Sikhs

The UK police on Friday issued an appeal for information over an alleged rape of a British Sikh woman earlier this week, which the force said is being treated as a racially aggravated assault. Police said it was called on Tuesday morning after the woman, in her 20s, reported being sexually attacked at Tame Road, Oldbury, in the Sandwell area of the West Midlands region of England. The two white male suspects are said to have targeted the woman and made a racist remark during the attack. We're investigating after a woman reported to us that she had been raped in Oldbury in what we are treating as a racially aggravated attack, West Midlands Police statement said. The woman has told us that a racist remark was made to her during the attack. We are currently treating it as an isolated incident, the statement added. Police said they are keen to speak with anyone in the area who may have seen the two suspects. One of them is said to have a shaved head, heavy build and was reported to be

Canada finally admits Khalistani extremists are using its soil to fund, plan and promote violence in India, echoing what New Delhi has long warned

The Punjab BJP has deleted a social media post in which it paid tributes to "martyrs" of Operation Blue Star, the Army operation which was carried out in June 1984 to flush out armed militants from the Golden Temple. The post on X was shared on Sunday but it was taken down later without assigning any reason for the same. In the post, the Punjab BJP had condemned the then Congress government for "attacking the Golden Temple" and expressed solidarity with the families of those who lost their lives. The post, which has now been deleted, read, "June 1, 1984'?' 'Saka Neela Tara'. A humble tribute to all the martyrs of the day one of the attack on the Darbar Sahib by the Congress government." The BJP had also shared pictures of the damage suffered by the Akal Takht, which is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, and an armoured vehicle with deflated tyres. The post, which was shared on Facebook as well, was deleted a few hours later. Meanwhile, officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani K

The government on Saturday debunked claims that India had launched a drone attack on the Nankana Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan. "A video shared on social media is claiming that India has carried out a drone attack on the Nankhana Sahib gurdwara. This claim is completely fake," the PIB Fact Check Unit said. Such content was being circulated to create communal hatred in India, it said. Nankhana Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and the gurdwara is a revered shrine and pilgrimage centre for Sikhs. The government also dismissed claims that India's power grid has been rendered dysfunctional in a cyberattack by Pakistan, and that there has been a temporary closure of the Mumbai-Delhi airline route. "These claims are fake," the government said. The Airports Authority of India has extended the temporary closure of 25 segments of Air Traffic Service (ATS) routes within the Delhi and Mumbai Flight Information Regions due to operational reasons, it said.

Punjab and other northern Indian states celebrate Baisakhi, a major harvest celebration. It often occurs on April 13 or 14 and signifies the beginning of the Sikh New Year

Some members of the Sikh community on Tuesday demanded death penalty for former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar ahead of the verdict by a special court in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Special judge Kaveri Baweja is likely to pronounce order on the quantum of punishment for Kumar in relation to the alleged killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Delhi's Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984. Gurlad Singh, who was leading the protest outside the court premises, said, "Four decades have passed now, and it is judiciary's phrase that justice delayed is justice denied. We demand only the death penalty for Sajjan Kumar." Singh said the crime fell under the "rarest of the rare" category as the 1984 riots were a "pre-planned genocide". The Sikh community, he said, was still mourning the loss of their loved ones, and hoped the sentencing bring would bring some sort of closure and justice for the victims and their families. The court on February 12 convicted Kumar for the offence a

SGPC member Gurcharan Singh Grewal condemned the incident, labelling the deportation of Sikhs without turbans as a serious affront to their religious identity

A Birmingham-based brother and sister duo associated with the Sikh Youth UK group have been sentenced by a UK court after being found guilty of fraud offences relating to charitable donations. Rajbinder Kaur, 55, was convicted for money laundering and six counts of theft amounting to GBP 50,000 and one count under Section 60 of the UK's Charities Act 2011, which covers knowingly or recklessly providing false or misleading information to the Charity Commission. Her brother Kaldip Singh Lehal, 43, was also convicted for the same charge under the Charities Act. Kaur and Lehal ran the Sikh Youth UK (SYUK) group. While Kaur was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment by Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, Lehal was given a four months' sentence suspended for 18 months and 80 hours of community service. Kaur tried to portray herself as someone naive about financial matters despite having worked in a bank, Superintendent Annie Miller from West Midlands Police said in a state

The central government has recently constituted an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to examine whether there is sufficient cause to extend the declaration of banned pro-Khalistan group SFJ

Every year on Dec 26, people celebrate Veer Bal Diwas to pay tribute to the unmatched bravery and sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh's four sons, which are among the most revered figures in Sikhism

PMO release mentioned various initiatives will also be run to engage young minds, promote awareness about the significance of the day, and foster a culture of courage and dedication to nation

The Canadian MP said that politicians are portraying Hindus and Sikhs as opposing sides regarding the attack on the temple by Khalistani extremists

The priest of a Hindu temple in the Canadian city of Brampton has been suspended for spreading "violent rhetoric" during recent clashes between protesters carrying Khalistani flags and the people present there. On November 3, the protest occurred at the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton and unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show demonstrators holding banners in support of Khalistan. The videos showed fist fights and people striking each other with poles on what appears to be the grounds surrounding the temple. The protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with people and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate. On Wednesday, a statement from the Hindu Sabha Mandir said the suspension was due to the priest's "controversial involvement" with protesters on Sunday, but did not elaborate, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Taking to X, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said the priest spread "violent ...

Australia's foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she discussed the Canadian allegations with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar while he was in the Australian capital, Canberra. India has denied Canada's allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada. Wong said her message to the Sikh community was that people have a right to be safe and respected in Australia, regardless of who they are. We've made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation. We've said that we respect Canada's judicial process, Wong said at a news conference with Jaishankar. We convey our views to India as you would expect us to do and we have a principled position in relation to matters such as the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and also, frankly, the sovereignty of all countries, she ...

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would consider the the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, if the Centre does not decide on it "either way". A bench of Justices B R Gavai, P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan adjourned for two weeks the former Punjab Police constable's plea seeking commutation of his death sentence to life term due to an "inordinate delay" in deciding his mercy petition. "Decide it either way or we will consider it (Rajoana's plea)," the bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, after he informed the court that Rajoana's mercy plea was pending with the president's house. Rajoana has been in continuous custody for 29 years, said his counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, while seeking his release till the mercy petition is decided. "His mercy petition has been pending with the president's house for the past 12 years. Please release him

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at four locations in Punjab on Friday as part of its probe in a terror-conspiracy case involving designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a banned organisation associated with him. NIA teams swooped down at one location in Moga, two locations in Bathinda and one location in Mohali, at premises connected with suspects in the case, an official statement said. The searches led to the seizure of various incriminating materials, including digital devices, which are under examination, it added. The case relates to a conspiracy allegedly hatched by Pannun with other members of the SFJ, the statement issued by the NIA said. "The NIA on Friday conducted searches at four locations across Punjab in a case related to the promotion of terror-related activities and violence by SFJ leader Gurupatwant Singh Pannun," it added. The agency had registered the case against Pannun and the SFJ on November 17,

Slamming Rahul Gandhi, Amit Shah said that he has consistently threatened the nation's security and hurt public sentiments

During an event in the United States, Rahul Gandhi stated that the issue in India centres on whether a Sikh will be permitted to wear a turban in the country

Pakistan has been grappling with a prolonged economic crisis, seeking financial assistance from friendly nations and global lenders

The MHA has expressed concern that "if the SFJ's activities are not curbed, it may escalate its subversive activities, propagate anti-national sentiments, and incite violence in the country."