Bentong ladies’ wing given warm welcome at Gurdwara Sahib Batu Pahat – Photo: Provided
By Gurdeep Kaur | MALAYSIA |
Istri Sat Sang Bentong had recently visited Babe Ke Gurdwara in Machap, Gurdwara Sahib Johor Bahru and Gurdwara Sahib Batu Pahat.
The sangat left by bus the Bentong gurdwara at 10.30 pm on 21 June by bus. They reached Machap at 3.30 am.
On the following day, we visited Gurdwara Sahib Johor Bahru and received a warm welcome by Istri Sat Sang president Baljinder Kaur and her committee. They prepared refreshment and lunch. Istri Sat Sang refers to the women’s wing.
Later in the evening, we continued our journey to Gurdwara Sahib Batu Pahat where we were welcomed by Vir Avtar Singh and his committee. The sangat gathered together in the darbar for a satsang and recited Rehraas Sahib.
[Gurdeep Kaur is the president of the Bentong Istri Sat Sang. Bentong is a municipality located in western Pahang, Malaysia, and is about 50km from Kuala Lumpur]
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Maharaja Ranjit Singh painting by Sarabjit Singh, uploaded on 12 August 2015.
By Anmol Singh Hundal | OPINION |
This day marks the 180th death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the emperor of all Panjab. To commemorate this, a life sized statue of the Panjabi sovereign was unveiled in Lahore, West Punjab, Pakistan. In addition, there are a host of articles in major Indian publications variously describing Ranjit Singh as a “great conqueror”, “master strategist”, “skilled tactician”, “courageous fighter”, a “benevolent sovereign” and altogether an “outstanding Indian ruler”.
He was a conqueror for sure, his government put together the fragmented kingships of Panjab into a modern State able to stand head to head against the mighty British East India Company itself.
The “master strategist” part is an exaggeration. In truth, he had no strategy and the best evidence of that is the ruin that Panjab faced after he passed away. I don’t have any evidence of him being a tactician either; sure he won a few battles early on to win Lahore but the most decisive battles for Panjab were fought by his excellent Generals and not by Ranjit Singh himself. He was courageous and benevolent; after all Panjabis would never accept a ruler who did not possess those characteristics.
However, the one description that I find egregious and unfair is that he was an “Indian ruler”, or that he was an “Indian”.
All Nations and States are man-made, and the same goes for India (and Pakistan). India is a western name given to an empire put together by the British piece-by-piece by conquering the smaller principalities and sovereign empires and kingdoms that made up the subcontinent. In other words, there was no India before the British created one. When thinking of a native concept of a unified subcontinent, one might come up with “Hindostan” — which as opposed to India is a term that was not introduced by the British and is often used as an equivalent of India — but “Hindostan” had no defined boundaries at any point in history and its unclear what exactly it constituted.
The process of creation of India was savage in the least and it involved deception and mass-murder on the part of the British. Panjab was one of the last major conquests into the growing British Company and like other regions in the Subcontinent, it became part of “India” only after it was conquered. The people of Panjab used the word Panjab (ਪੰਜਾਬ) to refer to their land and mulkh (country); the vast majority of them probably never even heard the word India. Shah Muhammad uses the term “Company” to refer to what is now called the “East India Company” in his Jangnama Hind-Panjab (An account of the first war between Hindostan and Panjab).
So, during the time Ranjit Singh lived, the land he was born in and ruled was called Panjab. Is it fair that after his death, we describe him using a nationality that is attached to the State that: waged war on and annexed his empire when it was weak, kidnapped his descendant Duleep Singh and shipped him off to England, and continues to rule Panjabis while depriving them of their democratic and human rights and without giving them a legitimate opportunity for self-determination?
In any case, should the present political map of the world guide our description of pre-modern people? If by any chance Panjabis are able to regain their sovereignty in the next 50 years, and they decide to name their new State Khalistan, would it be fair to retrospectively call Ranjit Singh a Khalistani?
And a little caveat, Ranjit Singh was born in Gujranwala, a city that today falls in the Western side of Panjab which is in Pakistan. So even if we are to label people using the modern political boundaries, he was a Pakistani and not an Indian.
I would like to end by asking whether changing Ranjit Singh’s identity posthumously does justice and due honor to Maharaja Ranjit Singh? What right do we have to label Ranjit Singh as an Indian when he himself never used that description for himself (as evident from his title which is Sher-e-Panjab meaning the Lion of Panjab)?
To view Maharaja Ranjit Singh painting used above, go here.
Anmol Singh Hundal is a US-based software engineer at Quora and author of The Constitution of India Simplified
* This is the opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
A former pilot was sentenced to two years’ jail and a RM300,000 fine by the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur for offering an unlicensed loan eight years ago.
Judge Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail handed the sentence yesterday (27 June 2019) to the 61 year old Punjabi man after the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt at the end of its case, reports Bernama.
The court ordered the father of four to serve his jail term starting today, dismissing his counsel’s application for a stay of the ex-pilot’s sentence as it was without special grounds or circumstances. It will be extended by another 12 months should he fail to pay the fine.
The man was charged with lending RM600,000 to a 62-year old man in an unlicensed business transaction, between Oct 31, 2011 and April 24, 2012, at RHB Bank Berhad, Taman Tun Dr Ismail here.
The charge under Section 5 (2) of the Moneylenders Act 1951 carries a maximum fine of RM1 million or imprisonment of up to five years, or both, and in addition, caning, for subsequent offences.
Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Khairiyah Samsudin proposed the maximum punishment in the interest of the public, the report added.
“The penalty should be severe to serve as a lesson and a deterrent,” she said, noting that unlicensed moneylending activities were becoming rife.
In mitigation, the former pilot said he was his family’s sole breadwinner and did not have a fixed income as he had been unemployed for one and a half years. His wife and daughter were present in court, reports Bernama.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
To concerned members of Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia.
The last Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia (SNSM) annual general meeting (AGM) in July 2018 was indeed a compromise.
I) Some 9 individuals were taken in as a compromise. A few months later ALL 9 quit and their names were printed on a single resignation letter, clearly showing it’s a collaborated effort to usurp and undermine the operation of our panthic organisation. All of them have a backround/influence of Bachitar Natak Granth (BNG) / Dasam Granth (DG), Yog matt, Deravaad, etc. Thus they are bent on seizing control of SNSM through the back door.
Outwardly they claim to be Sikh Rehat Maryada (S.R.M.) proponents, but in actuality they do not accept SRM. Instead, they are actively promoting BNG/DG and working in-hand with another deviant organisation. Just a few days after the AGM, their true intentions were exposed. These 9 exco members were instrumental in getting SNSM to issue letter dated 18 July, 2018 under heading ‘Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia Reaffirms Sri Akal Takht’s stand on Dasam Granth’.
II) The SNSM letter raises a question as to how BNG/DG could be ‘Kachee Banee’. This suggests that it is “Gurbani” (Bani of the Guru) and therefore equal to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This is a blasphemous stand and is rejected in SGGS (ang 920):
ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਬਿਨਾ ਹੋਰ ਕਚੀ ਹੈ ਬਾਣੀ ॥
satguroo binaa hor kachee hai banee.
The Bani (Scriptures, Hymns) not composed or approved by the Gurus is merely an ordinary, untrue poetry (False songs related to the worldly attachments with no spirituality in them, nothing about God. There is hypocrisy, the writer’s deeds and preaching are different. It has no effect of the high deeds and spiritual strength of the Gurus. It is not revealed: not from God).
ਬਾਣੀ ਤ ਕਚੀ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਹੋਰ ਕਚੀ ਬਾਣੀ ॥
banee ta kachee satguroo baajhahu hor kachee banee.
The Bani (Hymns) not belonging to the True Guru is false, (Believe it) it is untrue. (Such Hymns are about the worldly things, with no spirituality and the effect of the high deeds of the Guru, nothing about God, not revealed i.e. not got from God. There is hypocrisy in this, the writer’s deeds and preaching are different).
Without the Guru all others who compose the so-called “Bani,” (Scriptures) are false: not God-Oriented, and those who listen to such compositions are untrue as well (Attached to the worldly things).
ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਿਤ ਕਰਹਿ ਰਸਨਾ ਕਹਿਆ ਕਛੂ ਨ ਜਾਣੀ ॥
har-e har-e nit karahi rasnaa kahi-aa kachhoo na jaanee.
With their tongues, they continuously chant God’s Name, but do not know what they say. (They are hypocrites, do not practice what they preach).
ਚਿਤੁ ਜਿਨ ਕਾ ਹਿਰਿ ਲਇਆ ਮਾਇਆ ਬੋਲਨਿ ਪਏ ਰਵਾਣੀ ॥
chit jin kaa hir la-i-aa maa-i-aa bolan pa-ay ravaanee.
Those won over by the worldly attachments, go on talking fast, (without understanding anything, reciting mechanically about God and His Name, thinking they are composing Bani).
ਕਹੈ ਨਾਨਕੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਬਾਝਹੁ ਹੋਰ ਕਚੀ ਬਾਣੀ ॥੨੪॥
kahai naanak satguroo baajhahu hor kachee banee. ||24||
Says Nanak, Bani (Hymns) composed by anyone other than the True Guru, is false. ||24||
SATGURU here refers to the shabad, that is Gurbani as enshrined in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as well as sanctioned and approved by the 10 Gurus. This decision cannot be questioned by anyone. Thus, these 9 individual’s claim that BNG/DG is not Kachee Bani contradicts the teachings of SGGS.
They are openly challenging S.R.M. Akaal Thakt, SGPC and Gurmattas which state as follows:-
a) The S.R.M. does not make any reference to “Dasam Granth” or “Bachitar Natak Granth” at all;
b) S.R.M. accepts only Jaap Sahib, ten Sawaiyas and Benti Chaupai which are also found in BNG/DG to be recited, which is just 30 pages of BNG/DG’s 1,428 pages. (ref. S.R.M. – Ceremony of Baptism, Article XXIV page 37);
c) Akaal Takht GURMATTA-1 itself refers to BNG/DG writings as Rachnava (compositions / writings) and NOT Bani. The Rachnavas accepted from BNG/DG and included in the S.R.M. as NITNEM and Sikh Initiation are Jaap, 10 Sawayyas and Benti Chaupai. However this Gurmatta-1 does not in any way say it is Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s Banee – only refers to them as Rachnavas which are accepted from BNG/DG.
d) That DG is part of Sikh Literature and History (Saahit and Itihaas) BUT it cannot be given equal status as SGGS Ji, as stated in Gurmatta 1 of 6 June 2008;
e) SGPC and Akaal Takht approved resolution No. 366723 dated 4 Aug 1973 states “eh dasmesh bani nahi” (that Charitropakyan which is included in DG is not Dasmesh Banee. It is “puratan Hindu mithiasak sakhian da utara hai” (these are translations of ancient Hindu Mythological tales). The main contents of BNG/DG are:
Charitropakyan – 579 pages, more than 1/3 of DG covers obscene phonographic viles of women.
Chaubis Avtar – 554 pages covers 24 incarnations of Vishnu;
“The entire Sikh Panth be informed that Sri Dasam Granth is an integral part of Sikh literature and history but Guru Gobind Singh ji did not recognize it as being equal to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji”.
Therefore BNG/DG is not Guru. So it is NOT Gurbani. SNSM’s letter of 18 July 2018 [see here] contradicts this openly.
2018 SNSM AGM in progress
IV. SNSM’s letter dated 18 July 2018 included a critical clause of S.R.M. that was wrongly translated in English to mislead members, particularly the youth, who may be less proficient in Punjabi.
V. It is commonly known to all that a few resolutions have been submitted for the coming AGM to be held on 29.6.2019 at Sabha House. One resolution deals with BNG/DG and others are in support of S.R.M. and Akal Takhat. Other than the DG resolution, the remaining resolutions pertain to matters which are personal to Sabha members and matters which have never been questioned by any SNSM member. Therefore, the resolutions are misplaced and should not be debated or considered. They appear to be ‘red herrings’.
VI. ALL SNSM members should attend this coming AGM and reject the resolutions on DG since it is in violation of SGGSJ, S.R.M, Akal Takht, SGPC Gurmattas. More importantly, members should reject any and all attempts to drag SNSM, which is a youth body, into this very dangerous and divisive dispute on DG. The act of forcing SNSM to issue the letter dated 18 July 2018 and now proposing these resolutions is not only irresponsible and inflammatory, it also diverts SNSM from its core objectives and purpose.
As Sikhs, we should leave this very complex issue for the Panth, in the form of Sarbat Khalsa, to decide.
Appeal from:
Concerned Life Members of Sikh Naujawan Sabha Malaysia
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
Nishan Sahib colour – basanti (yellow/gold) or surmai (blue) or kesree
By Asia Samachar Team | MALAYSIA |
The Nishan Sahib or Sikh flag should be either basanti (Xanthic) which is yellow or surmaee (dark blue) and not the dark orange that is commonly used in most gurdwaras around the globe today.
This was the advice provided by the Malaysian Gurdwaras Council (MGC) in a letter released today.
“This letter was prompted by requests by members to some members to provide some clarification on the matter,” MGC president Jagir Singh told Asia Samachar.
The matter came to light when Gurdwara Sahib Butterworth, a gurdwara in the Malaysian state of Penang, unfurled a dark blue coloured nishan sahib, something alien to most Malaysian Sikhs of the present generation.
Like Sikhs around the world, most present day Sikhs are more familiar with the kesri or orange-coloured nishan sahib, with the Khanda usually in black.
The 16-page letter, emailed to Asia Samachar, makes references to a number of sources and argues why dark blue is the actual colour of the nishan sahib. SEE LETTER HERE.
It said that in the times of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, the Nishan Sahib was of navy blue in colour and that the Nihangs had preserved the colour to date.
“The Kesri colour flag found in many Gurdwaras is not SRM compliant. It was mostly introduced by Nirmalas, Udasis and Mahants from about 1715 to 1920. In the 1930’s/1940’s G.S. TOHRA, the Jathedar of Akali Dal then changed the colour to Saffron in many Gurdwaras,” it said.
In the letter, MGC noted that the SRM is an ‘approved Sikh Constitution’.
It said that the document was a panthic maryada approved after 14 years of laborious work and consultations.
“There may be some reservations regarding certain provisions in SRM but overall SRM has succeeded in uniting Sikhs and unifying the Code of conduct and religious practises in Gurdwaras. Without SRM it would have been free for all. Thus, any discussion on Nishan Sahib must necessarily begin with SRM provisions on the matter,” it said.
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GROUP PHOTO: Some Sikhs present at ICCS. From left: Sarabjeet, Jasbir, Sarjit, Parvitar and Surjit
By Asia Samachar Team | SINGAPORE |
Singapore’S inaugural International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) last week attracted inter-faith practitioners, academics, activists as well as political and government leaders from around the world.
Sikhs were well-represented and featured prominently at the four-day event which ended on 21 June.
The brainchild of Singapore President Halimah Yacob, the ICCS brought together professionals, policy-makers, activists, academics and religious and societal leaders from around the world to brainstorm and discuss ideas on how to improve cohesion within societies.
It is believed that there has never been a conference of this scale and magnitude, bringing in representatives from different continents, to form a collective voice against division in societies.
It was heartwarming to see the Sikhs well-represented and featured prominently at the conference as well.
Among Sikh participants from abroad were London-based City Sikhs chairperson Jasvir Singh, Kuala Lumpur-based lawyer and Sikh activist Gurmukh Singh and interfaith leader Jasbir Singh Suropada who is based in Victoria, Australia.
Jasvir, who was in the news recently for being the youngest Sikh ever to receive the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Prince William for his inter-faith work with Buckingham Palace and in the UK, was also a panelist at the ICCS, speaking in the breakout session on social media and cohesion.
At the opening dinner reception, Singapore’s Sikh Advisory Board (SAB) chairman Surjit Singh Wasan joined the other Singapore-based religious leaders on stage to launch a new Commitment to Safeguard Religious Harmony.
Joined by Singapore’s Minister of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), these members of the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony then presented a framed copy of the commitment to the President of Singapore.
Surjit was subsequently also featured in a video at the same event to highlight each community’s efforts to safeguard social harmony in Singapore, with the SAB chairman focusing on the role of Guru-ka-Langgar and the gurdwaras to contribute to society.
Among Sikhs from Singapore at ICCS were SAB secretary Malminderjit Singh, who also featured prominently in the Conference’s Young Leaders Program and is a member of the Working Group on Racial and Religious Harmony, Sarjit Singh who is on the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) executive committee and the Board of OnePeople.sg, as well as lawyer and Sikhism speaker Gurmukh Singh from Malaysia and Jasbir Singh Suropada, who is an inter-faith leader in Victoria, Australia.
Malminderjit who also featured in the Conference’s Young Leaders Program and is a member of the Working Group on Racial and Religious Harmony.
The conference also saw many young Sikh activists such as the Young Sikh Association (Singapore) president Sarabjeet Singh and Parvitar Singh Khalsa, an inter-faith activist who is with the youth wing of the Inter-Religious Organization (IRO) of Singapore.
IN THE NEXT STORY: Gurmukh Singh shares lessons picked up at ICCS
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
SASKAAR / CREMATION: Cortege departs at 11.30 am, 28 June 2019 (Friday) from No 11, Lorong Maarof, 59100, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur for cremation at DBKL Crematorium, Jalan Kuari, Cheras| Malaysia
A/L LATE GURCHAN SINGH (SINGA, THE LION OF MALAYA)
(Retired Chief Accountant Treasury)
AGE: 85 YEARS
Passed away peacefully on 26th June 2019
Sadly missed and always remembered by his beloved:
Wife: Sarjit Kaur A/P Swaran Singh (ex police JB)
Children / Spouse:
Surinder Singh Gill
Satwant Singh Gill / Jasebir Kaur Maan
Prithpal Kaur Gill (Rano) / Raymond Franklin
Grandchildren: Jivan Jeet Singh Gill, Akrisyek Kaur Gill, Sahil Preet Singh Gill, Amrita Franklin Kaur Gill, Calvin Ashpreet Franklin
Siblings / Spouse:
Sarjit Kaur (Jito) / Ir. Harchand Singh
Harbhajan Kaur (Bhajo) / Kaka Singh
Kerpal Kaur (Pali) / Sukhdev Singh
Narain Singh (Lenny) / Bina Sodhi
Cortege Timing: Cortege departs at 11.30am, 28 June 2019 (Friday) from No 11, Lorong Maarof, 59100, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur for cremation at DBKL Crematorium, Jalan Kuari, Cheras
Path Da Bhog: 9.30am-11.30am, 6 July 2019 (Saturday), at High Street Gurdwara (No 6, Jalan Balal Polis, 50000 Kuala Lumpur) followed by Guru Ka Langgar
Contact:
Surinder Singh Gill 019-2232137
Rano 012-3611789
| Entry: 26 June 2019 | Source: Family |
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here |
New Zealand rising football star Sarpreet Singh may move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich after a sterling performance at the recent Under-20 World Cup.
The 20-year old Wellington Phoenix attacking midfielder was invited to Munich for a tour of the club’s facilities ahead of a possible transfer, reports Stuff.
If the deal takes place, it would be a major leap for the Auckland-born player who has under his belt 38 games for the Phoenix across three seasons, registering nine goals and seven assists.
If Sarpreet was to sign, he would initially play for Bayern Munich II in Germany’s 3.Liga. He would be seen as a long-term investment and would be a like-for-like replacement for South Korean midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong, who recently transferred to Freiburg after making just one first team appearance.
In March 2018, Sarpreet made his debut with the All Whites, the New Zealand national football team. He played a role in the New Zealand U-20s side to a Round of 16 tie in the FIFA U-20s World Cup in Poland.
He was also instrumental in the Wellington Phoenix side that reached their first Hyundai A-League finals position in four seasons in the Hyundai 2018/19 season.
Sarpreet has been nominated for the International Player of the Year Award at the up-coming annual New Zealand Football Awards in Auckland.
New Zealand rising football star Sarpreet Singh may move to Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich after a sterling performance at the recent FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
The 20-year-old Sarpreet Singh, an attacking midfielder for Wellington Phoenix FC, was invited to Munich for a tour of the club’s facilities ahead of a possible transfer, reports Stuff.
If the deal materialises, it would mark a major leap for the Auckland-born player, who has made 38 appearances for the Phoenix across three seasons, registering nine goals and seven assists.
If Sarpreet signs, he would initially play for Bayern Munich II in Germany’s 3. Liga. He is viewed as a long-term investment and a like-for-like replacement for South Korean midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong, who recently transferred to SC Freiburg after making just one first-team appearance.
In March 2018, Sarpreet made his debut for the New Zealand national football team, commonly known as the All Whites. He also played a key role in helping the New Zealand Under-20 side reach the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.
He was also instrumental in guiding Wellington Phoenix to their first Hyundai A-League finals appearance in four seasons during the 2018/19 campaign.
Sarpreet has been nominated for the International Player of the Year award at the upcoming New Zealand Football Awards in Auckland.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh: Dera Sacha Sauda head – Photo / Dera Facebook
By Asia Samachar Team | INDIA |
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh may soon be out on parole on counts of good behaviour, according to Indian media reports.
The self-style Indian godman who went about with the name Ram Rahim is currently serving a 20 year jail sentence and a life imprisonment for two rape cases and murder of a journalist, respectively.
Lodged at the Sunaria jail in Rohtak, Haryana, local media reports suggest that the double-rape and murder convict wants to farm his Sirsa land which is lying barren.
A move to release him would certainly catch the ire of various minority groups battling against the authorities for seemingly unfair arrests and detention.
Within the Sikh community, the plight of Scottish Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal comes to mind. Jaggi (#FreeJaggiNow), as he’s known, is still anguishing in Indian prison since his arrest in November 2017 supposedly in connection with the murder of Hindu nationalists in 2016 and 2017. He has yet to be charged.
Jagtar’s 19-month detention is just shy of a weeks the time that Ram Rahim has spent behind bars conviction of raping his ‘sadhvis‘ to make them ‘pavitra’ (pure) and to grant them ‘mafi’ (forgiveness) for their past mistakes, as well as a later conviction of a murder.
In August 2017, the controversial godman – who headed a Haryana-based deraa wielding considerable political clout and financial muscle – was handed a 20 year jail term for raping two women followers in 2002.
Just before the verdict was announced, there was a violent reaction from his followers at Panchkula in northern Haryana state that killed some 38 people.
In January 2019, Ram Rahim and three others were found guilty of murdering journalist Ramchander Chhatrapati in October 2002, and got a life imprisonment. The journalist was killed in Sirsa after his newspaper published an anonymous letter alleging that Ram Rahim had sexually exploited women at his dera’s headquarters in the town.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond.Facebook | WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 | Email: editor@asiasamachar.com | Twitter | Instagram | Obituary announcements, click here
