By Karminder Singh Dhillon | The Sikh Bulletin |
When on one night in December 2020, a gang of religious hooligans carried out a murderous attack on Radio Virsa host Harnek Singh; planned to burn down his house on the day of his expected funeral and eliminate his family; their sympathisers sang and danced to the tune of “protecting the dignity of our Gurus and our religion” though the process of Sodha Launna – physically eliminating those labelled as “Guru Nindaks” through the use of violence.
The sponsors of the gang of hooligans claimed the gang had the courage, valour and mettle to stand up for the Gurus and religion. And that they are brave, valiant, and heroic enough to sacrifice their personal self to apply corrective violence – Sodha Launna – on others. The patrons and apologists of the hooligans expressed satisfaction on their social media accounts that an “enemy of the Gurus and Sikhi” in the form of a radio host had been eliminated.
Yet when the religious hooligans were arrested – largely based on weapons they dropped and blood they left behind at the scene of the crime; and dragged to court on charges that carried long prison terms – their tune changed dramatically. The jingle of “courage, valour and mettle to stand up for the Gurus and religion” fell silent. All defendants now danced to a shameless display of limitless cowardice whereby each went on a full-blown rampage to blame the other for “instigating and gas lighting” the other,” as if they were zombies with no minds of their own at all. The ultimate prize for cowardice must go to the alleged mastermind derawadi baba who has asked for the court to not release his name and photo. Pointing fingers at the other co-defendants was the new dance beat.
The tune changed drastically again when the jury returned guilty verdicts against those that had not already pleaded guilty; and again, when it came time to face the sentence. It was now time to cry and plead, to “remind” the sentencing judge that they had “wives and children to take care of.” The hypocrisy of wanting to eliminate the “wife and child” of their Sodha Launna victim aside, one wonders if these hooligans understood the irony of their fast-changing tunes.
The defendants were not the only ones dancing to new beats and chanting new tunes. Their comrades who posted posters of “antim ardas” of Harnek Singh, organized a fund drive for their thugs-in-arms; and their apologists who conducted radio and video shows to justify the attack were equally quick in changing their tunes too. Their new tune – composed as soon as the arrests, charges and trial of the defendants became a reality – was one of silence. Accountability has a way of changing the tunes that religious hooligans and their chums sing.
GETTING DESERVING SENTENCES
Writing for the New Zealand Harald, Craig Kapitan reported that “The mastermind, 48, who orchestrated the nearly successful attempt to murder was given one of the longest possible prison sentences for the crime allowed by law – 13-and-a-half years. The maximum sentence for attempted murder is 14 years. The only reason the defendant didn’t receive the full maximum sentence was because he deserved a six-month credit for the time he spent on electronically monitored bail while awaiting his lengthy trial in September and October, the judge said.“
Craig also reported that defence lawyer Dale Dufty had sought discounts for his client’s previous good character and his traumatic upbringing in India. Crown prosecutor Luke Radich argued, however, that the nature of the case and the defendant’s role required the maximum possible starting point of 14 years. “If this is not amongst the most serious cases of its type, then what is?” he asked. “It could not have been more pre-meditated … and [the defendant] was the architect of it.” The judge ultimately agreed.
SEE ALSO: Shocking details from attempted murder trial of radio host Harnek Singh
SEE ALSO: Attack on Sikh talk radio host simply wrong
Craig further reported that Justice Mark Woolford, noting the motivation for the attack and providing a reasoning for his long sentence said “It bears all the hallmarks of religious fanaticism. Violence of this kind is committed in what is perceived as the furtherance of the greater good… Sentencing in this context requires a different approach. The emphasis must be placed on protecting the community from further violence and it is essential to send a strong message of deterrence to others.” See here.
Another defendant Sarvjeet Singh Sidhu, 27, who was alleged to have been one of the knife attackers in the driveway, was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, taking into account his guilty plea.
THE ONE UNCHANGED TUNE
The one tune that has not changed is that of the victim. Forty stab wounds, 350 stitches and numerous surgeries did not change the mindset, outlook, and beliefs of Harnek Singh as seen from his victim impact statement (VIS) that was read in open court on the day of the sentencing. The substance of his VIS is a reminder as to how a Sikh thinks and acts under the direst of circumstances – in gratitude, non-resort to revenge, and in full stride.
Craig Kapitam reports of Harnek’s VIS as follows: “Addressing the defendants directly, he added: ‘You came to kill me. …You tried to silence me. You wanted to send a chilling message to all those who express their disagreement with your unorthodox religious views. But you failed. …I will continue to express my opinions and beliefs as I always have. The only chilling message you have managed to send is to people with the same views and opinion as yours that actions have consequences and that in a country like New Zealand, the law does not bend for you if your wrongful acts are in the name of God.’ Those words resonated enough with the judge that he repeated them as he sentenced the defendant.”
The Sikh Bulletin reproduces Harnek Singh’s Victim Impact Statement in full below.
“Thank you Judge, for the opportunity to address the court. I want to begin by thanking everyone who helped bring the most traumatic episode of my life to a conclusion – my wife and my child; every officer in this court, the investigators, journalists, friends and well-wishers. I would not be standing here before you without the love, support, and professionalism of all of you.
Three years ago, on the night of December 23rd, 2020, at the driveway of my own home in Wattle Downs, I came face to face with a viciousness, brutality and savageness of a gang of people who had come to kill me – for no reason other than my beliefs. In the horror of the uncountable stab wounds that were being delivered into my body that was held down in my own car with my safety belt, I believed I would not make it out alive. I made peace with my death. I said goodbye forever to my wife and my son. I felt my mind going into a complete shutdown awaiting death that was inevitable.
Next, I remember my colleague coming to me as I laid in a pool of my own blood. I remember my wife calling my name. And then waking up on the 25th of December in Middlemore Hospital.
As I regained consciousness over the next few days, I felt excruciating pain and agonizing discomfort. The mental disorientation that accompanied the pain is undescribable. I went through multiple surgical procedures to rectify the injuries sustained from the attack.
The physical injuries that I suffered are far too many to list. The multiple skull fractures required more than 150 stitches in my head alone. The multiple lacerations on my chest, neck, and right shoulder required another 200 stitches on my upper body.
Both of my arms were severely cut. I will forever be grateful to the surgeons who worked to put my arms back together. Both my arms remained in a cast that ran from my fingertips to my elbows. I could not feed myself, or even stand up without assistance. I was in continuous distress and falling asleep remained a challenge. I had gone from being a most independent person to requiring assistance from my wife and family all the time.
Worst of all is the uncertainty that I have to deal with regarding my future. Will life return to normal ever for me? Will I ever be able to use my arms and hands as I could before? Will I even have a job to come to after I recovered?
My financial future remains a concern for me as I am the only breadwinner in my home. How will I be able to provide for my family if my injuries are permanent and long term.
I worry how this attack on me will impact upon my teenage son’s outlook and wellbeing. I worry how it impacts my wife’s state of mind.
My safety has become of utmost concern for my family. It is something my family continuously worries about. They fear that I will be targeted again for the beliefs I hold. They fear that they may be targeted too. After all, the persons who tried to kill me had plans to burn down my house. My family enters into a state of fear each day when the sun goes down. My wife and child wonder if someone is lurking in the shadows, looking into our home, waiting to attack us again. My family does not want me to leave my house except when absolutely necessary. From a carefree, spontaneous, and fun-loving family, ours has been turned into one that is constantly in fear of my safety and of them becoming victims of a next possible attack.
Your honor, New Zealand, its people, its culture and its laws have no place for religious hooliganism and violence aimed at people with differing views. What we have is freedom of thought and speech, and a rule of law. This rule of law has allowed my attackers a fair trial, even allowing the mastermind the right to conceal his identity. It’s time for them to be held accountable through the process of sentencing. I urge your honor to hand down the most appropriate sentence to my attempted murderers.
I want to say something directly to those who came to kill me. You claimed that what drove you to want to kill me was your religious convictions. That your religion inspired you to want to kill me for holding views that are different than yours. What you have, for your cowardly pretext of your dastardly actions is a perverted view of your religion. Nothing in the Sikh religion, or any other religion for that matter condones what you did.
You came to kill me. You wanted to take me away from my family. You wanted to silence me. You wanted to send a chilling message to all those who express their disagreement with your unorthodox religious views. But you failed. I am standing alive in front of you. I will continue to express my views and beliefs as I always have.
The only chilling message you have managed to send is to people with the same views and opinion as yours that actions have consequences and that in a country like New Zealand, the law does not bend for you if your wrongful acts are in the name of God.
And while I continue living my life with my family, you will sit in jail for a long time – away from your own families. I hope you will think of all the pain and destruction you have brought on everyone while serving your rightful sentence. Thank you Judge.”
Two others still await sentencing early next year for attempted murder: Jobanpreet Singh, who was found guilty by the same jury of wielding a knife in the attack, and Hardeep Singh Sandhu, who pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting the attackers by following the radio host home.
Sikh thinker, writer and parcharak Karminder Singh Dhillon, PhD (Boston), is a retired Malaysian civil servant. He is the joint-editor of The Sikh Bulletin and author of The Hijacking of Sikhi. This article appeared as the editorial in the The Sikh Bulletin – 2023 Issue 4 (October-December 2023). Click here to retrieve archived copies of the bulletin. The author can be contacted at dhillon99@gmail.com.
RELATED STORY:
The Cowardice of Religious Hooligans (Asia Samachar, 1 Oct 2023)
NZ Sikh radio host stabbed in suspected religiously motivated attack (Asia Samachar, 26 Dec 2020)
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