Browsing Tag: Riots

“He was one of those rare people who dared to protect Sikhs by taking them into their refuge when they were being hounded by the goons with the help of the police,” Phoolka told the Straight over the phone from New Delhi.

Facts, fiction and pure chemistry merge in Canadian research scientist-turned-writer Jaspreet Singh's novel, 'Helium', based on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. India, Singh tells Malini Nair, hasn't mourned enough for those who died in the conflagration and not learnt anything from it either.

Traditionally what we seem to have been doing is that in difficult and trying times we never avoided or shirked away from facing the oppression that the evil were thrusting upon us. We took it on the chin and bore the atrocities with calm fortitude.

What then is the way forward? The justice route is deeply tainted....

There have been some suggestions for the victims of the 84 pogrom and the Sikh community to forgive and forget the event and move on. In our analysis that follows we will be looking at the suggestion to forgive and forget closely for their practicability.

To mark the occasion, victims' families and other Sikh groups march today from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament. These Sikh groups also plan to hand over a memorandum to the Prime Minister...

....most of it pertains to or arises out of the impulse to record it for history or otherwise to understand and evaluate how much the state machinery was implicit in planning and execution of the Pogrom and continued to be actively engaged in impeding the delivery of justice through commissions of enquiry, use of all manner of witness intimidation, delays and other dilatory devices.

The presence of Army had been able to restore a semblance of order, most of these deaths took place during the daylight hours on two days - 1st and 2nd November. This would average more than a killing a minute...

The discussion in the papers that follow is intended for us to look at the various imperatives, initiatives and options that often come to our minds when we think of this event and try finding a comprehensive way forward that may be in harmony with the Sikh aspirations and Sikh ethos of societal peace and harmony.

Close to 450 people were convicted by various courts in the capital in connection with the anti-Sikh riots following Indira Gandhi's assassination 28 years ago, police said. A total of 442 people were convicted by various courts while one case is pending trial, a senior police official said.

The killing of people in the Delhi Cantonment area during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was the result of a well executed conspiracy, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Monday as the agency finished its arguments in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the Delhi Cantonment area case.

After being barred by Akal Takht from participating in a religious function, Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan has written a letter to the highest Sikh body, mentioning that he had not said anything against the community during the 1984 riots.

"I wonder why no one in India lodged case against Amitabh Bachchan for provoking killing of Sikhs," said Jagdish Kaur, prime witness in 1984 anti- Sikh riots while talking to TOI on Thursday.

The upside to all this is that, as Lao-Tzu so pithily put it, the darkest moment is just before the dawn. Britain woke up to an army of residents with brooms and floor cloths to clean up the streets rekindling memories of that wartime spirit which meant we were never conquered. The dawn of a new age is coming where giving will be the new greed.

Broadway in Southall, with its glittering shops reflecting the prosperity of the local Punjabi community built up over the past 50 years, must have presented a very tempting target to would-be looters last week. But it was extremely lucky for the looters, who....

For 312 years, Singh has been the surname almost universally adopted by baptised male Sikhs. It means “lion” and judging by last night’s events it’s no exaggeration.

Armed with just a camera and microphone Sangat TV reporter Upinder Randhawa has become a well-known face during coverage of the riots and disorder in Birmingham this week...."It's very emotional and ridiculous what I'm seeing."

He concluded that there were two possible outcomes – that they would protest, and the media would label them "extremists", or that they would act "nobly" and be seen as a community united. He added: "You decide. I will stand with you all the way."

It has hunted down rioters in Birmingham, confronted police during running battles, and broadcast live footage of arrests on Sky TV. But it is this bizarre form of guerilla journalism that has proved the most captivating coverage of the riots that have swept England.

Londoners are angry at rioters and at authorities' response. Some analysts say the unrest springs from Britain's social disparity. Violence eases in the capital but flares in other cities.

A combination of text messages, phone calls, social media postings and good old word-on-the-street canvassing, drew together crowds of Sikhs in their hundreds to protect the Gurdwaras, businesses and locals against the very real threat of mob opportunism from surrounding areas.

The group formed a solid presence in Ilford and Seven Kings High Road where they patrolled into the early hours of the morning, determined to protect the Gurdwara Karamsar and the Singh Sabha London East from opportunistic violence.

Tonight, hundreds of Sikhs are gathering to defend the Gurdware in these cities should they fall under the eye of the looters. It is bringing together Sikhs of all backgrounds and affiliations; promising a glimmer of hope from an otherwise horrible situation.

Sporadic violence has broken out in several cities around England, although London remained largely quiet with a heavy police presence on the streets.

Over the weekend of June 3-5, Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) staff presented eight events in Ontario and Virginia to commemorate significance of the attacks of 1984 to Sikhs, and to bring Sikh communities together in celebration of their linguistic and cultural heritage, and their future.

For more than 26 years, the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots have been fighting a long and lonely battle for justice. Justice is not only being delayed but virtually denied by powerful Congress leaders - ironically even by those whose job is to protect the interests of the minorities.

"No other world leader is more capable to understand the plight of Sikhs in India than President Obama who himself comes from a minority community which has suffered a lot of discrimination and injustice in America," said Pannun,

The US court issued a certificate of default against Indian Minister Kamal Nath because, despite publicly acknowledging to have received the court summons on April 6, he ignored the summons and decided not to contest the allegation of leading the mobs that killed Sikhs in '84 riots

The Delhi High Court on Friday acquitted three accused in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case at Shastri Nagar in North Delhi, saying there were discrepancies galore in the evidence of prosecution witnesses.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the programme, the response to it shows the level of concern still in the community to the tragic and horrific events of 1984.