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Akaal Premier League action picks up

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| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 28 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |
Match Day 4 action for Akaal Premier League (APL)

By Jagdesh Singh

The Seremban Lions recorded their first win of the season in the Akaal Premier League (APL) which got them lifted from the bottom of the table to seventh spot, now occupied by Beruntung Hill Twin Lions.

It was a bad day for the Kampung Pandan Lions with their squad plagued by injuries. The loss of their enigmatic Captain Rahul to a reoccurring ankle injury cost them dearly as well. Adding to the blow was the absence of Taran Jr. due to a knee injury but they were glad to get Nishaant back from an earlier injury.

Rawang Akaal Warriors suffered an equally bad day, losing both of their games on Matchday 4. Meanwhile, Selayang Sardars and the Klang Rangers were back in their winning ways recording both wins each for the day.

Surprisingly, Kg Pandan Lions and Pulapol Eagles saw the first match in this this season to end with a scoreless draw.

We are now half way through a total of eight match days but its still too soon to say who the eventual champions are going to be, as well as who would don the Golden boots. Stay tuned for more coverage.

APL, a Malaysian-made futsal league held in Kuala Lumpur for Sikh boys and girls, is organised by the Akaal Sports Academy (ASA), a sports non-government organisation headquartered at the Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Kampung Pandan in Kuala Lumpur. Asia Samachar is the tourney’s media partner.

Pulapol Eagles topped the league in 2015 and 2016.

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE! Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

RELATED STORIES:

Young Lions, Selayang Sardars rule Akaal Premier League 2017 (Asia Samachar, 28 July 2017)

Akaal Premier League featured in Malaysian newspaper (Asia Samachar, 24 Nov 2016)

 

[The fastest way to reach Asia Samachar is by sending us a Facebook message. For obituary announcements, click here]

Sarjeet Singh Randhawa (1957-2017), Ipoh

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Path Da Bhog: 10 September 2017 (Sunday), 10am-12pm, at Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Ipoh, Perak | Malaysia

Sarjeet Singh Randhawa (1957-2017), Ipoh

Sarjeet Singh Randhawa s/o Late Subah Singh

Village: Saidhpur, Amritsar, Punjab

Born: 9 April 1957

Departed: 27 August 2017

Children: Jasmeet Singh Randhawa

Saskaar / Cremation: 28 August 2017 (Mon), at Sikh Crematorium Ground at Wadda Gurdwara Sabib Ipoh, Perak

Path Da Bhog: 10 September 2017 (Sunday), 10am-12pm, at Wadda Gurdwara Sahib Ipoh, Perak

Contact: Jasmeet (son) 017-5193412, Residence 05-3573419

MESSAGE FROM THE FAMILY:

Sarjeet Singh Randhawa, from Simpang Pulai, Ipoh, Perak left for the loving arms of God at 5.12pm at Ipoh General Hospital in his 60th year.

Sarjeet Singh was brought up in Jalan Bendahara, Ipoh and later resided in Simpang Pulai. He has served the Prisons Department (Taiping, Batu Gajah, Sungai Buloh) for over 34 years.

He was suffering from end-stage renal disease (kidney failure) and has been undergoing haemodialysis for the past 7 years. Despite his illness, he has always been a jovial and an outgoing person. In the last few years, he ambulated with assistance of a wheelchair. But that did not dampen his spirit to be active in the lives of his family and loved ones.

Leaving behind a rich harvest of memories, Sarjeet Singh will be missed dearly by his son, siblings, family, friends and all those who knew him.

 

Asia Samachar | Entry: 28 Aug 2017 | Source: Family

 

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

[The fastest way to reach Asia Samachar is by sending us a Facebook message. For obituary announcements, click here]

Mr Singh dons batik turban at KL fashion week

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| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 27 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |

Keshminder Singh

A Sikh donning a batik turban caught the attention of many many at a recent Kuala Lumpur fashion event.

Keshminder Singh looked stunning when he took the runaway at the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week Ready-to-Wear 2017, an event that insists on brand new collections.

Keshminder, an executive at a local plantation conglomerate, was certainly parading something different, something unique. He was displaying a batik turban, jeans and batik shirt from local brand Tarik Jeans, with a black jacket.

The outfit can be worn for a party or simply for casual wear.

This was the first time that the 26 year-old Keshminder had taken part in a fashion show.

Asked how it felt, he told Asia Samachar: “It was a good experience. It’s good to be a little unique, a little different.”

Batik refers to cloth that has been dyed using the batik method. The method involves producing coloured designs on textiles by dyeing them, having first applied wax to the parts to be left undyed.

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[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Asia. How to reach us: Facebook message or WhatsApp +6017-335-1399. Our email: editor@asiasamachar.com. For obituary announcements, click here]

Harcharan Kaur (1932-2017), Canberra

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Funeral Service: 10.30am,29 August 2017 (Tues), at the Chapel of the Norwood Park Crematorium, Sandford Street, Mitchell, Canberra | Australia

Harcharan Kaur (1932-2017), Canberra

Harcharan Kaur

Born: 13 May 1932

Departed: 22 Aug 2017

Loving wife of Joginder Singh Mann (dec) of Village Mehna and former resident of Petaling Jaya and Perth (ex-Office of Auditor General Malaysia)

Dearly missed by:

Kalwant Kaur and Ajmer Singh Gill (Sydney)
Gurdip Kaur Malhi and Rajbahadur Singh Bedi
and Balvir Singh Malhi (dec)(Canberra)
Amarjit Singh and Ganeshrie Mann (Florida, USA)
Jaspal Singh and Surindar Mann (Perth)
Jasbir Singh and Pritam Mann (Perth)
grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Funeral Service: Funeral service at the Chapel of the Norwood Park Crematorium, Sandford Street, Mitchell, Canberra on 29 August 2017 (Tues), at 10:30 am, viewing commencing at 10 am.

Path Da Bhog: Bhog prayers will follow at the Sikh Gurdwara Sahib, Hickey Court, Weston, Canberra, Australia

Her family will also be celebrating her life at prayer services in her loving memory as follows:

1. Sukhmani Sahib Paath at Gurdwara Sahib Perth, Australia on 2 September 2017 from 5.30pm onwards.
2. Kirtan & Katha Darbar at Gurdwara Sahib Guru Nanak, Shah Alam, Malaysia on Saturday, 9 September 2017 from 2.00pm onwards.
Please join us to celebrate the life of a grand old lady.

Asia Samachar | Entry: 26 Aug 2017 | Source: Family

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

[The fastest way to reach Asia Samachar is by sending us a Facebook message. For obituary announcements, click here]

High jumper Nauraj, squash player Sanjay Singh wins gold for Malaysia at SEA Games

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| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 27 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |

Nauraj Singh Randhawa reading the athlete’s pledge at the opening of Kuala Lumpur 2017 SEA Games (KL2017) on Aug 19.

Nauraj Singh Randhawa clinched his third consecutive gold in the men’s high jump event at the SEA Games today, emerging as the second Sikh to bag a gold medal at the Southeast Asia regional games.

On Thusday, Sanjay Singh, and his partner S. Sivasangari defeated fellow Malaysians in the finals of the men’s squash double.

Nauraj was given the honours to read the athlete’s pledge at the opening of the Kuala Lumpur 2017 SEA Games (KL2017) on Aug 19.

Nauraj follows the footsteps of Baljit Singh Sidhu of Sabah who won the high jump gold medal in Sea Games 1977, being the first Sikh to do so in the event.

At the high jump duel today, Nauraj and teammate Lee Hup Wei both cleared 2.24m. However on count back Nauraj was awarded the gold and Hup Wei the silver, reports The Star.

The duo equalled the Sea Games record of 2.24m set by Malaysian Loo Kum Zee in the 1995 Chiangmai Sea Games. Nauraj went into the games as the two-time defending champion, having won in Myanmar in 2013 and Singapore in 2015.

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Malaysian high jumper Nauraj Singh given honour to read Sea Games athlete’s pledge (Asia Samachar, 14 Aug 2017)

Lifting gold for Singapore (Asia Samachar, 10 July 2017)

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Asia. How to reach us: Facebook message or WhatsApp +6017-335-1399. Our email: editor@asiasamachar.com. For obituary announcements, click here]

Nikki Haley’s path to the presidency runs right past Trump – Vox

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| United States | 27 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |

Nikki Haley

Nikki Halley, a two-time governor of South Carolina and now the US ambassador to the United Nations (UN), may be casting an eye on the presidency of the world’s most powerful nation.

In the first seven months at the helm of the US mission to the United Nations (UN), Haley’s differences have gone far beyond optics, reports Vox.

“Trump campaigned on a foreign policy platform of “America first” — the idea that the US should avoid getting involved in unnecessary conflicts overseas and focus narrowly on national security interests over promotion of democracy and human rights abroad. But Haley has pursued the opposite course. From her stern criticism of Moscow to her championing of human rights to her calls for Syrian regime change, she’s routinely diverged from, or outright contradicted, Trump’s stance on the biggest foreign policy issues of the day,” the magazine said in a report entitled ‘Nikki Haley’s path to the presidency runs right past Trump。’

Haley, 44, was born Nimrata Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina – she was called “Nikki” as a child and took the family name of husband Michael when they married in Sikh and Methodist ceremonies in 1996. Haley came only once to India as a four-year-old child, doesn’t speak Punjabi and has converted to Christianity, according to a separate Reuters report.

SEE ALSO: Harmeet Dhillon: Performed model ardas when Republicans nominated Trump 

Her father Ajit Singh Randhwa, is from Amritsar district. He is an agriculture science professor. Her mother is Raj Kaur Randhwa. They moved to Amritsar – home to the Golden Temple that is the most holy place of the Sikh religion – before emigrating to North America in the early 1960s.

Some extract from the Vox report:

A popular twice-elected governor of South Carolina, she’s an experienced GOP politician in an administration packed with outsiders. As the daughter of Indian immigrants, she stands out in an administration run chiefly by white men. Telegenic and poised, she has a knack for the limelight, the report added.

Haley’s stances may reflect more than just policy differences. Many in the GOP worry that Trump may not survive four years and that those who’ve served in his administration may be tainted by association if he resigns or is impeached. Haley appears to be one of the few administration officials with the potential to survive the Trump years — and could be positioning herself for a presidential campaign of her own.

When Trump first nominated Haley as his pick for UN ambassador, it appeared that she could be doomed to irrelevance. Trump had spent his entire campaign railing against the idea of international cooperation and contributing to the advancement of human rights or democratic ideals — the very issues that an ambassador to the UN is tasked with handling. It seemed he was giving Haley a fluffy throwaway job and perhaps even using it as an opportunity to add some diversity to his heavily white and heavily male team.

But Haley has been far from a marginal voice in the administration’s foreign policy team.

The most striking feature of Haley’s appointment was that Trump decided to keep the UN ambassador post as a Cabinet-level position, as it was under President Obama.

This wasn’t simply Trump being magnanimous; Haley successfully negotiated for the Cabinet-level rank for her position. Being a member of the president’s Cabinet gives her more authority at the UN and more sway over the president during Cabinet-level deliberations.

Haley is also a member of the National Security Council’s top decision-making body, the Principals Committee. That means she’s a regular contributor to the president’s most important forum for considering and making decisions about the country’s pressing national security and foreign policy matters, along with the rest of his senior national security advisers and Cabinet officials on the committee.

Haley has denied any presidential ambitions, saying in April that she “can’t imagine running for the White House.” But her conspicuous maneuvering in the foreign policy world has fueled suspicions that she’s interested in the possibility.

 

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

RELATED STORIES:

Trump appoints Indian American attorney Uttam Dhillon as special assistant (Asia Samachar, 27 Jan 2017)

Harmeet Dhillon: Performed model ardas when Republicans nominated Trump (Asia Samachar, 21 Jan 2017)

Harjit Singh Sajjan meets President Obama (Asia Samachar, 11 March 2016)

[The fastest way to reach Asia Samachar is by sending us a Facebook message. For obituary announcements, click here]

Young Sikh student receives gold medal from Thai King

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| Khon Kaen, Thailand | 26 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |

Manit Singh Chawla receives a gold medal from King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun in December 2016

Manit Singh Chawla is a talented young. He excelled in studies and was active in various other activities.

Towards the end of 2016, the 22-year-old engineering student received a gold medal from no less than the Thai King himself in recognition of his excellent performance at the university. It capped a challenging, but joyful, journey for this young lad.

Hailing from Khon Kaen, situated on the north east of Thailand and about 500km from Bangkok, he has always been the lone Sikh at school or the university. Bangkok has the largest concentration of Sikh population.

“There are not that many Sikhs in my province,” he tells Asia Samachar in a telephone conversation. Khon Kaen is one of the four major Thai cities known as the “big four of Isan”.

High schooled at the Holy Redeemer North Eastern School between 2009 and 2013, he then gained entry into School of Engineering at University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) to study Bachelor’s Degree of Logistics Engineering.

Why logistics engineering?

“I knew nothing about logistics. I actually wanted to be a doctor,” said Manit, whose dad is a real estate agent. “My brother Sunny Chawla encouraged me to take it up. He said Thailand is in the centre of Asean. So, I took the exam and found logistics engineering to be interesting.

“I then understood that logistics plays an important role in Thailand. Also, there were not many graduates in this area, but the demand was increasing by the year.”

As with everything else, Manit poured his heart and soul into the new found interest. He topped the class in logistic engineering. On most occasions, he emerged as the top scorer for most papers.

This led him to the audience of the Thai King. He was one of the 30 top engineering students from various Thai universities. In 2016, he received the Royal Gold Medal for outstanding education performance in Engineering field form His Majesty King Maha Vajiralonglorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.

It was certainly a proud moment for his parent, Prathip Chawla (also known as Hardeep Singh Chawla) and Mohanjeet Kaur Chawla, as well as his brothers Sunny and Varun Chawla.

But the journey had its challenges. For a start, he was the lone Sikh in the university. But this not deter him. In fact, he actually took it upon himself to educate his fellow students on who is a Sikh, and what is Sikhism. His fellow students knew something about Islam, but had never heard of Sikhism. They had many questions: Do you have a temple? Do you have a Guru?

Manit Singh Chawla (holding the prized gold medal) with his parents and brother Sunny Chawla.

“At first, they thought I was a Muslim. I told them I eat pork. I then explained to them about my hair and the beard. I’m proud that they now know who is a Sikh.

“In the first year itself, I was elected as president of the UTCC engineering committee. I used to wear patka (a small turban, usually tied under the actual turban). When I became the president, I tied a turban and wore an engineering coat. I felt our Guru Ji, I felt unique. I was the sole Sikh in the university and I was bestowed leadership. I was proud,” he said.

On Sikhi and himself, he said: “I used to trim my beard. When I studied Banda Singh Bahadur, and saw the movie of Chaar Sahibzaade (the children of Guru Gobind Singh), I felt a sense of pride and I decided not to trim my beard. That inspired me to maintain my hair.”

Manit had also not joined any of the Sikh camps regularly organised in Bangkok. When asked if he would be keen to attend, he said: “I don’t know much about the Sikh community in Thailand. I heard about the camps about two years ago. I may attend it.”

 

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

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[The fastest way to reach Asia Samachar is by sending us a Facebook message. For obituary announcements, click here]

Indian ‘godman’ Gurmeet Ram Rahim found guilty of rape

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| India | 26 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh: Dera Sacha Sauda head – Photo / Dera Facebook

Controversial religious figure Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was yesterday (25 Aug 2017) convicted of raping two women followers in 2002 in a case that gripped India, especially the states of Haryana and Punjab.

The head of the Dera Sacha Sauda has been arrested and will be sentenced on Monday (28 Aug), according to reports.

At least 30 people have died in riots and arson attacks that have broken out across two states in northern India after a flamboyant spiritual leader was convicted of raping two of his female followers.

The Indian army was deployed in the city of Panchkula on Friday shortly after the court found the self-styled “godman” guilty of sexual assault.

Electricity supplies, mobile internet and cable television had been cut in parts of Haryana and Punjab states before the verdict as up to 200,000 members of the sect massed in Panchkula in a show of defiance and support.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim, said to be one of the most powerful men in India, runs the 69-year-old sect from its ashram headquarters on a sprawling, 400-hectare (1,000-acre) Haryana property that includes a hotel, cinema, cricket stadium and schools. He claims to have 60 million followers worldwide.

He is one of the 36 people in India who get a VVIP Status and a Z-plus level security cover. In India, security is provided to high-risk individuals by the police and local government. Z category, which is one step below the highest category of Z+, has a security cover of 22 personnel.

His annual income is estimated to be over Rs 60 crore, reports Jansatta. According to an income tax data, in 2010-11 Dera’s income was Rs 165,248,455. In the year 2011-12, it grew to Rs 202,099,999. Moreover, in the 2012-13 year, it touched Rs 290,818,760.

The cult enjoys tax exemption from Income Tax Department under Section 10(23) in The Income Tax Act.1995, according to one media report.

He has used his position to launch an acting and singing career. Also known as Rockstar Baba, the trailer for his movie MSG received over 1.5 million views within a week of its release.He starred, produced, and scripted in five movies.

Business Today, an Indian publication, captures the story of his wealth in an article entitled ‘Ram Rahim’s income: With no need to pay taxes, the self-styled godman’s earnings are unimaginable’.

Extracts from the article:

Ram Rahim is the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, which was started in 1948 by ascetic Mastana Balochistani. The Dera Sacha Sauda describes itself as ”spiritual organisation”.

The sect claims to have more than sixty million followers, mostly Dalit Sikhs. Baba Ram Rahim has a massive following, especially in Punjab and Haryana. He was born in Ganganagar in Rajasthan on August 15, 1967. He was born in a farmer’s family.
The sect has property worth over billions of rupees. According to a report in The Financial Express, Dera had daily income of Rs 16,44,833 three years ago.

It cites a Jansatta report which says in 2010-11, Dera’s income was Rs 165,248,455. In the year 2011-12, it grew to Rs 202,099,999. Moreover, in the 2012-13, it touched Rs 290,818,760.

Dera Sacha Sauda and the organisations related to it enjoy tax exemption under Section 10(23) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

The Dera Sacha Sauda has been involved in public service activities such as large-scale blood donation camps and rehabilitation centres.

The self-styled godman has also directed and acted in movies such as MSG: The Messenger of God, MSG 2 the Messenger, Jattu Engineer, Hind Ka NaPak Ko Jawab and MSG The Warrior Lion Heart .

Baba was the lead choreographer, singer, director and producer in these movies. The Baba has also released several albums glorifying himself which have been welcomed by his followers.

Singh is a man of style and owns a Range Rover SUV and usually has a convoy of 100 vehicles following him. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is one of the 36 people in India who get a VVIP Status and a Z level security cover.

The Baba ranked 96th in the Indian Express list of 100 most powerful Indians in 2015. In a report then, the newspaper said, “Besides having five crore devotees, he has sold over 10 million CDs of his album Love Charger and has turned filmmaker-actor. His debut film, MSG, released amidst much hype. Politicians from Punjab and Haryana seek his blessings before polls.

He got BJP to sign an affidavit supporting his social work before he lent them support in the Haryana polls. He is shooting the MSG sequel and has said he would adopt acid attack victims to help them.”

In 2007, Ram Rahim mocked the 10th guru of Sikhs – Guru Gobind Singh by dressing up like him. This led to violent clashes between Sikhs and Dera Sacha Sauda followers.

Several districts of Punjab were placed under curfew for around 10 days.

The case for which the Baba is in news today is related to the sexual exploitation of two female followers of Dera Sacha Sauda. In 2002, these followers sent an anonymous letter to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, accusing the dera chief of sexual abuse.

Consequently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a CBI probe into the incident on September 2002.

 

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

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[The fastest way to reach Asia Samachar is by sending us a Facebook message. For obituary announcements, click here]

Teacher Sanwal Dhami captures stories of partition survivors

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| India / Pakistan | 25 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |

When Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, the state of Punjab probably suffered the most in what has been called the Partition. Sikhs living on the now Pakistan side of Punjab migrated towards the Indian side of Punjab, while millions of Muslims moved the other way. In the process, numerous atrocities were reported. At the same time, there were also many heroic stories where people assisted each other, going beyond their religious identity.

Sanwal Dhami, a teacher from Hoshiarpur, has been going door to door to document the stories of survivors of Partition, which he shares via the Youtube.

“Many people have told me that I am the first one who came asking for their stories in 70 years. The worst thing about these stories is how humanity was completely forgotten at that time. And yet there were a few who risked their lives to help others,” he told CNN-News18 in an interview.

https://youtu.be/W2KDtA7-kM4

This month marks 70 years since the division of British India, a move which created an independent India and Pakistan and is known as the Partition. At the stroke of midnight between August 14 and 15, 1947, British rule ended and the two separate nations were created, reports ITV.

“The partition was outlined in the Indian Independence Act 1947 and, as a result, millions of people were forced to leave their homes to move to the other state in the largest mass migration in human history. As more than 10 million people sought to cross into the other state, an unprecedented refugee crisis was created.

“This also had the affect of sparking violence and riots between Hindus and Muslims, with up to one million people being killed. The western region of Punjab was particularly badly affected, as this had been cut in two by the new border, which became known as the Radcliffe Line, named after its architect, Sir Cyril Radcliffe. This border was not officially unveiled until two days after partition, on August 17, 1947. Many believe the rushed nature of the partition process was a reason for the violence,” according to the report.

 

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

RELATED STORIES:

Indians in Malaya (Asia Samachar, 22 June 2017)

Three main phases of Sikh immigration into Malaya (Asia Samachar, 17 May 2017)

Jagir Kaur survived bloody Punjab partition in her 20s (Asia Samachar, 30 Aug 2016)

 

[The fastest way to reach Asia Samachar is by sending us a Facebook message. For obituary announcements, click here]

UK charity commission issues warning to Coventry gurdwara

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| Coventry, UK | 25 Aug 2017 | Asia Samachar |

The UK Charity Commission has issued an ‘official warning’ to a Coventry gurdwara for supposedly exposing its members and its trustees to ‘an undue risk of harm by virtue of repeated disruption on charity premises such that a police presence has been required on a regular basis’.

This was one of the four reasons listed in its two-page letter issued yesterday (24 Aug 2017) against the Charity Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash, Coventry. See here.

Among others, the commission has asked the gurdwara trustees to ensure its premises is not exposed to undue risk and is managed in accordance with the charity’s policies and regulations.

“The Commission has engaged with the Charity and has provided regulatory advice and guidance which has not been followed,” it said in the letter.

Last year, the same commission announced that it had opened a statutory inquiry into the education charity, Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar, after it failed to file any accounts for the last two financial years.

SEE ALSO:UK commission investigates Sikh charity over ‘serious financial mismanagement’ claims 

The commission registers and regulates charities in England and Wales to ensure that the public can support charities with confidence.

Third Sector, a UK publication the voluntary and not-for-profit sector, quoted an unnamed gurdwara spokesman as saying: “We are working with the Charity Commission to rectify any concerns that have been raised and once that has been turned around we are hoping to work with them to support other charities.”

In the Coventry incident, one of alleged ‘breach of trust or duty or other misconduct or mismanagement’ levelled against the gurdwara was that the trustees had failed to work collectively and to implement agreed decisions.

The commission also said the trustees had also failed to make decisions which are in the interests of the charity only.

The commission also said the trustees have failed to manage charity property responsibly or in accordance with agreed policies and procedures.

In particular it listed out the following four points: a. Failing to use Charity premises in accordance with the agreed policies and procedures; b. Failing to ensure proper and fair access to its premises; c. Undertaking unauthorised expenditure on activities and failing to take adequate steps to address the risks posed to charity’s assets; and, d. Failing to take adequate steps to prevent the circulation of views or material that were or could be seen to be inappropriately political or extremist in nature on its premises.

The commission has listed out a number of actions that it ‘considers should be taken to rectify the misconduct or mismanagement or breach of trust’.

The commission expects the trustees to make and implement collective and lawful decisions about the management and administration of the charity in the interests of the charity only. They are also to ensure that the charity’s assets are managed responsibly.

Among others, the gurdwara has been asked to regularise the use of, and ensuring fair access to, the its prayer hall and associated facilities, having particular regard to the legal duties under the Equalities Act 2010.

The gurdwara has also been asked to regularise any unauthorised activity or payments made by or on behalf of the charity.

It also been asked to ensure that ‘any premises held or used by the Charity, any online facilities and any other material used or provided by the Charity, are not or do not appear to be in support of any inappropriate political or extremist ideologies or organisations.’

 

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]

RELATED STORIES:

Disabled Sikhs make headway for their rights in UK gurdwara (Asia Samachar, 21 Feb 2017)

UK commission investigates Sikh charity over ‘serious financial mismanagement’ claims (Asia Samachar, 20 May 2016)

[The fastest way to reach Asia Samachar is by sending us a Facebook message. For obituary announcements, click here]

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