An Indian-American man has been charged with a federal hate crime, and is accused of issuing interstate threats against employees of a Sikh nonprofit.
Tag: Sikh
US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti visits Golden Temple, fulfils a “childhood dream”
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti paid a visit to the iconic Golden Temple in Amritsar recently. Ambassador Garcetti said he shared a deep personal desire to visit the Golden Temple, saying, “It’s been a dream of mine to come to the Golden Temple ever since I was a little boy.” He said his parents had visited the Sikh shrine in their 20s soon after they got married, and had shared, painting vivid pictures of the temple’s beauty and significance to him as a child.
UCLA’s Fowler Museum’s Sikh art showcase features contemporary geniuses
The Fowler Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been running an exhibition titled ‘I Will Meet You Yet Again’ that showcases contemporary Sikh Art form. The exhibition was inaugurated January 28 will run until May 26, 2024, and has displayed more than 40 contemporary paintings, textiles, soundscapes, poetry, and digital media that highlight the Sikh understanding of “home.”
San Francisco swamped with “voters” taking part in Sikh “referendum” organized by outlawed Khalistani group
On January 28, the Civic Center Plaza across the City Hall in San Francisco turned into a little Punjab, where thousands of Khalistan supporting Sikhs converged with their families to vote for a “referendum” demanding a new country to be carved out of India. The vote seeks to gather Sikhs’ opinions on whether Punjab should break away from India to form an independent nation called Khalistan.
Indian American becomes first Sikh to become Town Judge of Brighton, New York
The Town of Brighton in New York got its first Indian American criminal judge. Born to Indian immigrants in the United States he took office as a Justice in the Brighton Town Court on January 1.
Gurdev Singh Gill, Canada’s first Indian-origin physician, dies at 92
Gurdev Singh Gill, who made history in 1958 as the first Indian-origin person to practise medicine in Canada, passed away at the age of 92 in New Westminster on Tuesday. Gill moved to Canada from India in 1949 at a time when there were only about 2,000 South Asians in the country, the CBC news reported, citing Canadian Encyclopedia estimates.
‘The Intercept’ says India issued secret memo to launch “crackdown” on Sikh orgs; New Delhi denies claim
The Indian government instructed its consulates in North America to launch a “sophisticated crackdown scheme” against Sikh diaspora organizations in Western countries, according to a secret memorandum issued in April 2023 by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, according to The Intercept, a nonprofit online news organization.
Those behind plot to kill Pannun should be held accountable: White House
Calling India and the US strategic partners, the White House has reiterated that it wants the plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on its soil fully investigated and those behind it be held “properly accountable”. “India is a strategic partner. We are deepening that strategic partnership. They are a member of the Quad in the Pacific and we participate with them on a range of security-related issues and we want to see that continue unabated,” John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, said on Thursday.
We oppose transnational oppression: US on Indian in alleged foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist Pannun
Amid the indictment of an Indian in an alleged foiled assassination plot in the US, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday that Washington opposes any ‘transnational oppression’ across the world while clarifying that the comment wasn’t specific to India.
Khalistani outfit SFJ reward for Indian envoy’s arrest, releases map with Delhi as part of Khalistan
At the conclusion of the second phase of “Khalistan referendum” on October 29, the radical Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) group announced $100,000 for the arrest of High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and released a new map with Delhi as part of Khalistan. The outlawed extremist group holds Verma responsible for the “assassination” of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was gunned down on June 18 this year outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in British Columbia province.
Nearly half of Indian Americans are Hindus, Pew Research Center study shows
Indian Americans are far more likely than the other large Asian origin groups to be Hindu (48%), though a fair number of Indian Americans are Christian (15%), Muslim (8%) or Sikh (8%). Besides, a growing percentage of Asian Americans are not affiliated with any religion, and the share who identify as Christian has declined, according to a new Pew Research Center survey exploring religion among Asian American adults.
Canadian police denies report claiming delay in Nijjar’s murder probe
Dismissing a media report which claimed that there was a delay in initial response to the fatal shooting of hard-line Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said its officers reached the scene within four minutes of the incident.
Dr Dilip Amin: A Uniform Civil Code could help thousands of Indian interfaith marriages
India has complex marriage and divorce laws. It is even worse for couples undergoing interfaith marriages. Youths in relationships undergo many difficulties, including fake religious conversion, to fulfil requirements of Indian marriage laws. A uniform civil code, like in the West, should be implemented in India to fulfil needs of the future generation of Indians.
Canadian Sikh priest, 40, charged with sexual offences involving minors
A 40-year-old Sikh priest and teacher has been charged with six counts of sexual offences involving children in Canada’s British Columbia province, a media report said citing prosecutors.
Elon Musk settles defamation suit brought by Indian American Sikh
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle a defamation case brought against him by Indian American Sikh critic and independent researcher, Randeep Hothi.
Arpana Caur – An empathetic activist artist
By Sonia Dhami- Amongst the multiple reasons of the heart and mind, which draw me time and again to return to my motherland, is to get to meet Arpana Caur. Despite her exalted position as one of India’s leading contemporary artists, she always maintains a humble and modest demeanor. As my friend and I entered […]
After 36 days of chase in several states, pro-Khalistan propagator Amritpal arrested
After 36 days of the cat-and-mouse chase spread over several states between the Punjab Police and the pro-Khalistan propagator, Amritpal Singh was arrested on Sunday from the native village of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in the Indian Army’s Operation Blue Star in 1984.
How California authorities conducted Operation Broken Sword to arrest 17 Sikh men
Jennifer R. Dupré, District Attorney, Sutter County, spoke to indica about Operation Broken Sword that led to the arrest of 17 Sikh men in connection with the shootings at California gurdwaras in 2021 and 2022. She said she has many friends in the Sikh community and she has learned from them about this religion…. but these men were “making the very peaceful and caring religion look bad.”
Police arrest 17 Sikhs for California gurdwara shootings
Police have arrested 17 Sikh men from rival crime syndicates for their alleged involvement in mass shootings across Northern California, including Sikh temples in Stockton and Sacramento, which occurred between 2022 and 2023.
Indian American Sikh Raji Brar appointed to California Univ Board of Trustees
Indian American Sikh community leader and Kern County businesswoman, Raji Brar, has been appointed to the California State University Board (CSUB) of Trustees. Brar, a California State University (CSU), Bakersfield double alumna, will be welcomed on board at its meeting in Long Beach in May.
Pennsylvania Sikh priest arrested for alleged sexual assault of 5-year-old
The 64-year-old lead priest at a Sikh temple in Pennsylvania has been arrested for allegedly sexually-assaulting a girl when she was five-year-old by “inappropriately touching” her for at least seven years, a local media report said. Balwinder Singh of Drexel Hill in Delaware County was recently charged with unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children — all felonies, Delaware-based Daily Times newspaper reported.
‘Sikh Delegates of California’ backs Ro Khanna statement, asks US govt to pressure India on various issues
The Sikh Delegates of California, a statewide organization of Sikh delegates, has issued a statement about what it calls “India’s ongoing human rights violations and the suspension of democratic principles in Punjab.”
Kirpan-wielding Sikh man says he was denied entry to NBA game in California
A Sikh man has claimed that he was denied entry to a basketball match California because he was carrying a ‘kirpan’ — a small dagger, which practising Sikhs are required to carry at all times along with other articles of faith.
FBI data shows hate crimes up by more than 11% between 2020 and 2021; Sikh body responds
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program released on Monday a 2021 hate crime statistics supplement about bias-motivated incidents throughout the nation. Nationally, reported hate crime incidents increased 11.6% from 8,120 in 2020 to 9,065 in 2021.
Indian American Sikh leader arrested for plotting to burn down Gurdwara in California
Rajvir Raj Singh Gill, a former Bakersfield City Council candidate, was arrested by the Bakersfield Police Department on March 4 for allegedly targeting one of Bakersfield’s largest Sikh places of worship, Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji Khalsa Darbar, and plotting to burn down the property.