Police have arrested two people suspected of being involved with a bombing a Gurdwara in Essen (Germany) on the evening of April 16.

The arrests come after a €5000 reward was offered to anyone that could help find two men seen on CCTV vacating the area moments after the attack. No charges have yet been levelled at the men, with investigations still ongoing.

The German Sikh community have applauded the swift work of German authorities. The condition of a 60-year-old Sikh granthi (priest) who was seriously injured as a result of the explosion has improved and he is now out of danger.

SEE CC TV FOOTAGE OF THE SUSPECTS HERE – https://www.facebook.com/nrwaktuelltv/videos/1156074464414535/

Witnesses reported seeing a man in dark clothing with his face covered throwing a bomb outside the Gurdwara Nishan Sahib (Sikh flag). The bomb went off as Vaisakhi celebrations were taking place and kids classes were going on inside the Gurdwara. Vaisakhi is a time of year when Sikhs hold very visual and open celebrations.

A rucksack one of the suspects was seen carrying.

Latest statement from Mayor of Essen and Police Commissioner

In a press conference this morning (17.04.16) the following statements were made.

Mayor of Essen Thomas Kufen:

“Our free society guarantees freedom of religion. Any form of violence is totally unacceptable. Through my visit today and talks with the representatives of the Sikh community I have expressed the solidarity of the city. “

Police Commissioner Frank Richter:

“We have set up a commission of inquiry. The protective measures will be extended. We have found no evidence of a terrorist background in relation to this attack. We are determined to look in all directions for a possible motive. We will work closely with the Indian authorities.”

Other information released includes;

• Confirmation the Nanaksar Gurdwara of Essen and the home of the Mayor will remain under police protection for the time being.
• The Indian Consulate of Germany have been in touch with both the police and the Sikh community of Essen to offer sympathies and help investigations.

There have also been calls from India – including from Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Badal – for India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj to get involved in the case.

The aftermath of the bomb.

Local media subsequently said that three people had been arrested and were being questioned in connection with the incident but have since been released without charge.

Far-right groups have marched through Essen in the last year.

Hear the sound of the bomb going off as kirtan (devotional hymns) was being played:

The Granthi (a male priest) was the biggest casualty and was taken away by the emergency services. There is no further update on his health yet.

A spokesman for Essen police told the Associated Press that a masked person was reported to have fled the scene shortly after the blast at 7pm. Mr Lindemann said the police were working on the assumption that the explosion was caused deliberately but that there are no indications it was a terrorist incident. Spokesman Lars Lindemann said the explosion was “quite violent”. The bomb was so powerful that windows of flats around the Gurdwara were destroyed upon it going off.

Sikh Council UK stated via social media “Sikh Council UK are requesting a full investigation of this incident as a hate crime in a climate of terrorist attacks, and we will be writing to German Ambassador in UK and others expressing Sikh community concerns.”

The Sikh Coalition, an American organisation experienced in dealing with hate attacks against Sikhs, stated on their Facebook page “Thoughts and prayers are with the injured, their families and the Sangat (congregation). The motive is still unknown, but we are following this very disturbing story closely.”

Local residents have come to the Gurdwara to show their support and are standing with the Sikhs. Ravi Singh, noted humanitarian and head of charity Khalsa Aid stated on Twitter, “Bomb attack in a Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, in Germany !! We harm NOBODY yet we continue to be targeted for hate!! #Prayers“.

This week Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that he would be making an apology on behalf of the nation to all those affected by the Komagata Maru incident.

With this in mind, many Sikhs have questioned whether it is about time the UK government apologised for the infamous Jallianwalla Bagh incident, also known as the Amritsar massacre. See how Sikhs feel by viewing our online poll here.

Here we share statements from prominent Sikh activists, organisations and educators in regards to Justin Trudeau’s proposed apology and whether there should be a similar statement made by David Cameron, especially considering he is due to meet Sikhs for a Vaisakhi meeting on April 13th.

Statements from UK Sikh Groups

Jagraj Singh, educator for Basics of Sikhi:

“It is a highly commendable gesture of Justin Trudeau to offer an apology for the Komagata Maru incident. Many are still hurt at the treatment of all those that were on the Komagata Maru. With Sikhs playing such a prominent role in Canadian society, it only makes sense to put that whole incident to rest with an apology from the government.

“British history doesn’t always recognise the fact that The Raj wasn’t as harmonious as is often made out. Following the lead of Justin Trudeau by apologising for what occurred at Jallianwalla Bagh in 1919 would be a wise move for David Cameron, if he wishes to show he values Britain’s Sikh community.”

Shamsher Singh, National Sikh Youth Federation:

“The apology of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau for the Komagata Maru incident is both welcome and timely as Sikhs all over the world celebrate Vaisakhi. This apology, which has taken 102 years, is a small step in the right direction. The brutality and trauma European settlers inflicted upon the world, through genocides, both physical and cultural and oppressive colonial policies impacts our reality till this day.

The diaspora and Sikhs in Punjab are starkly reminded of this reality in the legacy of the crimes of British imperialism, for which Britain is not only unapologetic, it barely even acknowledges. We will never forget the partition of our homeland which displaced a whole nation and the horrific episodes of violence unleashed by the colonisers to maintain their control and further their exploitation. We remember Guru Ka Bagh, Jaito, Nankana Sahib and Jalianwala Bagh to name but a few incidences that scar our collective memory. No apology will ever right the wrongs of colonialism nor restore to life the countless massacred. We hope that Britain and the descendants of European settlers give us more than words of apology, we hope they join us in rebuilding and reclaiming what they destroyed.

As Sikhs all over the world look to Vaisakhi as a celebration of Sikh sovereignty, we’re inspired by those sovereign ideals to once again liberate the Khalsa Panth.”

Sarbjit Singh, Rajoana TV:

“The decision made by Justin Trudeau’s government to apologise is welcomed and it paves the way for other governments to follow suit. However, an apology for a historic tragedy does little for those who were affected by it. I believe Governments should take ownership of tragedies and genocides that have happened more recently so those affected by them can have some redress.”

1991 Pilibhit fake encounter: 25 years on, 47 cops held guilty of killing 10 Sikh men

A total of 57 policemen were chargesheeted in the case of which 10 died in the course of the trial. On Friday, 20 policemen appeared before the court, which sent them to judicial custody.

A special CBI court Friday held 47 policemen guilty of killing 10 Sikh men in three fake encounters in a single night in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh nearly 25 years ago — in July 1991. The CBI had investigated the case on the directions of Supreme Court.

A total of 57 policemen were chargesheeted in the case of which 10 died in the course of the trial. On Friday, 20 policemen appeared before the court, which sent them to judicial custody. The court also issued non-bailable warrants against the remaining 27 accused. The court will pronounce sentence on April 4.

“Special Judge Lallu Singh held 47 policemen guilty of the fake encounters. Sixty-seven prosecution witnesses were examined before the court during the trial,” CBI counsel Satish Jaiswal told The Indian Express.

According to the prosecution, the case dates back to 1991 when the state’s Terai region witnessed a surge in militancy-related incidents. A local Hindi daily had published a report stating that some people involved in criminal activities were on a pilgrimage with their family members. Acting on the news, police “collected details” and found that “a group of men” along with some women were on pilgrimage. They were travelling in a bus, which had obtained temporary permit from the regional transport office in Bareilly.

According to CBI, the bus was on its way to Pilibhit on July 12, when a police team stopped it at Kachlapul ghat. Eleven Sikh men were allegedly dragged out of the vehicle. The other passengers, including women and children, were taken to a gurdwara in Pilibhit while the men were made to sit in another vehicle. Late in the evening, additional force joined the police team and they divided the Sikh men in three groups.

On the intervening night of July 12 and 13, the policemen gunned down the Sikh men in three encounters in the thickets falling under three different police station areas — Bilsanda, Niuria and Pooranpur— in Pilibhit.

The police then claimed that these men had criminal cases against them and claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition from their possession. The CBI probe found that the police got the autopsy done on 10 of the bodies and got them cremated the same day. One body could not be found.

VIA – http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/1991-pilibhit-fake-encounter-25-years-on-47-cops-held-guilty-of-killing-10-sikh-men/

Three Sikh-American soldiers filed a new lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense Tuesday morning, according to The Sikh Coalition. Specialist Kanwar Singh, Specialist Harpal Singh, and Private Arjan Singh Ghotra are seeking to serve in the U.S. military while also practicing their Sikh faith and keeping their Sikh articles of faith — turban, unshorn hair, and beard — intact.

“Three Sikhs filed suit against the Army to ensure that their requests for religious accommodation are resolved by their basic training ship dates in May,” Harsimran Kaur, The Sikh Coalition‘s legal director, told NBC News. “The lead plaintiff has been waiting over seven months. The Army has been failing to make decisions on whether these patriotic Sikhs will be able serve their country while abiding by the tenets of their faith. In doing so, the Army is violating their constitutional and statutory rights.”

Despite making requests for religious accommodation months ago, Singh, Singh, and Ghotra said they are seeking an answer now so that they can begin basic combat training with their units in May. They are represented by The Sikh Coalition, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and McDermott Will & Emery. The three organizations also represented decorated Sikh-American soldier Captain Simratpal Singh, who won a temporary restraining order March 4 against additional non-standard, discriminatory testing. A final decision on Captain Singh’s case is expected March 31.

“We believe that the court will find that the Army is continuing to discriminate against observant Sikhs, and will enjoin the Army to allow the Sikh plaintiffs to serve with articles of faith intact,” Kaur said.

Before 1974, Sikh Americans were allowed to serve in the U.S. military with their articles of faith intact. But since 1981, stricter grooming regulations have required requests for religious accommodation on a case-by-case basis, and only three have been granted. In contrast, about 50,000 U.S. soldiers have permanent beard exemptions for medical reasons.

In December 2015 remarks at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter expressed to Specialist Kanwar Singh his support for allowing observant Sikhs to serve in the U.S. military, referencing Canada’s new minister of defense and the United States military’s need for the best possible volunteers.

In addition, 27 retired U.S. generals, 15 U.S. senators, 105 U.S. representatives, and 21 national interfaith and civil rights organizations have expressed their support of Sikh Americans’ right to serve in the U.S. military with their articles of faith intact, according to The Sikh Coalition.

“These men are exactly what the Army says it wants: soldiers of integrity, patriotism, and courage,” Eric Baxter, senior counsel at the Becket Fund, said in a statement. “It’s embarrassing that the Army is still quibbling over their beards when militaries in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India all accommodate Sikhs without a problem. Hasn’t the Army ever heard of Ulysses S. Grant?”

Via – http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/three-sikh-american-soldiers-file-new-lawsuit-against-u-s-n547331