singhs at the Christian conversion event have suggested they are based on caste discrimination. This argument completely ignores the fact that many of the Nihang Sikhs are of the same caste background which the Christians target for conversion, although as Khalsa (initiated Sikhs) they of course do not propagate this caste association.

On the night this statement was released, a church in Patti (Taran Taran, Punjab) was targeted for vandalism, with statues of Mary and Jesus destroyed and a car set on fire, furthering tensions between Christian groups and other communities in Punjab. In response, some churches decided to remain shut for days in protest until charges were made against the perpetrators. The incident is being investigated by police.

Speaking on the topic, Sikh PA Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said, “The grassroots incidents that take place regarding coerced Christian conversions in Punjab should not distract from the bigger issues which remain apparent in the state, which this issue only further highlights.

“What is behind the highly funded agenda to convert Punjabis to Christianity? The Sikh faith is naturally tied into activism which has been problematic for the Indian government and foreign powers. Christian conversion not only changes the demographics of Punjab, it could also long-term change the spirit of Punjab, which is ingrained with Sikh resistance, evident during the #FarmersProtest.

“Why are large coordinated actions of Christian groups that are guaranteed to be allowed The inaction of authorities in dealing with this issue also reflects an age-old complaint of Sikhs, where police are deemed as ignoring many Sikh faith based complaints until we are forced to take our own action, and then suddenly Sikhs are criticised for doing so.

“All of this causes instability and tensions to rise within the Sikh homeland of Punjab. This fuels the Indian nationalist narrative about Punjab being dangerous and violent, which is used to justify things like the state perpetrated #SikhGenocide, which was mostly carried out through police ‘fake encounter’ massacres.

“The Sikh diaspora has a lot of reason to be suspicious of what is going on regarding Christian conversions in Punjab.”

The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) have confirmed an incident of a West Midlands Police officer removing and then stamping on the patka (religious head covering) of a Sikh man took place, after originally claiming it was false.

Following the incident in October last year, which saw a Sikh man detained for an alleged traffic violation, panthic (Sikh community/path based) organisations circulated information about the hate crime whilst calling for a mass protest against WMP. As reported by the likes of the BBC, at the time the IOPC claimed the allegations were false, but last week (24.08.22) confirmed CCTV footage proves the incident did take place as described by the panthic orgs.

At the time, WMP stated the removal of the head covering carried out in a Perry Barr (Birmingham) police suite was done to search for weapons, whilst denying the stamp altogether. However, the Sikh man did not have any items of clothing removed for a weapons search and the suggestion he could be hiding weapons in the thin cloth material tightly wrapped to his head for a patka was deemed ridiculous. There were also calls for the police to immediately share CCTV and body camera footage to back their claims that the allegations of an anti-Sikh hate crime were false.

A month after the incident and after protests, as reported by Sikh PA at the time the officer in question was given a “gross misconduct notice”. Six other officers with him were also each given a “misconduct notice” as investigations continued. At the time  IOPC Regional Director, Derrick Campbell said the misconduct notice given to seven WMP officers “does not necessarily mean that misconduct proceedings will follow. It is only once our investigation is complete that we will make decisions about whether or not the officers have a case to answer and should face disciplinary proceedings.”

Nearly a year later with no details as to why the investigations took so long, the IOPC have stated the officer that snatched the patka off – Kashif Shafiq, believed to be of Muslim background – will face an official gross misconduct hearing. The other six involved will not face hearings although four of them “would benefit from taking part in reflective practice” according to media reports. The IOPC also admitted the incident caused community tensions but did not acknowledge any fault on their part for originally claiming Sikh groups were lying about what took place.

A misconduct panel will now be put together by West Midlands Police. Although no date has been confirmed for the hearing, Sikh groups across the UK are anxiously awaiting a suitable outcome for the act of anti-Sikh hate.

With this update, many are wondering why the Metropolitan Police are yet to give any update on complaints about one of their officers punching a Sikh man in the face in an unprovoked attack during the 2020 #FarmersProtest #KisaanRally in London, which legal group Kaurs Legal have pushed for.

Sikh PA will provide updates on these stories as soon as possible.

Dozens of Pakistani Sikhs took part in a protest in outside a police station in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after allegations of the “forced conversion” and marriage of a Sikh woman to a Muslim man.

Gurcharan Singh claimed his 25-year-old daughter, named as Meena/Deena/Dina (depending on sources) Kaur Kumari, was coerced into meeting with a Muslim man and subsequently taken at gun-point and kept away from her family. The woman was then later announced as married to her unnamed abductor.

Police inaction on the issue resulted in a Sikh community gathering to protest outside a station in Peer Baba on Buner Road. Traffic was blocked outside the station. The protest was criticised for blocking an ambulance, whose passenger then died. The family of the deceased demanded police action against the protesters.

A video was later released by a veiled woman claiming to be Meena, a school teacher, in which she said she voluntarily converted and married her Muslim husband, and she did not wish to return to or visit her family in Darul Aman. Sikhs in Pakistan, as well as in Kashmir and Afghanistan, have regularly complained about the targeting of Sikh females for conversion.

Speaking on the issue, Sikh PA Senior Press Officer said, “This latest case is a classic example of how blurred and obscure the truth can be. The first point of contention is the fact Sikhs in Pakistan often feel they cannot rely on the police for any kind of help when it comes to cases of forced conversion, which is what triggered the protest.

“Beyond that, there is also no way to decipher the truth of the safety of the woman involved in the case in the current situation. Is she being forced to say she willingly converted and married? If she did convert and marry willingly, why cannot a meeting between the families be facilitated by authorities so they can see her confirm this in person? Sikh families in these situations often complain about being threatened by local Muslims, which is what happened in this case. How are Pakistani authorities ensuring their safety?

“Finally, when we take into account the context of various witnesses attesting to Sikh women being kidnapped at gun-point, especially in the Khyber province, as well as underage Sikh girls being groomed by Muslim men, the reaction by Pakistan’s Sikh community is understandable.”

Various political figures in India have spoken out about the case, with some suggesting that the police in such regions work to cover-up forced conversions, instead of working to prevent them. The Akal Takht (supreme Sikh authority) Jathedar (Head) Giani Harpreet Singh condemned the incident and referenced previous complaints about similar issues taking place.

The Canada branch of Sikh legal advocacy and aid organization United Sikhs have released a statement repeating calls for a “full investigation” into last month’s anti-Sikh bomb hoax in Ottawa.

The incident saw police arrest, search and interrogate two organizers of a Sikh gathering, based on a random “tip-off” which claimed they planned to bomb their own event. Canadian Sikhs are still searching for answers regarding the incident, which was clearly done to disrupt a gathering to mark the 1984 Sikh Genocide.

Read more on the incident, including an 18month timeline of anti-Sikh incidents in Canada here.

United Sikhs released a statement which was sent to various elected officials of Canada on 4th July. See the statement below.

Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh spoke to MPs Peter Julian (NDP, New Westminster) and Parm Bains (Liberal, Steveston-Richmond East) at the 26th June New Westminster Nagar Kirtan (religious procession) about the incident. See what they had to say below:

Peter Julian-

“Jagmeet Singh and the NDP caucus addressed the incident in Ottawa and I stand with their statements. This incident is part of a broader pattern that we are seeing that targets Sikhs, Muslims, the Jewish community and others. We are seeing more racism, more misogyny and more homophobia. All Canadians need to speak out in this rise of targeting of minorities to push back against this hate. I found what happened in Ottawa disturbing and the NDP has taken on a number of motions to push back against this. I think the Sikh community is right to be concerned. We have to fight against this together and it is something the entire NDP caucus is dedicated to doing.”

Parm Bains-

“The Sikh community has contributed to every facet of Canadian society to make it what it is today, and just when we think we are in a good place things like this happen to remind us we still have work to do. The Liberal Party immediately took the issue to the Securities Minister who is trying to implement change and support Sikhs against these kinds of attacks. At a more grassroots level, the key to changing this is education. Gurdwaras and other Sikh groups are doing great work already to educate people on Sikh issues, but if we can help that as a society we must, because education is the key to tackling this hate.”