Latest Breaking News from Punjab:Tuesday 3rd July 2007

Khalsa Action Committee SGPC refuses to recognise it The SGPC chief said some Sikh leaders were trying to further their political interests by floating such committees.

Fatehgarh Sahib, Differences between the SGPC and the Khalsa Action Committee today came to the fore as SGPC chief Avtar Singh stated that they would not recognise the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC).
Stating that it was the prerogative of the SGPC to safeguard the religious interests of the Sikh community, The SGPC chief said some Sikh leaders were trying to further their political interests by floating such committees. He said though the committee was maintaining that it was following the directives issued by Akal Takht, the manner in which it was coming up with a different programme contradicted their claims.
He was here to preside over a meeting of the SGPC’s executive committee. He further said they would be meeting the union home minister on July 9 and submit a memorandum regarding the pending issues that fall under the purview of the Central government. He said the issue of the dera chief’s arrest would also be discussed with him.
The SGPC chief said a delegation of the SGPC would soon visit Dera Baba Nanak in Lahore to prepare a report on the renovation of the historical Sikh shrine. He said the delegation would also work on the modalities with regard to the completion of a 400-room guest house there.

Two dera followers beaten up
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Bathinda, Chanan Singh and his son Baldev Singh, Dera Sacha Sauda followers, were beaten up by 10 persons in Lal Singh Basti here today evening.
Police sources said they received multiple injuries. They were beaten up when coming to the town from nearby Naruana village.
Sources added two of 10 attackers had been identified and a case registered in this connection.

Punjab Police Looted Sikh Library in Fatehgarh Sahib

(Fatehgarh Sahib) : Three days back Bhai Daljit Singh was in Talwara Village situated at some distance from here for inauguration of a Sikh Library established in the memory of great Sikh Shaheed of 20th Century, Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale. But today Punjab Police rushed in the same village not to have books issued for them not to donate books but to loot the library. Punjab Police Personnel belonging to this district came to the library last evening and took away all books with them forcibly. Thin information is provided by S. Mandhir Singh, a young Sikh leader and ex-president of Sikh Students Federation. He accused the police for excess and claimed that all book at the Library are published in Punjab by named publishers and most of them are written by prominent Sikh and other authors. These books are available on every book shop and there is no reason for taking books to police custody from library. He claimed that Police has no right to do so and must return the books. A memorandum to this regard has been submitted to DC of Fatehgarh Sahib.


Joshi triggers row by saying no difference between tenth Guru's writings and Vedas

New Delhi: Senior leader of Akali Dal's alliance partner BJP, Murli Manohar Joshi, has created new trouble for the Akalis by insisting that there is no difference between what Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, preached and what Vedas and Upnishads say.
Significantly, the remarks were no off the cuff statements which are routine but were part of a piece published in the RSS mouthpiece 'Organiser'. Joshi seems to have made the remarks while releasing the Hindi translation of Zafarnamah, the Guru's "letter of victory" to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
There is a dispute over many portions of the Dasam Granth, or the collective writings of Guru Gobind Singh, with a large number of Sikh scholars saying they were not authored by him because they are themed on "avtaarvaad", or incarnation, a concept rejected in the faith. The issue is pending before the Akal Takht, the highest seat of Sikhism, over the past many years.
Punjab's Ajit newspaper prominently published the story on page one quoting from Organizer. Even a newspaper as left wing as The Hindu also took note of Joshi's indiscretion.
An meeting of the executive committee of the SGPC, technically known as the interim committee, is scheduled to take place on Monday where the issue of Murli Manohar Joshi's remarks may come up.
Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Paramjit Singh Sarna, condemning Joshi's stance, urged the SGPC and CM Parkash Singh Badal to take up the matter with the senior leadership of the BJP. He said the RSS was in the habit of routinely making such statements.
In the past, Badal and his ilk have always sought to downplay such remarks in order to escape any controversy that may arise out of a tough posturing.

SGPC to take dera issue to Centre

Fatehgarh Sahib: A SHIROMANI Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee delegation would meet Union Home Minister on July 9 over the Dera Sacha Sauda issue. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar today told ENS that the dera issue and other pending issues of the SGPC that fall under the purview of the Union government would be discussed in detail, so that peace may prevail in the state and no "Sikh feels cheated".
Makkar expressed these views after presiding over the executive committee meeting of the SGPC at Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib that was also attended by Raghujit Singh Virk, senior vice-president of SGPC, and Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, general secretary.
He added that Z-Plus security to Dera Sacha Sauda chief and other issues related with the dera would be discussed with the Union ministry. "Several issues like Sikh reference library issue and foreign Sikhs in SGPC would also be discussed with the Union Home Minister,” he claimed, adding that the Union government is not taking the issue of Sikh Reference Library seriously.
Answering a query on challenging of interim bail of the dera chief in the Supreme Court, Makkar said the SGPC would consult legal experts in this regard.
He said the SGPC did not recognise the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) that had been constituted to spearhead the agitation against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief. He said it was the prerogative of the SGPC to safeguard the religious interests of the Sikh community. "Some Sikh leaders were trying gain political mileage by floating such committees. Though the KAC maintaining that it follows directives issued by the Akal Takht, the manner in which it was coming up with its own programmes contradicts the claims,” he added.
Speaking about the remarks made by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who has equated the teachings of Guru Gobind Singh with that of Vedas and Upanishads, Makkar said such statements should not be issued by anybody.
On the possibility of summoning of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Paramjit Singh Sarna to Akal Takht because of his links with Dera Sacha Sauda, Makkar said he would not comment on it and only the Akal Takht Jathedar can give a suitable reply.
About the SGPC executive committee decisions, Makkar said the committee decided that all employees would be retired at the age of 58 years. He said this would be strictly followed and those employees who are working over the age of 58 in SGPC would be terminated within two months. He said no extension would be given to retired SGPC employees.

SAD(Amritsar) up in arms against seizure of Bhindrawala books from Gurdawara libary

FATEHGARH SAHIB: The activists of Shiromani Akali Dal(Amritsar) led by Simranjit Singh Mann are up in the arms against Punjab government following Punjab police raid in a liberary in village Talwara and seizure of certain books related to Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala and other Sikh martyrs.
The police reportedly conducted the raid on July 2. The library was recently inaugurated by SAD (Amritsar) senior vice president Daljit Singh Bittu.
SAD (Amritsar) activists are up in arms against the police action and submitted memorandum to Deputy Commissioner and demanded registration of case under section 295-A of the IPC against Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Darshan Singh.
While addressing a press conference SAD (Amritsar) senior leaders Emann Singh Mann and Bhai Mandhir Singh Kang in the presence of SGPC members Ravinder Singh Khalsa, Bibi Surinder Kaur informed that Daljit Singh Bittu inaugurated library at village Talwara Gurdwara on June 29 in the presence of all prominent persons of ten villages and a medical check up camp was also organized.
They said that apart from religious books related with Guru Granth Sahib, some books related with Operation Blue Star, Damdami Taksal, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were also kept in the library. They said that these books were never banned by Punjab government or any other government and general public can buy these books easily in market.
They alleged that Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Darshan Singh along with a police party forcibly entered the Gurdwara in police uniform on July 2 evening and took away several books and pictures from there. They said that around 10 policemen had come to village Talwara in morning and different police parties remained present in the village till late evening. They said that around 5.30 PM SHO Darshan Singh had come to village and searched the Gurdwara library in presence of prominent citizens of the village.
They said that earlier a false case was registered against Daljit Singh Bittu on the statement of Fatehgarh Sahib SHO Darshan Singh, who himself now included in the ‘sacrilege’ act. They said that pictures of ‘Sikh martyr’, which was forcibly taken away by police had already declared ‘martyrs’ by Akal Takht, their death anniversary functions also observed every year at Akal Takht and their pictures are also available in Central Sikh Museum, Amritsar.
They said that they had taken up the matter with senior leadership of the party to decide future course of action. They said that the party would adopt proper legal procedure.