The Sikh Federation UK are asking Brits to email their local MPs in an effort to pressure the Indian High Commission and Foreign Secretary to speak out against the arrest of three Sikh men in India.

The men were sentenced to life-terms in prison in India, based on ‘facebook posts and reading books’ according to UK based international humanitarian aid charity Sikh Relief. Arwinder Singh (29), Surjit Singh (27), both of Punjab, and Ranjit Singh (29) of Haryana, were convicted on January 31st and sentenced on February 5th. Indian media allege the sentencing is based on first-of-its-kind cases, where the accused have been sentenced on recovery of incriminating literature and NOT any ammunitions for an act of violence.

Read more on this here.

The Sikh Federation UK have created a template for UK residents to email their MP about the situation, addressing the ‘serious breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ and asking them to write to the Indian High Commission and the Foreign Secretary.

In an update on the case, Arvinder Singh, one of those convicted, was ‘freed from further interrogation’ after a judge looked over his case. An update from court via Sikh Relief also stated the presiding judge said ‘the Balachaur Police have failed to convince me that Arvinder Singh can reasonably be connected to the crimes he is accused of and neither have they convinced that they have made any genuine attempt to investigate the matter during the week of remand they seek an extension of, and therefore I refuse any further remand and suggest the police begin a genuine investigation before returning to court on 2nd March.‘

Meanwhile in Punjab protests against the sentencing of the three men have continued, with Sikhs declaring that holding literature about Sikh activist movements and history, along with pictures of Shaheeds (revered Sikh martyrs) does not make one a criminal.

Pictures via Sikh Relief

During House of Lords proceedings on Wednesday, Baroness Verma described the Kirpan as ‘a symbol, and nothing more than a symbol’. This comment came during House of Lords Grand Committee proceedings considering amendments to the Offensive Weapons Bill, which Sikhs are working to ensure gives additional legal protection to the Kirpan. Here, we share a response from Sukhdeep Singh, an educator at world-renowned Sikh educational project Basics of Sikhi.

Statement from Sukhdeep Singh, Basics of Sikhi regarding Baroness Verma’s Kirpan comments:

‘Baroness Verma’s description of the Kirpan as ‘nothing more than a symbol’ is grossly inaccurate and offensive to Sikhs. The Kirpan is a limb to the Amritdhari (initiated) Sikh carrying it. As a shaster (weapon) it is both practical and sacred.

Sikh religious, political, and philosophical thought (Gurmat – Guru’s wisdom) is, to a Sikh, infinite. It is frustrating to see it constantly being reduced to statements such as ‘nothing more than a symbol’, and disappointing to see remarks like this made frequently by uninformed people who are absent from grassroots community work. Nobody with even a shallow knowledge of Sikh history could call the Kirpan a mere symbol.

It’s even more disappointing to see the Kirpan being referred to like this in one part of Parliament when in another part of Parliament Amritdhari (initiated, Kirpan-carrying) Gursikhs were speaking of their love and reverence for their Kirpans last night. During the Basics of Sikhi Kirpan Leaflet launch, a non-Sikh in attendance commented how she felt safe surrounded by Amritdhari Sikhs, which the sangat responded to with a jakara (war cry).

There are many professional Sikh educators in the UK who have spent years studying Sikh scripture, philosophy, and history. We implore those in positions of power to consult those educated on these matters before speaking on them. We invite Baroness Verma to come meet us and understand how the Kirpan is much more than a mere symbol for Sikhs.  

We commend the great work by the Sikh Federation and others on the Offensive Weapons Bill and support all efforts to further strengthen the legal protection for the Kirpan.’

On November 27th the Nottinghamshire Live published an article titled ‘Sikhs blast plan to open crematorium opposite pub – because it offends their religious beliefs’, a headline which local Sikhs felt was unfair.

The Nottinghamshire Live newspaper have changed an article that mistakenly stated an individual’s opinion was a community position, after pressure from local Sikhs.

The original article (headline pictured below) claimed ‘Sikhs’ were against plans to build a crematorium opposite a pub because ‘having alcohol in such close proximity to a cremation will be unsettling’. This statement was made by an individual the Nottingham Post mistakenly believed was a committee member of The Sikh Temple Gurdwara Nottingham and therefore was speaking on behalf of the community.

After an intervention from actual members of the Gurdwara committee, the article was originally taken offline altogether. However, the many negative comments made towards ‘Sikhs’ in response to the article about the Sikh community’s alleged beliefs prompted local community figures to request the newspaper to publicly address the mistake online too.

The quotes attributed to ‘Sikhs’, made from an individual that had not consulted the community.

After weeks of dialogue with the Sikh Press Association on behalf of The Sikh Temple, the newspaper clarified the mistake in their original article, adding a footnote to say:

This article was originally published under the headline: “Sikhs blast plans to open crematorium opposite pub because it offends their religious beliefs”. Manjit Johal, who is quoted in the story, is a member of the local Sikh community. However, we have been asked to point out that his statement does not necessarily reflect the position of the whole local Sikh community or Sikh teachings – and Mr Johal is not a member of the Nottingham Road Sikh Temple Gurdwara committee, as was previously stated. The committee says there was no consensus opposition to the location of the crematorium.

The headline has also changed to read ‘Sikh criticises plans to open crematorium opposite pub’.

Gurjeet Singh, committee member of The Sikh Temple, said of the amendments, ‘We are glad Nottingham Post recognised the need to rectify their original misinformation. We want the people of Nottingham to understand there was never a community sentiment against the location of the crematorium.

‘We are a community with a range of opinions and no individual has a right to speak on the community’s behalf without going through proper channels of sangat (Sikh congregation) engagement. Our door is always open to speak with media. From here we at The Sikh Temple Gurdwara hope to have a more cohesive relationship with the team at Nottinghamshire Live.’

To speak to local Sikh community figures in Nottingham, email media@sikhpa.com.

The All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) of Kashmir have expressed dissatisfaction over silence from pro-freedom Kashmiri groups on the murder of Sikh Simranjeet Singh.

Simranjeet Singh, a 24 year-old brother of a sarpanch (community leader) described as a ‘Sikh youth’ by media, was shot dead outside his home last Friday. His murder sent shockwaves through the Kashmiri Sikh community as Simranjeet Singh was believed to have been targeted by Islamic militants because of his family’s political influence.

On Wednesday Jagmohan Singh Raina of the APSCC said, “A youth of the minority community was killed in Tral, but it is unfortunate that the pro-freedom had so far maintained silence over it…. Though the United Jihad Council has said the youth was killed by agencies, they must use sources to identify those involved in the killing. There is anger among the minority community here over the silence maintained by the pro-freedom camp over the killing. In case such acts continue then the agencies who are working to divide the minority community en masse will succeed,” he added.

The statement followed a mass sarpanch resignation that saw 30 Sikh community leaders resign from elected roles within Kashmiri governance in the Pulwama district.

The Kashmiri Sikh community have long spoken out about the danger they live in due to the militancy in the country, something which often goes ignored among all the other problems within the disputed territory. Most notoriously, the Chittisinghpura Massacre of 2000 saw 35 Sikhs killed by Islamic militants in the region.

NOTE – Shortly after publishing this article a statement from The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) condemned the killing (released today, 10.01.19). You can read it here – https://freepresskashmir.com/2019/01/10/joint-resistance-says-killing-of-sikh-youth-aimed-at-destroying-communal-harmony/.