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Tel: 905-670-1522, Fax: 416-661-7273 Vol.9 , No. 1090 Thursday, August 04, 2011 19 Savan , Nanaksahi Calendar 543
www.SikhPress.ca
T: 905-670-1522 - editor@SikhPress.ca
Harper questions NDP!
HAMILTON, Ont. — Prime Minister
Stephen Harper is questioning the NDP's
commitment to Canada following revela-
tions interim leader Nycole Turmel is a
former card-carrying member of the sep-
aratist Bloc Quebecois.
Joining the chorus of criticism
against Turmel, Harper said today that
Canadians expect that any political party
that wants to run the country be "unequiv-
ocally committed" to it.
Turmel confirmed Tuesday that
she was a member of the Bloc for more
than four years before returning her mem-
bership in January, a few months before
the federal election.
She also said she was a member of
provincial sovereigntist group Quebec
Solidaire, but plans to send her card back.
While Turmel says she's never
been a separatist, Harper says he thinks
Canadians will be disappointed to hear of
her association with the groups.
Turmel was named last week as
Jack Layton's replacement while he fights
cancer. Harper made the comments
Wednesday after announcing the recipi-
ents of the 2011 Vanier Canada Graduate
Scholarships at McMaster University in
Hamilton. "I think it's very disappoint-
ing," Harper said when asked about
Turmel after the announcement. "I don't
know that I have a lot to say but I do think
Canadians will find this disappointing. I
think Canadians expect that any political
party that wants to govern the country be
unequivocally committed to this country.
I think that's the minimum Canadians ex-
pect." But the New Democrats say the
Tories are in no position to criticize any-
one. "Knowing that ... Conservative min-
ister Denis Lebel was an active member
of the Bloc Quebecois and that Maxime
Bernier was a political aide to former pre-
mier Bernard Landry who made all em-
ployees declare their loyalty to an
independent Quebec, we wonder why
politicians who live in glass houses are
throwing stones," the party said in a news
release Tuesday.
Turmel, 68, said she got a Bloc
membership card in support of friend Ca-
role Lavallee, a Bloc MP who was de-
feated in the May 2 election after
representing the Saint-Bruno--Saint-
Hubert riding since 2004.
Courageous Journalism02 August 04, 2011
THE BLACK LAWS: CHARTERS OF SLAVERY
A DISILLUSIONMENT
When the British tried to crush
Indian dissent by passing more drastic
black laws like the Rowleatt Act in 1919,
Gandhi gave a call of 'Satyagraha' and it
was Punjab which gave the most power-
ful and militant resistance to such alien
repression showing remarkable Hindu-
Muslim-Sikh unity. The historical Jal-
lianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar took
place on 13th April 1919 which formed
a turning point in Indo-British relations
almost as important as the mutiny of
1857. Stanley Wolpert comments, "... On
April 13, 1919, Amritsar (Nectar of Im-
mortality), a city sacred to the Sikhs of
the Punjab, was transformed shortly be-
fore sundown into India's first national
urban shrine." (Jinnah of Pakistan by
Stanley Wolpert, page 64).Martial law
was promulgated in Amritsar, Lahore and
a number of districts in Punjab on 15th
April 1919. Special Courts and summary
courts were appointed. Arrests, impris-
onment and executions on a big scale
took place. Martial Law lasted from
15.4.1919 to 11.6.1919 during which
whole of Punjab was isolated from rest
of the world by a rigid censorship.Those
who suffered and faced gallows during
freedom struggle in Punjab resisting
British repression could never have
imagined that Punjab would have to face
again the same kind of repressive laws,
even more drastic, in free India against
which they were revolting! It is a sad
commentary on the functioning of Indian
democracy that the same kind of repres-
sive laws which used to be condemned as
Charters of Slavery during British time
are being enacted in one form or other in
free India. Though Indian Penal Code
and other laws already provide for all
kinds of offences like, sedition, waging
war against the Government and acts of
Terrorism, the Maintenance of Internal
Security Act, popularly known as MISA,
was passed in 1971 with the avowed ab-
ject of preserving national security, but
we know how this Act was used against
political parties, Trade Union workers
and other innocent activists.The same
government of free India has now passed
the National Security Act, 1980; the Pun-
jab Disturbed Areas Ordinance, 1983;
Armed Forces (Punjab & Chandigarh),
Special Powers Act, 1983; The Terrorist
Affected Areas (Special Courts) Act,
1984 and the Terrorist and Disruptive Ac-
tivities (Prevention) Act, 1985. Our in-
vestigation has revealed that these Acts
are being widely used in depriving the
people of Punjab of their civil liberties
and fundamental rights and have given a
free hand to the police and other Para
military forces to torture and harass the
simple village folks for ulterior purposes.
NATIONAL SECURITY ACT 1980
In spite of the harrowing experi-
ence of MISA, the present ruling party
passed the National Security Act in De-
cember 1980. The object and reasons
proclaimed for the said Act were:1. In the
prevailing situation of communal dishar-
mony, social tensions, extremist activi-
ties, industrial unrest and increased
tendency on the part of various interested
parties to engineer agitation on different
issues, it was considered necessary that
the law and order situation in the country
is tackled in a most determined and ef-
fective way. The anti-social and anti-na-
tional elements including secessionists,
communal and pro-caste elements and
also other elements that adversely influ-
ence and affect the services essential to
the community pose a grave challenge to
the lawful authority and sometimes even
hold the society to ransom. 2. Consider-
ing the complexity and nature of the
problems, particularly in respect of de-
fense, security, public order and services
essential to the community, it is the con-
sidered view of the Government that the
administration would be greatly handi-
capped in dealing effectively with the
same in the absence of powers of preven-
tive detention.Through this Act the Gov-
ernment acquired powers for preventive
detention of such persons who posed a
threat to the defense or security of India
and maintenance of public order. How-
ever, the developments from 1980 to
1984 shows how the Government tackled
the deteriorating law and order situation
in the country, in spite of its resolve to
tackle the same 'in a more determined
and effective way'. The activities of Sant
Bhindranwale and his various associates
were well known to the Government but
the National Security Act was never re-
voked against him. But how more dra-
conian amendments were made in it after
Blue Star Operation and how the same
were used against innocent citizens will
be seen subsequently.
BLUE STAR OPERATION & RIGID
CENSORSHIP
Then came the Blue Star Opera-
tion, and rigid censorship was imposed
in Punjab. There was no independent
and reliable source of news about the
happenings in Punjab. The rest of India
and the world could know about the sit-
uation in Punjab only through the gov-
ernment sponsored news. Any journalist
or other independent person, who tried to
discover the truth, was charged with sedi-
tion. There is the case of Brahma Chel-
laney, Correspondent, and Associated
Press of American who was arrested and
is now being persecuted by the Govern-
ment for reporting unpalatable news
about the official conduct. At the start of
the Blue Star Operation, a large number
of foreign and Indian journalists had
been rounded up and forced to leave Am-
ritsar in a military convoy. A party to the
dispute became its own witness and its
own judge in its own case.If the Govern-
ment's intentions were honest and it had
nothing to hide, then why did it not allow
independent observers, journalists and
other neutral persons to watch with their
own eyes as to how the conflict between
the two sides developed and how both of
them conducted themselves during the
course of the attack? Even during inter-
national wars and battles journalists are
allowed to cover the same, but in this
Blue Star Operation by the Indian Army
against its own citizens, majority of them
being innocent pilgrims--the Govern-
ment did not allow any neutral journalist
or newsman. In such circumstances, the
following portion of the eye witness ac-
count given by the 'girl student' who was
trapped in the Golden Temple along with
her family becomes significant:"...I could
not drink the water because it was mixed
with blood. Immediately then Bhai
Amrik Singh sent us a message that all of
'you must try to get out of the golden
Temple because you are innocent. If you
are captured by the army, they would not
spare you because whosoever is captured
by them--whether boy, girl, old or child,
would be a terrorist for them and would
be shot. Therefore you must try to get
out somehow so there would be some-
body to tell outside as to what actually
happened inside. They are making so
much false propaganda about us and
therefore you must get out to tell the real
truth".During this rigid censorship all
kinds of wildest and exaggerated rumors
spread in Punjab as well as outside. We
already had such experience of 'rumor
mongering’ during Emergency. While
All India Radio and Television blurted
out the government propaganda, which
no Sikh would believe, the newspapers-
-national or local--had no independent
source of information to provide to the
public. In the absence of any reliable
source of information, the Sikh and non-
Sikh opinions stood divided on opposite
extremes. The Sikh masses were led to
believe that the government had com-
pletely destroyed the Harmandir Sahib
and occupied it and had deliberately in-
sulted Guru Granth Sahib by defiling and
burning it. The other news like destruc-
tion of Akal Takht and killing of innocent
pilgrims were accompanied by all sorts
of exaggerations. Resentment and anger
began to develop fast and Akali Dal gave
a call to the Sikh masses to organize into
'Jathas' and march to Amritsar to liberate
Golden Temple from the clutches of the
'Satanic forces'. In the words Swarn
Singh, aged 65 years and Sarpanch of
Jefferwal village: "Meanwhile Akali Dal
had given a call to liberate premises of
Golden Temple and Morcha had to be
started from 17.7.1984 for this purpose.
There were large number of arrests on the
eve of this and I was also arrested on
14.7.1984 under section 107/151/IPC
and was kept in the Gurdaspur Jail for 15
days and then bailed out."The news of
the attack on the Golden Temple, the ru-
mors of destruction of Harmandir Sahib
and defiling of Guru Granth Sahib had a
traumatic effect on the Sikh soldiers. The
training and traditions of the Sikh Regi-
ments are nurtured on religious tenets
and before being inducted into the Army
as a trained soldier, a Sikh has to take the
oath of allegiance by physically touching
with both hands the Guru Granth Sahib.
Lest a Sikh soldier falter in keeping his
vow to die fighting in the thick of the bat-
tle for the honor of the country, the Guru
Granth Sahib accompanies the battalion
into the battle-field. And the same Guru
Granth Sahib, the Sikh soldier was in-
formed, was now being trampled upon
under the booted feet of the Indian Army
inside the Golden Temple and other Gu-
rudwaras in Punjab. Many of them went
out of their mind and started to march to
the golden Temple to defend their faith,
without which their very existence
seemed meaningless to them.Bhindran-
wale became a sort of martyr in the eyes
of the Sikh masses--not because he ex-
tolled violence and terrorism, but be-
cause he had died fighting in defending
their faith. Folk-songs eulogizing the
brave fight given by Bhindranwale and
his associates, and atrocities committed
by the Indian Army during the attack on
the golden Temple began to be sung in
the villages and cities. The folk-song
named 'SAKA' sung by famous Nabha
ladies, who were arrested later on, be-
came very popular. The song narrated as
to how the Sikhs had sacrificed most for
the freedom of this country and how they
were being killed by bullets and cannon
fire, and if they wanted to save their pu-
gree and beard, they had to stand and
fight.As the peoples movement began to
gather strength, the Government retali-
ated by passing the more brutal and dra-
conian laws like the Amendments in the
N.S.A. and the Terrorist Affected Areas
(Special Courts) Act, 1984.
AMENDMENTS IN THE NA-
TIONAL SECURITY ACT
The National Security Amend-
ment Ordinance No. 5 was issued in
April 1984 by which a detenu may re-
main in jail for fifteen days without
knowing the reasons of his arrest and
without having any effective remedy be-
cause the period of furnishing the
grounds of detention was extended to 15
days. Further the procedure for submis-
sion of the case of the detenu was
amended in such a way that a detenu will
undergo imprisonment for a period of six
months before his detention could be
found unjustified by the Advisory
Board.The National Security Amend-
ment Ordinance was issued in June 1984
by which Section 5-A was introduced in
the Act which provided even if detention
order is based on several grounds; it shall
be deemed to have been made separately
on each of such grounds. Thus the de-
tenu now has to challenge each of the
ground of detention in order to get him-
self acquitted. Another important
amendment in this ordinance is that after
the revocation or expiry of a detention
order, another detention order can be is-
sued even if no fresh facts have arisen,
provided that total period of detention
does not exceed one year.Thus the Gov-
ernment acquired arbitrary and repres-
sive powers in its hands by the above
amendments in the said National Secu-
rity Act. The government officials
started arresting the people at their
whims and fancy, and there was almost
no check on their arbitrary actions.Fol-
lowing are the few examples of the arbi-
trary manner in which the National
Security Act is used.(a) Giani Puran
Singh, who is a Granthi at Akal Takht
was arrested in FIR No 263/84 on
30.9.1984 under section 124 and 153A
and he was released on bail after three
months. He was again rearrested after
one month and is still in Amritsar jail.
He was involved with 10 others in the
said case but none of them was named in
the said FIR.(b) Mrs. Rajinder Kaur,
President, Stri Akali Dal, Punjab, made a
speech on 14.9.1984 in a Gurdwara in
which she said, "...We want a place
where Sikhs could have breath of free-
dom." Then she asked people to raise
their hands if they approved of such a
place. One lady Mrs. Harbhajan Kaur
Khalsa raised her hand. She was arrested
under the National Security Act, though
Bibi Rajinder kaur was not arrested. She
was able to get bail only in February
1985.(c) Shri. G.S. Grewal, Advocate,
Shri Manjit Singh Khera and Shri Jogin-
der Singh Sahni attended a small meeting
in a Gurdwara in Chandigarh on
8.6.1984. Students felt agitated and they
wanted to take out a procession. These
three and some other elderly persons
were persuading them not to do so. Dur-
ing his speech Shri G.S. Grewal said,
"...The weapons which are being shown
by the army are not likely to be the ones
used by the terrorists. In that case there
would have been more resistance than
they are telling us. We must rehabilitate
(Cont.. to page no 6)
The government has created following set of laws to suppress, torture and
kill innocent Sikh men, women and children. Clearly, the current Indian
government is much worse than the 18th century Mughal Empire.
Sikh Press Special
August 04, 2011Courageous Journalism
THE SIKH WAR CODE, ITS SPIRITUAL INSPIRATION AND IMPACT ON HISTORYGURTEJ SINGH, IAS & IPS (FORMERLY)PROFESSOR OF SIKHISM
It was Guru Nanak who laid down the
basic rules that must govern the waging
of war by his disciples. Besides pointing
out the code of conduct in conflicts, he
also spoke about the mental equipment,
spiritual training and self discipline of a
soldier. He is again the one who defines
what makes conflict legitimate, the ex-
tent to which it is to be pursued by indi-
vidual soldiers and armies and the
purpose to be achieved by waging war.
He talks of brave knights and martyrs
being honoured at Akalpurakh’s Court
(tithe jodh mahabal soor). Bhai Gurdas,
one of his earliest biographers, calls the
Guru a ‘roaring lion’ and a ‘conquering
hero.’ He goes on to commemorate him
in a ballad composed in the form of a
Vaar that is normally employed to eulo-
gise knights and to immortalise battles
and victories. The ideal human of Guru
Arjun’s concept is ‘Akalpurakh’s cham-
pion.’ (haun gosain ka pehalwanra) The
mental and physical training required of
a spiritually developed person is aimed
at imbibing the attributes of God which
the Guru has revealed. The incessant
striving to acquire these virtues and mak-
ing them a part of individual character is
defined as salvation. Thereafter, always
standing up for the implementation of the
Divine Will, as revealed in the Guru’s
word, is all that remains to make salva-
tion an eternal reality. Of the greatest im-
portance, perhaps, is also the method by
which salvation is to be achieved as well
as the nature of evil that was to be over-
come in the process. It is possible to trace
all this in the utterances of Guru Nanak.
Succeeding Gurus and other holy persons
(bhagta), whose word was accepted as
part of the final Sikh scripture, appear to
be in accord with the Guru’s thought.
Therefore it is pertinent recall the con-
duct of Sikh armies and soldiers engaged
in actual warfare, with a view to knowing
the extent to which the rules, so meticu-
lously codified, were followed.
2. In the opening verse of Guru
Granth, Guru Nanak lays down, amongst
others, the three most important attrib-
utes of the Creator that went a long way
in motivating his followers’ conduct dur-
ing war. These are: ‘The Ultimate Reality
is 1,’ S/He is fearless and has no enmity.’
The use of the numeral is deliberate and
is meant to convey absolute oneness. ‘It
is not my one God’ that the Guru be-
lieved in but the only One for all cre-
ation. The effect of this belief translates
into fearless combat in battlefield and hu-
mane treatment of the defeated. Guru
Nanak’s ideal devotee of the Divne is one
who is so ‘enthusiastic’ about playing the
‘game of love’ that he is prepared to stake
his life in the venture (to ‘carry his head
on the palm of his hand.’) A person must
think nothing of making the ultimate sac-
rifice while walking on the spiritual path.
(je tau prem khelan ka chaou sir dhar tali
gali mori aao).
3. The Guru expects his follow-
ers not to shirk battle for a worthy cause.
The cause has been defined clearly. It is
the Creator’s Will that absolute justice
should pervade all human institutions,
that everyone must enjoy the freedom of
worship and to preserve ones human dig-
nity. This is the basis of the Sikh political
thought in Guru Granth. Akalpurakh dis-
approves of oppression (har jio hankar
naa bhaaviee) born of impulse of aggres-
sion. In his Babarvani verses, Guru
Nanak expounds the theory that it is nec-
essary for a spiritually oriented person to
physically resist evil-doers. He de-
nounces the Lodhis who failed to protect
the women of Hind and its culture. The
conclusion is that the
devotees who strive
for spiritual progress
must resist oppression
to express their love
for Him. Physical re-
sistance to evil is
therefore necessary for
a person having spiri-
tual aspirations. This is
the ‘righteous cause’
that must be pursued
‘to the point of court-
ing martyrdom (mar se
mansa sooria hak hai
je hoe marahe par-
vano).’ Defining the
righteous cause more
explicitly, Guru Arjun told Adit Soini,
‘while engaged in battle, contemplate on
Akalpurakh, Who destroys evil-doers;
fight an ethical battle on behalf of the op-
pressed poor.’[i] The same idea is con-
tained in the verses of Kabir included in
the scripture. ‘Truly brave is one who
fights for the deprived,’ says the Bhagat.
(soora so pehchanie jo lare deen ke het).
While engaged in this pious duty, the bat-
tlefield must never be abandoned. (purja
purja kat marai kbhun na chhade khet).
4. We learn from literature other
than the scripture that the succeeding
Gurus blessed professional soldiers and
encouraged them to develop the right
kind of attitude towards warlike engage-
ments. Guru Angad, the second Nanak,
for instance, laid down an important rule
of warfare when he told a military-man
Mallu Shahi, ‘do not initiate a quarrel
with any one. If a battle is imposed upon
you, do not give thought to whether you
are well or ill equipped, enter the
fray.’[ii] While wanton aggression is
never justified, it is immoral to avoid war
‘at any cost.’ But even when engaged in
battle, the all-important discipline to con-
form to is that there should be no vio-
lence at heart. Guru Arjun advised Tiloka
Suhar, who was a soldier in the Mughal
army, ‘do not be violent at heart but re-
main steadfast in your profession of a
soldier'.[iii] Guru Hargobind, the Sixth
Nanak, fighting a ‘to the finish duel’ with
the Mughal commander Painda Khan on
the battlefield, would not strike first or in
anger. Mohsin Fani recalls an incident in
which the Guru warded off an attacker
and while dealing him a fatal blow
calmly observed, ‘this is how the sword
is wielded.’ He did not forget his primary
duty of a teacher even in those grim cir-
cumstances. The related injunction is
also derived from the famous letter Za-
farnamah (in Persian), supposedly writ-
ten by the Tenth Guru to Aurangzeb. The
oft quoted couplet is to the effect, that
‘when all peaceful strivings is of no
avail, righteousness it is then to grasp the
sword’. These sermons, prescriptions and
acts became the basis of the firm stipula-
tion that weapons were not to be taken up
in anger or with ag-
gressive intent and
only in the last resort.
They are reflected in
theRehatnamas put to-
gether by devoted
Sikhs much later.[iv]
In the Guru’s eyes
nothing makes the
cause more worthy
than the taking up of
weapons only when
every other possibility
of getting justice is ex-
hausted.
5. This attitude
to war also implies hu-
mane treatment of
prisoners of war, the injured, those who
give up confrontation, non-combatants
and the slain. The Tenth Nanak, Gobind
Singh specifically forbade the massacre
of fleeing enemy. This injunction is
based on the Sikh doctrine, that that there
is no ‘other’ among humans, as all derive
origin from the same divine entity, the
common Father/Mother of all. (na ko
bairi nahi begana sagal sang ham ko ban
aiee: sab ko meet ham apna keena ham
sabhna ke sajan).
It further says that evil is the re-
sult of misconception and wrong orien-
tation of the human mind. People are
intrinsically good, not bad. Once they
abandon evil ways or cease to support
evil causes, they must not be molested.
Qazi Nur Muhammad records, `they
never kill a retreating foe.’[v] Karl Marx
thinks that the Sikhs failed to consolidate
their victory over the British at Mudki on
December 21, 1945 because they would
not attack a defeated foe.[vi]
6. An application of the rule re-
lating to prisoners of war is documented
again and again. George Forester records
that the Afghan Prisoners of War were
compelled to clean the mess they created
at the shrine at Amritsar. But, “the Sikhs
– set bounds to impulse of revenge and
though the Afghan massacre and perse-
cution must have been deeply imprinted
on their minds, they did not, -- destroy
one prisoner in cold blood.”[vii] Rattan
Singh Bhangu’s father Rai Singh partic-
ipated in a battle against Jahan Khan, the
Afghan Governor of Sarhind, ‘in the
middle of November 1763 CE.’ Rattan
Singh has constructed the incidents that
happened on the battlefields on the infor-
mation received from his father. He says,
`the Singhs did not attack the enemy sol-
diers who abandoned their weapons.
They sought no revenge for they were the
personification of mercy.’[viii] When,
after a duel with Guru Hagobind, Painda
Khan, who was lying mortally wounded,
repented, the merciful Guru took his head
upon his lap and shielded the sun from
his eyes saying, ‘Painda it is time to re-
peat the ‘kalmia.’ Painda Khan was over-
whelmed by the gesture. His last words
were, ‘now Guru, your sword has be-
come my kalmia.’
In a battle against the King of
Kahlur in about 1711 CE, the Sikh com-
mander in chief Banda Singh Bahadur,
issued a military order, ‘do not pursue a
retreating soldier.’ At the conclusion of
the same battle, Sikh soldiers dug graves
and buried the thirteen hundred dead
since now they were beyond
enmity.[ix]This tradition dates at least
from the time of Guru Gobind Singh who
ordered a decent burial for the dead
enemy after the battle of Mukatsar. The
Sikh Commonwealth faced the greatest
danger from Maulvi Sayyid Ahmed
Brailvi who, with the British support, led
a Jehad against it (1831CE). His head
was cut off by a Sikh soldier who pre-
sented it to Kanwar Sher Singh. He
searched for the Sayyid’s body, retrieved
it from the battlefield, wrapped it in an
expensive shawl and called a Maulvi to
perform the last rites according to the Is-
lamic custom. All his dead companions
were honourably buried. Their leader re-
ceived state honours.[x]
7. Guru Gobind Singh, encour-
aged medical treatment of the injured
enemy, even in the field of battle. He
went to the extent of organising a volun-
teer force headed by Bhai Kanheyia, in
the closing years of the 17th century to
pursue this injunction. A section of the
Sikhs who continue with Bhai Kanheya’s
work of serving others, are organised
today as Sewapanthis.
8. In the above mentioned battle
“Jahan Khan himself took to flight. All
his camp equipage, relatives and depen-
dants fell into the hands of the Sikhs.
‘But as the Sikhs of old would not lay
their hands on women,’ says Ali-ud-Din,
‘they sent them safely to Jammu.’[xi]
The wife of Jahan Khan was amongst the
captured and it was on her wish that safe
journey to Jammu was arranged. A little
later, Sarbuland Khan the military com-
mander of Rohtas was defeated and cap-
tured by Sardar Charhat Singh. “He was
– treated with respect—as a highly
placed Afghan official and as an uncle of
Ahmed Shah.
(Ramaining part in next issue)
[This paper was presented to theGuru Nanak University for publi-cation in response to their invita-tion. It was not published becausethe University did not accept thatGuru Nanak had political con-cerns. This was the primary objec-tion. My view, strengthened by thisepisode, is that certain people inour universities are succumbing tothe diktat of the permanent cul-tural majority to bring Sikhiwithin the ambit of previously pre-vailing culture. In my opinion thiscultural aggression needs to be resisted]
Courageous Journalism04 August 04, 2011
History of Kabaddi Canada CupMetro Punjabi Sports Club founded in the early 1970s in the Greater Toronto
area sensed that Kabaddi was clearly missing something. A sport that spanned
across the globe in Punjabi communities had been predominately viewed as
something played at a professional level in India and England. Punjabi commu-
nities of a sizable number around the world would gather funds to hold sports
festivals that including an amateur exhibition of kabaddi much to the delight of
expatriate Punjabis. As the communities started to grow larger so did the number
of these non-profit organized sports festivals. The highlight of these festivals
from a crowd participation perspective would always be kabaddi.
Metro Punjabi Sports Club widely known to the Greater Toronto Punjabi
Community in the 70s 80s and early 90s as Rexdale Kabaddi Club had a vision
to elevate kabaddi to an international level. It was in 1990 when Mr. Sarwan
Singh Bal (Ramidi) during his visit to Canada, shared this idea of International
tournament during in an interview on then popular Radio show ankhila punjab.
In December 1990, on the occasion of Christmas party hosted by Rexdale
Kabaddi Club, Mr. Sukhminder Singh Hansra told audience of the views of Mr.
Sarwan Singh Bal. He urged everyone in the room to host a world cup. In sharp
and encouraging tone, Mr. Hansra motivated everyone to take this daring step
to promote KABADDI on International Level.
1991, the Rexdale Kabaddi Club transformed in to now known as Metro
Punjabi Sports Club of Canada, gathered their resources and relied on the
support of the business community to put together the very first international
Kabaddi tournament in the world, outside of India. The Punjabi community of
Toronto had never imagined that kabaddi would evolve to become a highly com-
petitive and professional sport in Canada and for that matter around the world.
There were many obstacles to overcome for Metro Punjabi Sports Club
in introducing an international level exposure to the game. Through community
networking, support of the Sikh Canadian business community, Kabaddi organ-
izers around the world and political leaders; Metro Punjabi Sports Club was
successful in creating a legacy for hosting international scale Kabaddi tourna-
ments in Toronto.
The first event of Kabaddi Canada Cup on Saturday August 10th was
covered by wide Mainstream Media including, CTV, CBC and McLean Maga-
zine.
In 1991, there were teams from Canada East (Ontario), Canada West
(British Columbia), India, England, Scotland and USA. The opening ceremony
was done in grand style and mocked a typical official sporting event with the
national anthem being played, formal team introductions, ribbon cutting cere-
mony to name a few. The fans loved every minute of the 8 hour event day.
Children were entertained by clowns and a Bhangra group while parents were
exposed to some of the greatest Kabaddi talent around the world. Unfortunately,
this international event could not be conducted under amateur sports guidelines
as some countries required the acquisition of players from India to enter an
official team. India being the heartland of Kabaddi talent was a rich pool to pick
from for businessmen in countries like USA and England to enter a team. Hence,
with the introduction of paid performance, the country that contributed the most
towards recruiting paid talent had the greatest chance to win. At the end of the
day, USA and their business community brought the best players and was the
winning team of Kabaddi Canada Cup, 1991.
The final match was a thrilling exhibition between the paid Indian stars
of USA and the home bread unpaid team representing India. The fans being
Indian expatriates were cheering for India in an extremely close final match.
There was so much excitement in the air that they showered a relatively un-
known player from India, Angrez Singh (Billa from Faridkot) for his relentless
attacks and earning of points against a world class stop line from USA.
The precedent was set by Metro Punjabi Sports Club through the
Kabaddi Canada Cup to bring a rural sport from Punjab to become a high stake
professional sport- providing many poor athletes from India an opportunity to
be overnight celebrities and become wealthy. Hundreds of players have Metro
Punjabi Sports Club to thank for enabling them to be wealthy sports star in India
and in the global Indian communities.
Metro Punjabi Sports Club held two more consecutive Canada Cups in
1992 and 1993. Both times USA took the cup. in 1994 the Federation of Ontario
Sports and Culturals associations were formed. Each member club was given
opportunity to host Kabaddi Canada Cup. In 1995, first time in the history the
event was taken indoor by Shere Punjab Sports club and others in association.
Kabaddi team from Pakistan also entered in this tournament. Nearly 14, 000
spectators attend this event which became a landmark event in Kabaddi history.
Kabaddi Canada Cups were held consecutively since then.
In 1999, Metro Punjabi Sports Club was given the opportunity by the
Federation to host the Kabaddi Canada Cup. Once again, the members and
volunteers of MPSC set a new stage for kabaddi. For the first time, Judo mats
were used to play on an indoor service. These mats provided much better sup-
port and balance without injury than previously held indoor kabaddi tourna-
ments that were played on carpet foam surfaces. Unlike ever before, the club
introduced each player with a brief bio individually for the benefit of the fans.
A time clock highlighting seconds left per raid increased the level of excitement
for fans. A mixture of pumping music bits with live color commentary was thor-
oughly enjoyed by everyone. Team Canada beat England convincingly in the
1999 finals.
In two weeks, the Shere Punjab Sports club is going to host 21st Kabaddi
Canada Cup at Powerade Center of Brampton Ontario. Under the leadership of
Gurmit Singh Kahlon, a veteran Kabaddi player and a senior member of Ontario
Federation, Shere Punjab Sports Club is known for their organizational skills.
In 21st Kabaddi Canada Cup, there are two women kabaddi teams are
going to participate. A women team from UK army and a women team from
USA is going to be the attraction for this event. Another team to look for is a
team from Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. All players in this team
are Keshadhari. This is first time when SGPC is sending their team to Kabaddi
Canada Cup.
by Martin SinghWith the surprise announcement this past week by Jack Layton that he has been af-
flicted a second time with cancer, I felt it prudent to dedicate this article to him and
the work that he has done for the NDP both as an activist and as leader of the
federal party.
A number of years ago, I had heard about Jack as a progressive thinking coun-
cillor from Toronto. Since first hearing about him, I took some time to learn more
about the accomplishments that he had had during his time in municipal government
in Toronto and later as the President of the Canadian Federation of Municipalities.
His record even at that time was impressive. When Alexa McDonough stepped down
as leader of the federal NDP, I felt that Jack would be the best candidate for the job.
At the time, I had no idea if he was even considering the possibility of running.
Nonetheless, I felt it was important that if he was considering the possibility of run-
ning that he would have support from across the country for his bid.
Given that he had not declared himself as a candidate, there was no leadership
website or contact information available. I searched for his Toronto City Councillor
website and got the contact information for his website. When I called, a very polite
staff worker answered the phone and I said, “Hello, my name is Martin Singh. You
have never met me and I do not live in Jack’s district or even in Toronto. The reason
for my call is that I live in a small village called Musquodoboit Harbour in rural Nova
Scotia and I wanted Jack Layton to know that I would support him if he decided to
run as leader of the federal NDP.” The staff worker thanked me for my call and took
my email address and phone number.
Such was Jack’s appeal that even though he was a councillor from the most
urban of cities in Canada, his appeal could reach across the country and speak to the
imagination of a young man who resides and whose family has resided in rural Nova
Scotia for generations. I was not giving my support to Jack thinking that he was
going to have deep insight into the issues of importance to my community given how
different it was from the community that he represented on Toronto City Council. I
was giving him my support because I believed that he could bring the NDP to power
in the federal government and that the policies that would be enacted as a result of
that win would benefit all Canadians including those who reside in rural communities
similar to my own. As an aside, I was pleasantly surprised to learn shortly after the
beginning of the leadership race that Jack did have a solid understanding of many of
the issues important to rural communities.
At the leadership convention itself, the anticipation was palpable. The dele-
gates who were supporting Jack felt that his team had run a very good campaign and
that he had a very good chance of winning. There was still some question though as
to whether or not he could take the leadership as he would have been the first person
in Canada to make a direct jump from a position in municipal politics to the leadership
of a federal party. After the first round of voting, there was a long delay. Part of this
was felt to be likely due to the fact that this was the first one-member-one-vote lead-
ership election. Along with the fact that there were many ballots to be counted, NDP
members had the option to vote over the Internet and by phone. As time dragged on,
I had a realization that I shared with my friend Ian who was also a delegate for Jack
from Nova Scotia. I told Ian that I felt Jack had won the election on the first ballot
and that the delay was as a result of the party workers having to perform a recount of
the ballots due to the first ballot victory. While I am not sure to this day if that was
in fact the reason why it took so long to count the ballots, we started celebrating on
the convention floor before the final results were released.
In the years since Jack won the leadership, I have been thoroughly impressed
not only with his leadership, but also with the success he has had in reorganising the
structure of the federal NDP itself. While not immediately recognizable to someone
outside the NDP, these structural changes have provided the federal party with a
greater capacity than it has ever had to perform the work necessary to succeed in
winning elections. Jack, we all look forward to your speedy recovery. We wish you
and your family the very best in these difficult times.
Birmingham UK – UNITED SIKHS has been successful last month in securing the
right of care worker Gianroop Singh to wear his Kirpan, a mandatory article of his
faith, after he was initially told by his employer that he had to take it off at his work-
place. After taking Amrit (initiation) this year, Gianroop Singh, formerly Linden Bar-
rington, went to work as normal at a care home run by the Birmingham Council. At
first he did not encounter any problems in regard to the wearing of any of the Panj
Kakaar (five mandatory articles of faith). However, he was eventually informed by
managers that, largely on the grounds of health and safety, he would not be allowed to
wear his Kirpan in the course of his employment. At this point Gianroop Singh con-
tacted UNITED SIKHS, whose legal team took it up as it was a serious breach of his
rights, under both national and international law.“We wrote to the Brooke Street Social
Care Agency that hired Gianroop Singh and the Birmingham Council which own the
care home, citing legal authorities for allowing him to wear his Kirpan. We also drew
their attention to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guidance on Sikh ar-
ticles of faith, which confirmed the rights of health workers to wear their kakaar,” said
Mejindarpal Kaur, UNITED SIKHS Legal Director.
“A few days later, Gianroop’s employment agency, Brooke Street Social Care,
called him for a meeting to give him the good news that he may wear his Kirpan and
that the Birmingham Council had issued a statement in support of it,” she added.
Dear Jack, get well soon
United Sikhs Secure Kirpan Rights of Sikh Care Worker
Martin Singh is a pharmacist and
businessman who resides with his
wife and three children in
Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia.
In the federal NDP, Martin is the
President of the Faith and Social Jus-
tice Commission. Follow Martin’s
new blog on politics and other issues
at www.martinsingh.ca.
05 August 04, 2011 Courageous Journalism
Moving Clean Energy Projects ForwardMcGuinty Government Providing More Stability, Creating Clean Energy Jobs
Norway attacks editorialcartoon stirs controversy
“SARNA” Should Apologies For Violating the Sikh Tenets
An editorial cartoonist in Sydney, N.S.,
has drawn controversy over his cartoon
showing turban-wearing extremists cel-
ebrating Friday's massacre in
Norway.The cartoon didn't go over well
with some
Cape Breton
P o s t
readers.Toby
Morris was at
first puzzled
by what he
found on the
editorial page,
and then out-
raged.Morris
feels the car-
toon is racist
and promotes hatred.
"Why illustrate somebody
wearing a turban, enjoying the fact that
there was a terrorist attack in Norway?
Why not put them in a kilt? I notice they
are not IRA gunman - they still exist,
there still are problems in Ireland with
terrorist attacks - but these are not Irish,
they are not Basque terrorists in northern
Spain."Morris is not alone. So far, the
Cape Breton Post has received four let-
ters of complaint and some angry phone
calls about the cartoon.The man behind
the drawing is Sean Casey, who says he
is surprised that people are upset. He be-
lieves it makes the political point he
wanted to get
across - that ex-
tremists are
alike regardless
of doctrine.He
also believes it
is his job to cre-
ate contro-
versy."If there
is a venue for
an image that
might be despi-
cable or insen-
sitive, that's the editorial cartoon. You
can't do that in a regular newspaper. You
can't be an essayist or columnist and
write stuff like that," said Casey. "A re-
sponsible journalism editorial cartoonist
is supposed to be like a jester in the
king's court who gets away with saying
things - where a regular person would
have their head cut off by the king."The
newspaper is standing behind the car-
toon and the cartoonist.
Ontario is making it easier for energy de-
velopers and manufacturers to do business
in the province. This is part of ongoing ef-
forts to help provide stability and create
jobs in Ontario’s clean energy sector
while protecting
the health and
safety of Ontarians
and the environ-
ment. Changes in-
clude:
A new
stage in the devel-
opment of renew-
able energy
projects that will
provide greater
stability to devel-
opers and manu-
facturers, helping
to create jobs in Ontario:
Developers who are able to
demonstrate a completed Domestic Con-
tent Plan and a manufacturing equipment
agreement will now be able to request a
waiver of the Ontario Power Authority's
termination rights. Projects will still be
required to submit a financing plan, con-
nection impact assessment and obtain all
regulatory approvals before proceeding to
the construction stage.
Improvements to the Renewable
Energy Approvals (REA) process that will
provide greater certainty for developers,
while continuing Ontario's rigorous pro-
tection of the environment and human
health. Based on recent consultations, the
Ministry of Finance has proposed new
rules to provide greater clarity and stabil-
ity to the property tax assessment of re-
newable energy projects.
These changes will further ad-
vance Ontario as the leading destination
for clean energy investment. Ontario’s
clean energy sector has already created
20,000 jobs to date and is on track to cre-
ate 50,000 jobs by the end of 2012.
Fatehgarh Sahib - (Gurinderjit Singh
Peerjain) Objecting to the bestowing of
“siropa” on Rahul Gandhi by Paramjit
Singh Sarna of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara
Management Committee during the inau-
guration of a Sri Tegh Buhadur Memorial,
Karnail Singh Peermohmmad President
All India Sikh Students Federation
(AISSF) requested Akal Takhat Jathedar
Giani Gurbachan Singh to summon
Paramjit Singh Sarna at Akal Takhat and
admonish.
AISSF President stated that Sarna
has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh com-
munity by presenting Siropa to Rahul
Gandhi. Paramjit Singh Sarna’s actions of
pleasing the ruling party leadership are in
complete contradiction to Sri Guru Tegh
Bahadur Singh Ji’s message who gave his
life standing up against the tyrannical
regime, stated Peermohammad. Earlier,
Paramjit Singh Sarna have had Shiela
Dixit inaugurate the beautification project
of Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib against
Sikh tenets.
Sarna brothers are also helping
Kamal Nath who led the attack on Gurud-
wara Rakab Ganj Sahib in November
1984 by keeping Mukhtiar Singh from
testifying in the case filed in New York
court against Kamal Nath.
Following the footsteps of
Parkash Singh Badal, Sarna brothers are
also using their position in Gurudwara
Management Committee to obtain politi-
cal benefits added Peermohammad.AISSF
President appealed to the victims of No-
vember 1984 Sikh Genocide and mem-
bers of Sikh Community of Delhi to
boycott Sarna brothers and force them to
apologize to Akal Takhat Sahib for work-
ing against the Sikh nation and hurting the
sentiments of the Sikhs.
AISSF will contest the coming
SGPC elections independently on their
own symbol of “DEER” and will wrest
the control of SGPC from the Badal group
stated Peermohammad.
06 August 04, 2011 Courageous Journalism
THE BLACK LAWS: CHARTERS OF SLAVERYand help families killed in Blue Star and
collect funds."Shri Manjit Singh Khera
said, "Our struggle has not ended. It has
just begun. We must sit quietly and de-
cide how to carry on our agitation rather
that just emotionally agitate."Joginder
Singh Sahni said, "Next week we will
commemorate the operation. Then we
can wear black turbans."All the above
speeches were objected to as sedition and
all of the three were apprehended under
NSA.In the said meeting only resolutions
were passed and one resolution said, "De-
serters have deserted because their senti-
ments were touched. Their cases should
be looked at sympathetically and their
families should be looked after." This res-
olution was also objected to and there was
harassment of all those who participated
in the said meeting.Thus the people were
being, and still are, prosecuted for merely
expressing their resentment and views
which is one of their fundamental rights.
The time honored truth of a democratic
system, that "the ultimate good desired is
better reached in free trade in ideas that
best test of truth is the power of the
thought to get itself accepted in the com-
petition of the market," has been rejected
(Mr. Justice Holmes in Abrams Vs. United
States --250 US). In a democracy it is an
insult to the people to think that they can-
not be trusted to read or hear or under-
stand or to discriminate among various
points of views. Gandhi believed if rights
of minorities are to be respected, the ma-
jority must tolerate and respect their opin-
ion and action.
WAGING OF WAR AGAINST THE
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
It was claimed by the government
that 1592 civilian/terrorists were captured
from inside the Golden Temple and 796
from other religious places. These civil-
ians were charged with waging of war
against the Government. A great majority
of them were innocent pilgrims and if they
were tried in the ordinary courts, they
would have easily proved their innocence
and got themselves released on bail and
acquitted. And if it was proved subse-
quently that there were only near about
dozen of terrorists among the captured,
the government action would have be-
come a mockery that it had to use military
to capture such an insignificant number of
terrorists. According to Shri S.S.
Bhagowalia, advocate, Bhindranwale's
men were only 140 to 150. Therefore
charges of waging war etc. were foisted
on by the government on thousands of in-
nocent civilians apprehended during the
operation, in order to justify the govern-
ment action. Therefore in order to ensure
that these innocent accused do not get any
relief entitled to in an ordinary courts, Na-
tional Security Act was amended in June
1984 and Special Courts Ordinance pro-
claimed. Following are a few examples
to show the type of terrorists captured
from the Golden Temple:1. Kanwaljit
Singh: He is a 20-year-old student of
Khalsa College (evening), Delhi whose
father Satnam Singh runs a provisions
store at Lawrence Road, Delhi. He had
visited the Golden Temple on June 2 and
wanted to return to Delhi but found that
all the outgoing trains were cancelled and
therefore both of them were forced to stay
at the Golden Temple at Guru Ram Das
Serai. Kawaljit had to miss his interview
at Delhi with the Institute of Bank Man-
agement on June 3 morning and his exam-
ination with the State Bank of India the
same afternoon. He was captured by the
army along with the other pilgrims and is
still under detention in the Jodhpur jail.2.
Bakshish Singh: He was manager of the
Punjab & Sind Bank branch situated at
Guru Ram Das Serai, Golden Temple. He
was receiving a salary of Rs 3000 p.m.
He had taken his wife to the Golden Tem-
ple on June 1, 1984 for her treatment for
tumor and they were staying in Guru Ram
Das Serai from where both of them were
arrested on June 6. His wife was taken to
Jalandhar jail, kept there for 22 days and
then taken to Hospital and operated upon
and then released. Bakshish Singh, aged
43 years is still in the Jodhpur jail.3. Ra-
minder Pal Singh, Aged 20 years. He is
the son of Shri Harcharan Singh Ragi who
is an employee of the SGPC. His family
has its residential quarters in Parikrama
Scheme in the golden Temple. Finding
themselves unsafe in the midst of the fir-
ing, the family, along with some other em-
ployees took shelter in the basement of the
Information Office. Raminder Pal Singh
was arrested on June 6 along with others
and is still in the Jodhpur jail. Extremely
studious boy, he also took his B.A. II year
examination from the Jodhpur Jail.4.
Kashmir Singh, s/o Gujjan Singh, r/o vil-
lage Baba Bakola, ages 45 years: He had
gone to Darbar Sahib for Guru Purb. He
has only one and half acres of land and
four small children to feed. His wife learnt
after one month that he was picked up
from Bazar Kathian on June 6 and was
falsely implicated as 'waging war against
the State' and was shown to have been ar-
rested from inside the Golden Temple.5.
Bhupinder Singh, s/o Jiwan Singh, aged
22 years, r/o village Rayya, Distt.Amrit-
sar. He used to manufacture steel almi-
rahs. He was arrested from Kathiwali
Bazar on June 6 in Amritsar but was
shown to have been arrested from inside
the Golden Temple.6. Manjit Singh s/o
Bawa Singh 7. Randhir Singh s/o Mangal
Singh8. Randhir Singh s/o Bahadur Singh
r/o village Dehriwal Kiran, P.S. Kalanaur,
Distt. Gurdaspur: These three young boys,
like hundreds of others, took the custom-
ary village donation of grain to Darbar
Sahib on the eve of Guru Purb, where
were trapped inside the Golden Temple
and are now lodged in Jodhpur jail as ter-
rorists.And there are several cases like
that. All these accused numbering more
than a thousand have been charged with
'waging war against the State' and are de-
tained under the National Security Act.
THE TERRORIST AFFECTED
AREAS (SPECIAL COURTS) ACT
1984This Act, hereinafter referred
to be as the Special Courts Act, was en-
acted in strange circumstances. Blue Star
Operation in June 1984 claimed to have
successfully curbed terrorism but soon
after one month of the said Operation, this
Act was passed in the form of a Presiden-
tial Ordinance on 14th July 1984 with the
ostensible purpose of curbing and control-
ling the menace of terrorism.The avowed
object of the Special Courts Act was de-
clared to provide for speedy trial of certain
offences in the terrorist affected areas, but
in practice the Act is most dilatory, and
tortuous. A host of offences have been
listed in this Act as scheduled offences
which are already covered by the Indian
Penal Code. The Explosives Act, the
Arms Act, the Telegraph Act, the Railway
Act, the Unlawful Activities Act, the Anti-
Hijacking Act and the Prevention of Dam-
age to Public property Act. The offences
such as waging war, sedition, abetting
mutiny or attempting to seduce a member
of the armed forces from his duty, creating
communal hatred, threat of injury to pub-
lic servant, harboring offender, defiling or
injuring place of worship with intent to in-
sult the religion, intentional acts of such
insult, murder, attempt to murder, serious
hurt, wrongful confinement, kidnapping,
robbery and dacoity are already provided
and punishable under the Indian Penal
Code. All these things even on paper are
so fearful, but in life when used how dif-
ficult it must be for a human being to
carry out his every day life. The Govern-
ment has not explained as to why it re-
sorted to such drastic measures as this
Act.There are about 47 courts presided
over by the District and Sessions Judges
and Additional Judges and there are only
11 special courts in Punjab. More than
3/4th work of the regular courts now stand
transferred to these 11 special courts
which are overworked as even ordinary
offences without any element of terrorism
are being tried by them. The ordinary ad-
journment is from 5 to 8 months and it is
beyond any comprehension as to how it
can achieve the object of speedy trial.The
object of 'speedy trial' could very well
have been achieved by establishing addi-
tional courts and appointment of more
judges to preside over these courts. But
this has not been done. On the other hand
an extraordinary procedure has been
adopted for the special courts which is
most fanciful, oppressive and
arbitrary.According to section 167 of the
Criminal Procedure Code, Magistrate can
give police remand only for 15 days but
in the Special Courts Act this period has
been extended to 30 days. Moreover, ac-
cording to the Criminal Procedure Code,
(Cont.. to next page)
Courageous Journalism August 04, 2011 07
THE BLACK LAWS: CHARTERS OF SLAVERYon the expiry of 60 or 90 days as the case
may be, the accused is bound to be re-
leased on bail. But the Special Courts Act
has extended this period to one year. The
result is that the police has been empow-
ered to deprive an innocent person of his
liberty for a period of one year without
even bringing a charge against him. There
have been several cases in which a person
was arrested by the police just to harass
and torture him and after the expiry of 7
or 8 month period in jail, the police has
just withdrawn the case on the ground that
no material could be gathered against the
detainee. Though the accused is released
in such cases, but during the period of de-
tention, the family of the accused stands
broken and his means of livelihood de-
prived.Following are the illustrative cases
to show how the police is making use of
this Act in order to deprive the innocent
persons of their civil liberties:1. Randhir
Singh, s/o Harbans Singh Ghumman, r/o
village Ghumman Kalan, aged about 20
years: Randhir Singh was arrested in Gur-
daspur on 16.8.84 in FIR No. 80/84 dated
2.4.84 u/s 302 IPC of PS Dera Baba
Nanak. After torturing him for a number
of days and keeping him in jail for more
than 3 months, the police withdrew the
case against him. The orders of the Addl.
Sessions Judge, Batala. Shri R.N.
Moudgil, dated 26.11.84 are as follows:
Present: App accused in custody. ASI
Gurpal Singh, P.S. Dera Baba Nanak, ASI
Gurpal Singh who is present in Court
states that Narinder Singh is no longer re-
quired by them in this case. His further
judicial custody is not requested. Accused
Narinder Singh, be therefore, released.
Sd/ R. N. Moudgil
JMIC 26.11.84 Contention of
Shri Narindar Singh is that he was re-
leased because the police wanted to liqui-
date him in false encounter and now he
saved himself. Since then he is under-
ground.2. Pargat Singh: Pargat Singh was
arrested in June 1984 and he was able to
get his bail when he showed to Court the
three different versions of the police and
the military about the recovery made from
him and his arrest. The whole order is re-
produced below:In the Court of Sardar K.
S. Bhalla, Judge, Special CourtJudicial
Zone, JalandharBail application No. 668
of 1984Date of Decision: 11.12.1984State
Versus Pargat Singh, Son of HarbhajanS-
ingh r/o village Bhullar Hans,District Am-
ritsar.F.I.R. No. 143 dated 29.6.1984 P. S.
KathuNangal (Distt. Amritsar) U/s 4/5
Explosive Substances ActPresent: Shri P.
S. Hundal, Counsel for the applicantShri
V. K. Gupta, Public Prosecutor for the
State.ORDER Arguments heard. In this
case under section 4 of the Explosive Sub-
stances Act a hand grenade is said to have
been recovered from the possession of ap-
plicant Pargat Singh but there are three
different versions with regard to the re-
covery. One is provided by Capt. S. C.
Shukla, a commissioned Officer of Indian
Army. He in his written report dated
29.6.84 addressed the SHO, Police Station
Kathu Nangal, states that on receipt of in-
formation houses were searched in village
Bhullar Hans and a hand grenade was re-
covered from the possession of applicant
Pargat Singh. It has not been spelt out in
the report from where the recovery was
made and how the possession of the ap-
plicant is fixed so far as the hand grenade
is concerned. The SHO in his turn pro-
vides 2nd version through FIR No. 143 of
1984. In that important document it is
mentioned by S. I. Joginder Singh that ap-
plicant Pargat Singh on his interrogation,
made a disclosure statement to him at his
house in village Bhullar Hans, which was
already secured by Military authorities,
leading to recovery of a hand grenade
after digging out of the court yard of his
house.The light of the day has been shown
in the third version in a Calendar dated
10.7.1984 prepared by an officer not less
than the rank of Inspector Police. SHO,
Police Station, Kotwali, Amritsar, photo-
state copy of which has been placed on the
file by the counsel for the applicant and
existence of which calendar is not dis-
puted. In the version provided by said re-
sponsible officer in that Calendar under
section 107/151 Cr. P. C. It is mentioned
that security forces apprehended the ap-
plicant from Golden Temple complex,
Amritsar while fighting after collecting
arms and ammunition against the Indian
Government during Military action. If the
applicant was apprehended, during mili-
tary action which took place in the first
week of June 1984, recovery if any was
bound to have taken place at Amritsar and
in the first week of June 1984. In this sit-
uation of the matter for obvious reasons,
it is fit case to admit applicant Pargat
Singh to bail and he is, therefore, ordered
to be released on furnishing personal bond
with one surety in the sum of Rs. 7000
each to the satisfaction of Chief Judicial
Magistrate Amritsar.sd/JudgeSpecial
Court, Judicial ZoneJalandharAnnounced
on December 11, 19843.
Amrik Singh: He was arrested on
3.7.84 and a case was planted on him that
Amrik Singh was making provocative slo-
gans in a meeting of 100 men audience.
In April 1985 the police furnished the
names of two witnesses in the case i.e.
Shri Kashmir Singh and Shri Seva Singh.
However, when contacted, these two wit-
nesses told the family of Amrik Singh that
they had not seen any such incident but
the police had told them that they were
witnesses in the case. These two persons
filed their affidavits in the court alleging
that they had not seen any such incident
and on the basis of the same Shri Amrik
Singh was released on 3rd May 1985. His
statement is enclosed as Annexure No.2.4.
Rajinder Singh, s/o Subedar Ganga Singh,
aged 35 years, r/o village Narrawali, P.O.
& P. Kalanaur, doing private medical
practice. He is an Akali activist and was
arrested in July 1984 and was falsely im-
plicated in a case of fire which occurred
in a shop in Kalanaur on 25.11.1983.
However, Rajinder Singh had courted ar-
rest in Akali Agitation and was in jail from
18.9.83 to 26.11.83. He showed these
facts to the Judge and so the judge re-
leased him after 15 days dismissing the
case of the police.5. Shri Puran Singh, s/o
Fauji Singh, aged 27-28 years, employed
as Assistant Linesman with the Punjab
Electricity Board: He was arrested on
September 10, 1984 as he was coming out
of duty at 11 p.m. at Kanun and was badly
tortured. He was acquitted in February
1985 as the police withdrew his case for
want of evidence. JAIL, NOT BAIL"Bail,
not jail" is the general rule which has been
adopted in the criminal trials which begin
with the presumption of innocence in
favor of the accused. The idea behind is
this if the accused is detained before and
during the trial, then it has grave conse-
quences for the accused. Though he is
presumed to be innocent till his guilt is
proved, yet he would be subjected to psy-
chological and physical deprivations of
jail life. The jailed accused loses his job
and is prevented from contributing effec-
tively to the preparation of his defense.
Moreover, the burden of his detention fall
heavily on the innocent members of his
family.
Therefore to grant bail is the rule
than exception. But in Punjab this rule
has been changed into 'jail, not Bail', Spe-
cial Courts Act has been framed in such a
manner that it is almost impossible for the
accused to be released on bail under
it.One of the most obnoxious features of
the Act is the denial of the rights guaran-
teed under section 438 of the Criminal
Procedure Code. Section 438, usually
called the Provision for Anticipatory bail,
empowers the High Court and the Court
of Sessions to grant anticipatory bail i.e.
direction to release a person on bail even
before the person is arrested. According
to the Forty First Report of the Law Com-
mission on the Code of Criminal Proce-
dure Code, the necessity for granting
anticipatory bail arises because sometimes
influential persons try to implicate their ri-
vals in false cases for the purpose of dis-
gracing them or for other purposes by get-
ting them detained in jail for some days.
Apart from false cases, where there are
reasonable grounds for holding that a per-
son accused of an offence is not likely to
abscond, or otherwise misuse his liberty
while on bail, there seems to be no justi-
fication to require him to first submit to
custody, and remain in prison for some
days and then apply for bail. The section
is salutary provision which enacts the
mandate of Article 21 of the Constitution
of India but the people of Punjab have
been deprived of this salutary provision.
The numerous cases mentioned in the re-
port elsewhere show that the deletion of
section 438 of the Cr. P.C. for the people
in Punjab has brought misfortune and
havoc for the innocent persons. The case
of Shri Paramjit Singh Sidhu, Advocate at
Jalandhar, is also illustrative of this.
Though this advocate has been daily prac-
ticing in the Jalandhar Court and there is
no likelihood of his absconding yet the
police has raided his houses several times
in his absence and tried to arrest him on
false charges. His only crime is that he is
valiantly fighting for justice for the sev-
eral innocent citizens who have fallen vic-
tim to the police rapacity.
It is with great difficulty that he
has been able to save himself from the
mollified detention, but there is no secu-
rity in future so long the Special Courts
Act exists.Further, when person is ar-
rested, to make it almost impossible to se-
cure his release on bail, it has been
provided in the Act that the Court, while
making an order must be satisfied that
there are reasonable grounds for believing
that such an accused is not guilty of such
an offence and that he is not likely to com-
mit any offence while on bail. Which
court will take such future guarantee for
an accused?
(Remaining part in next issue)
CHANDIGARH: The
Punjab Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal
said here Thursday that
Captain Amarinder
Singh was a Congress-
mole planted on Shiro-
mani Akali Dal in 1984
and he conspired with
Late Rajiv Gandhi to
scuttle the Punjab Ac-
cord in its only clause
that suited Punjab– the
transfer of Chandigarh.
"He is the worst Trojan
Horse in Punjab's his-
tory, planted by the
Congress to wreck Pun-
jab's battle from within.
In reward for his con-
spiratorial role against
Punjab, he has always
been showered with
princely pleasures by
the Congress, even
when the party’s whole
state unit opposed him.
Rajiv Gandhi had given
him a role to play
against Punjab and the
Sikhs, and Amarinder
played it true to the
script, in letter and
spirit,” said the Chief
Minister
“Everybody
in Punjab knows that
Mr.S S Barnala is a
weak and greedy man,
always willing to sell
his conscience and be-
tray his state for per-
sonal gains. But what
about Amrinder’s own
role? Did he resign
when the center humil-
iated Punjab on the
midnight of January
25-26 1986 by cancel-
ing the transfer of
Chandigarh? What was
Amarinder’s reaction
against this brazen be-
trayal against Punjab
and Sant Harchand
Singh Longowal by his
(Amarinder’s) friend,
Rajiv Gandhi? I had
cautioned against this
betrayal," said the
Chief Minister in a
statement here.
“The blood of Sant-ji is
on the hands of those
who betrayed him and
those who helped in
that betrayal. I had cau-
tioned against this be-
trayal.
A b o u t
Amarinder ‘moral
courage’ , the CM said
that he had checked the
records. Amarinder just
maintained a sheepish
silence over this mur-
derous betrayal by the
center. And he talks
about courage!”
" As against this,
Amarinder as agricul-
ture minister in Barnala
government, went out
of his way to get the
SYL started to rob Pun-
jab of its waters. I cau-
tioned against this also
and its for the people
and history to judge
whether I was proved
right or wrong. ”
The Chief Minister fur-
ther asked, “As a Sikh
and an ex-soldier, did
Amaridner ever ask for
the reinstatement of
Sikh soldiers who had
left the army under ex-
treme religious and
emotional hurt, a yard-
stick applied through-
out the world, including
India, in all such cases.
I had expressed my
opinion against this in-
justice within the party
platform. People and
history again will judge
whether I was right or
wrong in asking for
this."
Badal was re-
acting to Captain
Amarinder Singh's
statement targeting the
Chief Minister's
"moral” courage. "He is
a fine one to talk about
morality. I never use
words like moral turpi-
tude, but on
Amarinder's "moral-
ity", I do not even need
to comment. The whole
world knows how
'moral' a life he is lead-
ing. And he talks about
morals. I am amused.,”
said the Chief Minister.
Badal said that
Amarinder was sent
into the SAD under a
deep conspiracy to get
a seal of ‘moral justifi-
cation for all the cen-
ter's discrimination
against Punjab, includ-
ing the tragic army as-
sault on Sri Akal Takhat
Sahib. "The army
moved into Punjab on
June 2 with a declared
intent of attacking the
holiest of holy Sikh
shrines, the Darbar
Sahib. The assault took
place four days later.
During these four days,
where was Amarinder?
And did he use his
well-known friendship
with Rajiv Gandhi and
proximity to Indira
Gandhi to stop this
tragic assault.
“ He was one of the
key advisors on Punjab
to the Indira Gandhi
government when the
army assault was
planned and declared.
He must explain his
role. The later tamasha
of resigning from and
then rejoining the same
Congress as its state
chief has its own tale
to tell. His conscience
has some flexibility!
”said the CM.
Badal said that
Amarinder has always
been the blue-eyed boy
of the people who
rolled tanks into the
Golden Temple. He still
is. He was always taken
into confidence by the
Gandhi family on all
moves against the
Sikhs and Punjab, in-
cluding the Operation
Blue Star.” Said Badal
“It is no coincidence
that one of the attacks
on Darbar Sahib was
ordered directly by
Amarinder as Chief
Minister on July 10,
2004 to stop the Sikhs
from electing the Pres-
ident of their supreme
elected religious insti-
tution. "All newspapers
had carried photo-
graphs of police march-
ing yet again on the
Golden Temple that
day and Amarinder
openly justified it. If
Amarinder wants, we
can release these media
pictures again.” Said
the CM.
“The Commando Oper-
ation during the Akali
govt headed by Barnala
was executed to secure
endorsement for Oper-
ation Blue star. It was
carried out despite the
fact that the then DGP
Julio Francis Rabeiro
had already declared
that the so-called ter-
rorists and members of
the Panthic Committee
had fled from the Dar-
bar Sahib Complex and
no purpose would be
served by the Com-
mando Operation. Ask
Amarinder what did he
do to get it stopped. He
close friendship with
both Rajiv Gandhi and
Arun Nehru is one of
the worst kept secrets
in Punjab.”
“In fact, get-
ting an Akali govt. to
send commandos into
Darbar Sahib was the
chief mission for which
Amarinder was planted
on the SAD. Once that
mission was accom-
plished, he went back
into the same Congress
as its state chief
through a repeat
tamasha.,” said Badal.
As for attacks recent at-
tacks against him,
Badal said, “ Traitors
have a natural affinity. I
am not surprised that
Barnala and Amarinder
enjoy such close rela-
tions and speak the
same language against
the SAD and me. Both
are guilty of humiliat-
ing their state and their
community. One of
them did it openly and
the other deviously.
And both have ex-
tracted their share of
blood money. ”
“ F o r
Amarinder’s role
against the Sikhs and
Punjab, he was
promptly rewarded first
with the presidentship
of PPCC and later with
Chief Ministership.
As for Bar-
nala’s role and reward,
he is the only Akali in
history to hold gover-
norships under Con-
gress regimes,” said
Mr. Badal
-------
08 August 04, 2011 Courageous Journalism
Chandigarh : Shiro-
mani Akali Dal (Amrit-
sar) led by its President
Simranjit Singh Mann
suffered a major set-
back today when four
of his senior leaders
from Barnala district
included General Sec-
retary Mr. Paramjit
Singh Khalsa, Organis-
ing Secretary Paramjit
Singh, Vice President
Jathedar Roshan Singh,
and Ex-MC & Presi-
dent Cooperative Soci-
ety Handiaya Mr.
Gurdarshan Singh
joined the Shiromani
Akali Dal (Badal) here
in the presence of
its President Mr.
Sukhbir Singh
Badal and Secre-
tary General Mr.
Sukhdev Singh
Dhindsa.
While wel-
coming these
leaders in the Shi-
romani Akali Dal
(Badal) fold, Mr.
Sukhbir Singh
Badal said it was
a great occasion
and matter of ju-
bilation for all of
us when these
leaders had joined the
Shiromani Akali Dal
Badal because it was
the only Party which
had safeguarded the
rights of the people be-
sides defending the
Panthic values.
On the occasion,
General Secretary SAD
(Amritsar) from Bar-
nala Mr. Paramjit Singh
Khalsa said he and his
party colleagues have
consciously taken this
decision to join Shiro-
mani Akali Dal Badal
unconditionally on the
inspiration of former
MLA and SAD Area
Incharge Barnala Mr.
Malkit Singh Keetu and
MLA Bhadaur Sant
Baba Balbir Singh
Ghunas. He said the au-
tocratic style of func-
tioning of Mr. Simranjit
Singh Mann had com-
pelled them to leave
SAD (Amritsar) as they
were feeling suf-
focated. He said
SAD (Badal)
was the only
party that could
deliver the goods
effectively and
fulfil the aspira-
tions of the peo-
ple through its
progressive poli-
cies and pro-
grams.
Expressing soli-
darity with the
SAD (Badal),
Mr. Khalsa said
whatsoever du-
ties would be assigned
to us by the Party Pres-
ident Mr. Sukhbir
Singh Badal in the
forthcoming SGPC and
Assembly elections, we
would discharge our re-
sponsibilities with ut-
most sincerity and
commitment in the
larger interest of the
Party and for the well
being of the Sikh Panth.
Washington/ Toronto/
Chandigarh - Punjab
Chief Minister Parkash
SIngh Badal's Media
Advisor Mr. Harcharan
Bains said here today
that his call for an open
and unbiased debate
with Manpreet Singh
Badal on all issues con-
cerning Punajb's econ-
omy and governance
was not a 'challenge'
but an 'offer' and that he
had no intention of
chasing Manpreet
down everywhere he
goes.
"I am here under cir-
cumstances which are
not entirely happy for
me and I have already
clarified that there was
nothing 'official or po-
litical' about my visit. I
am not using the tax
payers' money for this
trip. But since the two
of us relatively edu-
cated persons, who
have shared a warm
past but represent two
different sets of opin-
ions, happen to be to-
gether in the same part
of the world at the same
time, it could be a good
opportunity to talk to
each other before our
distinguished NRI
community in a direct
and live debate. The
NRI community de-
serves more than polit-
ical speeches. It
deserves high quality
debate among people
holding different opin-
ions. The debate should
be held in front of unbi-
ased audience, com-
prising intelligentsia,
media and Punjabi
achievers in various
fields. I want this de-
bate to be free from po-
litical acrimony or
mud-slinging and to be
based instead on facts
and rational perspective
on issues concerning
Punjab," said Mr.
Bains.
" No, I have neither
the time nor the inten-
tion nor a taste for
chasing anyone down. I
have just said that if
Manpreet agrees, we
can discuss issues in
front of an enlightened
audience with live cam-
eras beaming every-
thing into homes. I
stand by my offer but
as one who is senior to
Manpreet in age and
experience of working
in the government on
critical posts, I will
keep this debate free
from bitterness -- at
least from our end.,"
said Mr. Bains. He reit-
erated his offer for an
open and live debate.
Mr. Harcharan Bains call for
an open and unbiased debate
with Manpreet Singh Bada
Amarinder was consulted on armyassault on Akal Takht while the prezwas kept in the dark,claims Badal
Simranjit Singh Mann Suffers A Major Jolt In Barnala Four Senior Leaders Of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) From Barnala Joins Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)
CHANDIGARH:
Punjab Pradesh Con-
gress Committee
President Capt
Amarinder Singh
Tuesday condemned
the killing of a farmer
during police action
against the protestors
near Mansa Tuesday.
In a statement issued
here Tuesday, Capt
Amarinder while ex-
pressing sympathies
with the bereaved
family condemned
the police
action and
called for
a c t i o n
against the
guilty cops.
The PCC
P r e s i d e n t
said, it was
highly con-
d e m n a b l e
that the
government
w h i c h
should give
patient hear-
ing to the
farmers and concede
their demands, has
been lashing lathis on
them leading to the
death of a farmer.
He warned that if the
Indiabulls, which has
been given the power
project without any
bidding, did not pro-
vide adequate com-
pensation to the
farmers the next Con-
gress government
will cancel it.
Capt Amarinder codemns
farmer's killing
July 28, 2011 09Courageous Journalism
Auto SectionFans of high-perfor-
mance driving are no
doubt well aware of
the activities of the
SRT group within the
Chrysler corporation.
Responsible for such
iconic creations as
Viper and Prowler, in
the past the SRT group
was merely an organi-
zation within the over-
all Chrysler corporate
structure.
Starting with the 2012
model year, SRT be-
comes a brand unto it-
self, complete with a
chief executive officer
in the person of Ralph
Gilles (pronounced
Jeels), who is also
Chrysler’s vice-presi-
dent of Design. After a
brief stint as president
of Dodge, Gilles has
been handed the reigns
of the newly minted
Chrysler high per-
formance division.
To mark the introduc-
tion of the brand,
Gilles is letting four
white-hot models off
the chain simultane-
ously to scald the
streets, Chrysler 300
SRT8, Dodge Charger
SRT8, Dodge Chal-
lenger SRT8, and Jeep
Grand Cherokee
SRT8. While we’ve
seen all four models
before in a different
form, for 2012,
they’ve been reinvigo-
rated with more per-
formance—thanks to a
new 6.4-liter HEMI
V8 engine, methodi-
cally crafted suspen-
sion systems and a raft
of purpose-specified
comfort, convenience
and infotainment sys-
tems.
Fresh off of a redesign
for the 2011 model
year, for 2012 Chrysler
is adding the ultra per-
formance version of its
300C halo luxury
sedan. In keeping with
the car’s overall char-
acter, the SRT en-
hancements, while
amplifying the 300’s
performance potential
significantly, enhance
the luxury quotient of
the big sedan as well.
After all, exceptional
performance is just as
much of a luxury as an
electrically operated
multi-function heated
and cooled seat.
The roots of this car go
all the way back to the
highly vaunted
Chrysler “letter cars”
of the 1950’s and six-
ties. In 1955,
Chrysler’s C-300
swept away the com-
petition at Daytona
Beach. Chrysler’s
300B did the same in
’56. Additionally,
Chrysler 300s also
dominated NASCAR
in ‘55 and ‘56, giving
credence to the con-
cept of ultra-fast lux-
ury cars.
An entire series of let-
ter cars emanated from
Chrysler after that,
culminating in the 300
SRT8 we have today.
Boasting 470 horse-
power and 470 ft-lbs
of torque, the 2012
Chrysler 300 SRT8 is
one of the two hottest
full-size American
sedans available today
(Dodge’s Charger
SRT8 is the other one).
Delivering a unique
blend of perform-
ance and luxury, the
300 SRT8 will ferry
your family of four
anywhere you need
to go, while quietly
harboring the ability
to absolutely rip the
asphalt off of your
favorite canyon
road.
Romping on it relent-
lessly, with the five-
speed automatic
shifting for itself (in its
sport mode), we saw
sixty in just under five
seconds, quarters in
just over 12, and expe-
rienced an urgency of
acceleration conclu-
sively demonstrating
the viability of
Chrysler’s claim of a
175 top.
What is truly remark-
able is the manner in
which the 300 SRT8
so competently con-
tains opulence and
havoc within the same
vessel. If you’d like,
you can literally sit in
place while the 300’s
rear wheels spin their
tires’ treads away into
big fat cumulus clouds
of white smoke.
Throw it into a corner
and the SRT8 300
grips the pavement so
mightily the asphalt is
very likely to give
away before the tires
do.
And while you’d ex-
pect it to ride as
roughly as a racing car
crossing a set of rail-
road tracks, quite the
opposite is true; thanks
to the adaptive damp-
ing suspension system
Chrysler’s engineers
have fitted to the car.
Providing both a
smooth ride and amaz-
ing grip, this suspen-
sion system deserves a
spot in the automotive
hall of fame.
M e a n w h i l e ,
every luxury fea-
ture Chrysler of-
fers for its
flagship sedan is
present and ac-
counted for.
From the sophis-
tication of its ice-
blue illumination
for the instru-
ments, to the comfort
garnered from the
m u l t i - a d j u s t a b l e
heated and cooled
sport seats, to the
touch-sensitive multi-
function screen for its
secondary functions,
(not to mention an
audio system rivaling
the 6.4-liter HEMI for
power), the 300 SRT8
impresses at every in-
stance.
Speaking of that touch
sensitive monitor,
every performance pa-
rameter imaginable
can be registered and
recorded by it. Want to
know your zero to 60
and quarter mile times,
or how many G’s you
pulled on acceleration,
braking and corner-
ing? All can be duly
recorded and dis-
played by the unit.
The way the 300 SRT8
deftly combines high
performance with both
palatial luxury and cut-
ting edge technology
is truly a glorious thing
to behold.
Chrysler 300 SRT8 ReviewBy: Lyndon Conrad Bell
2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 ricing starts at $47,995
Phone Comes Closerto Driving Your Car
In the olden days, peo-
ple used maps for direc-
tions and yellow pages
to find restaurants, and
they didn't often use
their phones as
lightsabers.
But then came the next
best thing since sliced
bread -- the iPhone and
its numerous apps.
Users count calories,
listen to music, track
workouts via GPS,
browse Amazon, watch
videos, check e-mail,
find low gas prices,
pour animated beer and
knock on virtual wood.
Pretty soon, the iPhone
will be cooking our din-
ners and driving our
cars.
One new iPhone app,
the Viper SmartStart
from Directed Electron-
ics, allows users to start
their cars, unlock their
doors and change the
temperature in the
cabin -- and all without
a key fob.
Unlike some other apps
-- like the one that
measures how long you
can press a button -- the
Viper SmartStart app
proves useful, espe-
cially for people living
in cold climates. Those
who have downloaded
the app -- and installed
Viper SmartStart in
their vehicles -- can de-
frost their car and warm
up the cabin before they
step inside. But its po-
tential does not stop
there.
"Viper SmartStart has
many other capabilities
beyond remote start,"
says Mike Simmons,
executive vice presi-
dent of Directed Elec-
tronics. "Depending on
the installation, users
can also lock and un-
lock the doors, pop the
trunk, find their car in a
parking lot or arm their
security system. Users
can even control multi-
ple cars from one
iPhone."
Other remote start sys-
tems use a remote con-
trol attached to the key
fob, which can only
offer a limited range.
But the Viper Smart-
Start app will work
from any distance, so
long as the iPhone re-
ceives a signal. Experts
have recognized the in-
novation at work. The
Viper SmartStart will
be awarded Best of In-
novations Honors at the
2010 Consumer Elec-
tronics Show.
By: Christopher Jack-
son
Sanghera(Bar-
nala):It has been
months since octo-
genarian Amar
Kaur has slept
peacefully. Her 24-
year-old grandson
Sukhjyot Singh
was among the 17
Indians sentenced
to death by a Shar-
jah court killing
Pakistani National
Mishri Khan. The
plight of Sukhjyot’s
father Jagdev Singh
(51), an electrician,
and mother Man-
jeet Kaur (45) was
no different.How-
ever, with a blood
money deal sealed
with the victim’s
family, the youths
are likely to be re-
leased on Septem-
ber 20.This has
brought cheer back
into their lives.
Now Sukhjyot’s
grandmother par-
ents and brother
and the entire vil-
lage is eagerly
awaiting his return.
Amar Kaur said:
“My grandson,
who left for Dubai
in 2007, was work-
ing there as a car-
penter. He is too
gentle to harm any-
body. When he was
sentenced to death,
knew the Almighty
would protect him
and he would be
back.
“He likes saag and
makki ki roti. We
will prepare the
same for him when
he returns.”
Jagdev Singh said:
“ I thank SP Singh,
president of the
Punjabi Bhartiya
Relief Society, and
Suresh Aggarwal
for helping us. I am
also thankful to the
entire village for
the support it lent to
us all these
months”.
Remarked a neigh-
bour: “We are all
waiting to see
Sukhjyot a free
man and back
home with his near
and dear ones. He
is such a gentle per-
son.”
Kot Dunna
(Mansa-Barnala
border), August 2
One farmer was
killed and 15 others
sustained injuries
as the police lathi-
charged a large
group of farmers
protesting against
acquisition of land
for setting up 1350
MW thermal power
plant at Gobind-
pura village in
Mansa district.
The police action
came when over
1,000 farmers
wanted to move to-
wards Gobindpura
village in Mansa
district to reclaim
the land acquired
for the power proj-
ect. Seventeen
unions of farmers
from Faridkot, Fer-
ozepur, Moga, Lud-
hiana, Patiala,
Bathinda and
Mansa participated
in the protest.
Nearly 1,000 farm-
ers gathered at the
Kot Dunna village
gurdwara and re-
solved to reach
Gobindpura vil-
lage, around 30 km
away.
The farmers were,
however, restrained
by the police near
Kot Dunna. Bar-
nala Superinten-
dent of Police
Gurpreet Singh Tur
said one farmer
died and 10 farmers
and five policemen
were injured in the
lathi charge and the
clash that broke out
after the protesters
tried to break the
police cordon in
their bid to march
to the village. Buta
Singh, state presi-
dent of the BKU
(Dakaunda), one of
the leading farm-
ers’ organisations
against the acquisi-
tion, said Surjit
Singh, a farmer
from Hamidi vil-
lage in Barnala dis-
trict sustained
severe injuries dur-
ing the lathi charge
and his body was
later found in a
field.“We offered
arrest but the police
refused to listen
and rained lathis on
farmers sitting in
the vehicles.
10 August 04, 2011 Courageous Journalism
Patiala : Amidst
tension prevailing
in Mansa over the
acquisition of the
farmland for set-
ting up the coal-
based thermal
power project,
Punjab Pradesh
Congress Commit-
tee president and
former Punjab CM
Capt Amarinder
Singh here today
said in case, the
farmers were not
compensated ade-
quately, the next
Congress Govern-
ment in Punjab
would scrap the
Memorandum of
U n d e r s t a n d i n g
(MoU), signed be-
tween the Punjab
State Power Cor-
poration Limited
(PSPCL) and M/s
Indiabulls Power
Limited.
“I don’t know
what Akali’s got
from the M/s Indi-
abulls Power Lim-
ited, but it is totally
illegal to award the
power project to
Indiabulls without
t e n d e r i n g
process,” he said.
After interacting
with the people
from the Patiala
assembly con-
s t i t u e n c i e s ,
Amarinder, while
speaking to media-
persons, strongly
condemned the
lathicharge on the
agitating farmers
in Mansa.
Amarinder said the
farmers’ protest
was justified, as
they were being
given money far
less than the mar-
ket price of the
land being ac-
quired for setting
up of the thermal
power project.
Amarinder termed
the attack on the
Vice-Chancellor of
Sri Guru Granth
Sahib World Uni-
versity, Fatehgarh
Sahib, Jasbir Singh
Ahluwalia, as a sit-
uation of complete
“lawlessness” in
the state. He said it
was an extremely
serious matter that
a VC had been
shot at in broad
daylight.
“The incident re-
flects poorly on the
governance, as
how anybody can
take law into his
hands without any
fear,” he said,
adding that such
incidents must not
be allowed to hap-
pen, as these could
de-stabilise the
state once again.
Amarinder also ex-
pressed concern
over the recovery
of the weapons
from the house of
arrested SP(D)
Randhir Singh
Uppal. “It appears
that some forces
are trying to desta-
bilise the state and
unfortunately the
SAD-BJP Govern-
ment has miser-
ably failed to keep
the law-and-order
situation under
control,” said
Amarinder.
Terming Punjab
CM Parkash Singh
Badal as “moral
coward”, he said,
had Badal and
Gurcharan Singh
Tohra not betrayed
Sant Longowal,
Punjab would not
have seen the
bloodshed.
Fatehgarh Sahib, A day after the
Vice-Chancellor of Sri Guru
Granth Sahib World University at
Fatehgarh Sahib, Jasbir Singh
Ahluwalia, was shot at by an un-
known assailant, the police today
released a sketch of the suspect.
The police is working on various
theories.
It thinks it may be a hate
crime or an act of terrorism. The
sketch of the suspect has been
created following clues provided
by the taxi driver who drove him
to the university and those wit-
ness to the shootout. The assailant
is almost 6 ft tall and in his late-
thirties. Forensic experts say the
shots were fired from a .32 bore
revolver.
Senior police officers and a
counter-intelligence unit visited
the university premises and re-
constructed the scene of the crime
this afternoon. The suspect, it has
come to light, had hired a taxi
near the Sirhind octroi post and
consumed liquor before commit-
ting the crime. The assailant told
the taxi driver and the university
security personnel at the gate that
he was a dean with the university.
He was let in without checking,
Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Ranbir
Singh Khatra said. The police is
yet to identify the man who drove
away the attacker on his bike after
the crime. Onlookers said the as-
sailant raised slogans before es-
caping.
The VC had no police security
and he preferred to travel alone.
The attack occurred 100 metres
from the main entrance and the
security personnel deployed at the
gate failed to react after the shots
were fired at the VC.
There were no CCTV cameras at
the site of the attack. The as-
sailant entered the campus a few
minutes before the VC stepped
out of his office. “ This is either a
coincidence or the assailant had
some internal information,” the
police said, pointing out that a
few staff members of the univer-
sity were suspended recently.
SPCL-Indiabulls powerpact illegal: Capt
Sketch of Vice-Chancellor’s attacker released
Insider’s hand not ruled out, says police
Sangrur villagers wait for their ‘gentle’ Sukhjyot
Farmer dead in Mansaland acquisition stir
Police resorts to lathi charge to stop protestersfrom marching to thermal plant site
Oh hell… a
movie can be so
awesome that it can
result in headache,
and aching hands..
do you know that?
A film can be so
much genuinely
awesome that it can
make you jump in
your seats, make
you cry with laughs
and repeat every
single dialog right
when you are
watching it… and a
film can be so
much worth that
you keep repeating
those dialog even
after a month of
your watching the
film. I believe in
this, because in past
i have seen such
films, but never in a
Punjabi movie had
i experienced a
thing like that…
and last night.. oh
hell.. last night i did
experience that in
the movie Jine
Mera Dil Lutya…
I’m very honest
when i say that i
laughed so much
that after i got out
of cinema, i was
having a headache..
and my hands hurt
because i clapped
too much… even
now, in the morn-
ing, im still feeling
dizzy and writing
these words is tak-
ing a momentous
effort… Ok so.. the
film Jine Mera Dil
Lutya is a brilliant
Comedy, i wont
even call it Roman-
tic – Comedy, i
would go straight
on and say its an
outright – full to the
brim – comedy…
No… i will call it
Family Comedy..
yes, because the
film is clean and
can be enjoyed by
the families to-
gether. From the
very beginning, it
starts as a roller
coaster of laughs
and till the end it
keeps doing that to
you…
There are so many
things about this
movie that deserve
praise… but the
most important is
acting.. Diljit
Dosanjh and Gippy
Grewal have shown
their skill in full
colors. They both
complement each
other so much that
they really seem
like the best of
friends off screen
as well. They have
an arduous chem-
istry in the movie
and their characters
are so well defined
and lovable that
this film goes be-
yond an ordinary
comedy. You cant
decide who is bet-
ter, Gippy or Diljit?
They both are won-
derful and no one
wins the top spot
on acting
podium… Their
acting, their dialog
delivery, body lan-
guage and the way
they interact with
each other is plain
amazing.
The best part is
their versatility in
acting… most of
the time they are
being comic, but
then they get seri-
ous and both Gippy
and Diljit have
done those brief
emotional scenes
so well, that you lit-
erally feel like giv-
ing them a hug to
console them. Two
of them didnt leave
much for Neeru
Bajwa to do in the
film, but she has
done her part very
well in the movie.
The way Gippy and
Diljit overtook the
screen, there wasnt
much scope for the
female lead to do
anything, but she
has done her part
well and she will
also win accolades
for her act.. and
honestly i cant
imagine who else
could have re-
placed her.. Neeru
is the only female
actor who could
have played this
role well without
being under shad-
owed by the duo…
Kulraj Randhawa
seems the closest
contender…
Apart from the
triple lead of the
film, every other
actor, however big
or small, had done
their part amaz-
ingly well… the
top shiner has to be
Binnu Dhillon who
has once again
proved his worth as
a versatile actor.
Just look at the
background of this
guy… can you re-
call a single movie,
in which Binnu
Dhillon didnt prove
himself? Every
actor has a good or
bad films, but
Binnu is always
liked and appreci-
ated… and after
Jine Mera Dil
Lutya he will be-
come almost a star
in Punjabi
Movies… and
someone, without
whom, the film
wont be considered
successful. His di-
alogs and manner-
isms will be
remembered for-
ever… and you can
be serious about
that.
Next is the return of
the Punjabi theater
Veteran actor B. N.
Sharma… who
plays P K Palta in
the movie and who
shows what a true
actor can do. His
act, his dialogs and
his mannerisms
show the elite act-
ing he still holds in
himself. His man-
ner of raising his
hands above his
head while asking
for money is one
brilliant act of com-
edy and character
identity…
Next up are
Jaswinder Bhalla
and Rana Jung Ba-
hadur, who have
done fine comedy
in the movie, but
Jaswinder Bhalla
does tend to go to
his double meaning
comedy here and
there… should
avoid that. He has
enough acting and
comic skills to sur-
vive without that.
Another name that
made himself felt
in the film is
Karamjit Anmol
with his short and
witty dialoges. One
good actor doesnt
need a bigger role
to win the audience
and Karamjit
Anmol, did exactly
that.
The story of the
film isnt much, its
plot is nothing bril-
liant, but the way it
has been acted
upon, makes it an
amazing recipe.
The dialogs of the
film are a winner.
They are so natural
and so true to life
that you feel as if
your own friends
are playing roles in
the movie.. There
are takes by Diljit
and Gippy on one
another’s songs and
even on Davinder
Kohinoor in one
scene and that
makes the film
even more fun.
This is real comedy
where you play on
one another and
touch upon current
events. But i mostly
felt that the di-
aloges were im-
provisat ions…..
that Diljit and
Gippy had a big
role in providing
dialoges in the
movie. Or maybe
there were no dia-
logues in the film
and the actors sim-
ply improvised on
the situations…
The editing of the
film is a master-
work… the film
flows in one conti-
nuity and doesn’t
feel jerky at all…
one scene merges
to another and the
story progresses on
a linear scale. This
is one great plus
Jine Mera Dil lutya
has…. this is the
best for audience
who feel the film as
one whole.
Makeup, wardrobe
and locations all
come secondary in
a film like this
where you dont get
much time upon
pondering about
these details… the
fun in the movie
overtakes evry-
thing…but Neeru’s
dresses could have
been a tad longer.
And background
score…. maybe not
many people will
notice, but every
character has his
own score that
plays in the back-
ground when he or
she comes on the
screen.. and an-
other point to be
noticed that the
songs arent overkill
in the film… there
are song in the
movie, but they are
all shorter in dura-
tion as compared to
their real length, a
very wise move.
And finally a word
for the director
Mandeep Kumar…
i have met him a
longtime back
when he was an As-
sistance Director in
Tera Mera Ki
Rishta and i know
he will be reading
this article soon
enough. All i can
say to you Man-
deep is a huge big
Punjabi fat thanks
for making such a
film. You have bro-
ken all barriers with
this one. Your di-
rection was great,
the concept amaz-
ing and your under-
standing of Punjabi
and the people of
Punjab is full well..
do go to Hindi
films, but keep
making Punjabi
Films every now
and then… for we
need them direly.
I can write a lot
more about the
film.. a lot lot lot…
but i will stop
now… otherwise it
will be an overkill.
But i feel so happy
that finally we have
a great Punjabi film
for the year 2011
and after Munde
UK De, i have an-
other movie i can
highly recommend
to everyone.. That’s
it.. now i will try to
get some sleep yet
once again… and
dear readers.. DO
WATCH THIS
August 4, 2011 11Courageous Journalism
Film Review
12 August 04, 2011 Courageous Journalism
I woke up. I cannot sleep any more. I'm
sitting in the living room. Feeling grief,
anger, happiness, God, I do not know
what. There are too many emotions. There
are too many thoughts. I'm afraid. I react
to the slightest sound. I will write about
what happened on Utøya. What my eyes
saw, what I felt, and what I did. The words
come straight from the gut, but I will
anonymize many names out of respect for
my friends. We had a crisis meeting in the
main building after the explosions in Oslo.
After that there was a meeting for mem-
bers of Akershus [a county bordering the
capital] and Oslo. After the meetings there
were many, many people around and in-
side the main building. We consoled our-
selves that we were safe on an island. No
one knew that hell would break out with
us too.
I was standing in the main street
[of the island] when panic broke out. I
heard shots. I saw him shoot. Everyone
started to run.
The first thought was: "Why are
the police shooting us? What the hell? "I
ran into a little room. Everyone ran.
Screamed. I was scared. I managed to get
into one of the rooms at the back of the
building. There were many of us in there.
We all lay on the floor together. We heard
several shots. We became more afraid. I
cried. I knew nothing.
I saw my best friend through the
window and wondered if I should go out-
side and bring him to me. I did not. I saw
fear in his eyes. We were lying on the
floor inside the room for a few minutes.
We agreed not to move out in case the
killer came. We heard several shots and
decided to jump out the window. Panic
broke out among us. Everyone in the
room rushed to the window and tried to
jump out. I was the last and thought: "I am
the last to jump out the window. Now I'm
going to die. I'm sure, but it might be okay
and then I will know that the others are
safe."
I threw my bag out the window. I
tried to climb down, but lost my grip. I
landed hard on the left side of my body. A
boy helped me up. We ran into the woods.
I looked around. "Is he here? Is he shoot-
ing me? Can he see me?"
A girl had a broken ankle. Another
was severely injured. I tried to help a little
bit before I went down to the water.
I sought cover behind a sort of
brick wall. There were many of us. I
prayed, prayed, prayed. I hope that God
saw me. I called Mum and said that it was
not certain we would meet again, but that
I would do anything to stay safe.
I said several times that I loved
her. I heard fear in her voice. She cried. It
hurt. I sent a text message to my dad
telling him I loved him. I sent a text mes-
sage to another person I am very, very
close to. We had a little contact. I sent a
text message to my best friend. He did not
answer. We heard several shots.
We were snuggled together. We
did everything we could to keep warm.
There were so many thoughts. I was so
scared. My dad called me. I cried and said
I loved him. He said he and my brother
would go to welcome me when I reached
the mainland, or they would come to the
island. There were so many emotions. So
many thoughts. I told him everything I
could. It took some time. We switched to
texting for fear that the killer would hear
us.
I thought of my sister who is
away. How I would tell her how it went?
What happened to me. I updated Twitter
and Facebook to say I was still alive and
that I was "safe".
I wrote that I was waiting for the
police. People jumped into the water and
started swimming. I was lying down. I de-
cided that if he came, I would play dead.
I would not run or swim. I cannot describe
the fear that took over my mind, what I
felt.
A man came. "I'm from the po-
lice." I was lying there. Some shouted
back that he had to prove it. I do not re-
member exactly what he said, but the
killer started shooting. He charged. He
shot those around me. I was still lying
there. I thought: "Now it's over. He's here.
He's going to shoot me. I'm going to die."
People screamed. I heard that oth-
ers were shot. Others jumped into the
water. I was there. Holding the mobile
phone in my hand, I lay on top of a girl's
legs. Two others lay on my feet. I was still
lying there. The mobile phone rang sev-
eral times. I was still lying. I played dead.
I lay there for at least an hour. It was com-
pletely quiet. I gently turned her head to
see if I could see someone alive. I looked
like around. I saw blood. Fear. I decided
to get up. I had been lying on top of a dead
body. Two dead bodies lay on me. I had a
guardian angel.
I did not know if he would come
back again. I did not have the courage to
look at all those who had called and texted
me. I hurried down to the water. I took off
my sweater. It was large. I thought it
would be difficult to swim with it. I con-
sidered whether I should bring my mobile
phone or leave it again. I put it in my back
pocket and jumped into the water. I saw
several others in the water. They had
swum far. I saw that someone had gath-
ered around a floating lifeboat or some-
thing like that.
There were many who followed
those who swam out.
I swam, swam, and swam towards the in-
flatable boat. I screamed, wept. I was
calm. I thought of when I would drown. It
became harder and harder. I questioned
myself. I kept swimming.
My arms were tired. I decided just
to use my legs legs to swim.
I sank. I started to swim normally
again. After a little while I thought the
group who were clinging on to the dinghy
were moving away from me. I screamed.
Begged them to wait for me. I must have
seen visions. I swam at least a few hun-
dred metres before I reached them. We
talked a little together. Who we were,
where we came from. When the boats
passed us we started shouting for help, but
they picked up the others who were still
swimming.
A man in a boat came to us. He
threw out several life jackets. I got hold of
one. Got it on me. I held on to the dinghy
for a long time, until the same man came
back to pick us up. We all got into it. He
began to head towards the shore. After a
little while his boat started to take in
water. I did everything I could to get as
much water out as possible.
I used a bucket. I was exhausted.
Another girl in the boat took over. We
reached the shore. We were given blan-
kets. The tears would not stop. I cried
more. A woman hugged me. It was so
good. I wept aloud. I sobbed. A man lent
me his phone. I called my dad, "I'm alive.
I made it. Now I am safe."
I hung up. Cried more. We had to
walk a bit. Completely unknown people
took us into their cars and drove us to the
Sundvollen hotel. I ran in to see if I could
see my best friend. I could not find him
anywhere.
I saw a friend. I cried, loudly. We
hugged each other for a long time. It was
good. I walked around, looking for
friends. My heart pounded. I cried more.
I gave my details to the police, then
looked through all the lists. I did not know
if my best friend was alive. I looked
through all the lists. I could not find his
name anywhere. I was scared.
I got a duvet. I took off my wet
socks. I was half naked. Got a jacket. I
tried to phone some people. Contacted my
parents again. My dad and brother were
on their way to fetch me. I drank some
cocoa. I sat down. Thought. Wept. So
many friends. I hugged them. Wept.
I borrowed a computer. Updated
Facebook and Twit-
ter again to say that I
was safe. I was at the
hotel for several
hours before my
family came. I
looked for familiar
sights. I talked to a
priest. I told them
everything I had
seen. It was a good
conversation. A man
from the Red Cross
saw all my wounds.
Cleaned them.
Time passed.
I was with some of
my friends. We all
talked about the
same things: how we
survived and what
had happened. I
asked several if they
had seen my best
friend. No one had
seen him. I was
scared. I thought that
it was my fault be-
cause we had not
managed to stay to-
gether.
A friend got
the key to a hotel
room. We sat there,
looked at the news.
There was anger,
sorrow, so many
emotions. My dad
called, they had
come. I took the ele-
vator down. Ran out
to them. Hugged my
brother and my dad a
long time. I wept
aloud. My brother
was crying too. It
was a good moment.
I saw a boy who
looked like my best
friend. I shouted his
name. He turned
around. It was him.
We hugged each
other for a long time
. Both crying, we
asked each other
how we had man-
aged.
After a while, I spoke again to the
police and we drove home. Someone else
came with us. My best friend
was with me. His brother had
brought his best friend. Several
people had gathered at my home.
They would not leave until they
had seen that I was fine. We
talked a little bit. I drank juice.
Ate a yogurt. Talked some more
with my mum and my family. I
called my best friend. It was a
good conversation.
She said: "I was not sure if
I would ever get this phone call."
Tears started again. We talked a
little bit. After that I lay down. It
was 3am. Mum refused to let me
sleep alone, so we slept together.
It has now been several
hours since all this happened.
I'm still in shock. Everything has
not fallen into place.
I have seen the corpses of
my friends. Several of my friends
are missing. I am glad that I can swim. I
am glad that I am alive. God watched over
me. There are so many emotions, so many
thoughts. I think of all my family. Of all I
lost. Of the hell that is - and was - on the
island. This summer's most beautiful fairy
tale is transformed into Norway's worst
nightmare.
I thought I was going to die now!Norway shooting: A young Norwegian politician used her blogto describe being caught up in the Utoyamassacre. Prableen Kaur, 23, was one ofthe 650 people on the island as AndersBehring Breivik started shooting.
Prableen Kaur, 23, thought she was going to die
450g/1 lb hoki or other white
fish fillets, skinned 60 ml/4
tbsp fresh wholemeal bread-
crumbs 30 ml/2tbsp snipped
chives or spring onion
400g/14 oz can chopped
tomatoes 50g/2oz/ ¾ cup but-
ton mushrooms, sliced salt and
black pepper
This quick meal is a good choice for young children, as you
can guarantee no bones. If you like, add a dash of chilli sauce.
1.Cut the fish fillets into large chunks and place in a food
processor. Add the wholemeal breadcrumbs, chives or spring
onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper and process until
the fish is finely chopped, but still has some texture left.
2.Divide the fish mixture into about 16 even-sized pieces,
then mould them into balls with your hands.
3.Place the tomatoes and mushrooms in a wide saucepan and
cook over a medium heat until boiling. Add the fish balls,
cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until cooked. Serve
hot.
Hoki is a good choice for this dish but if it’s not available,
use cod, haddock or whiting instead
HOKI BALLS INTOMATO SAUCE
Ingredients
Directions
Cook's Tip