Sikhs on board the Komogata Maru

Canada’s scandalous refusal of entry to a shipload of South Asians in 1914 is a story that is never far from the headlines as the Sikh community presses the Canadian government for adequate acknowledgment and reparation for the damage inflicted on the would-be immigrants.

Now the story is taking another significant twist with a report that the Punjab state government in India is thinking of asking Canada for close to $150 million for turning back the passengers, mostly Sikhs, from Vancouver, in British Columbia.

According to Cheryl Chan of the Canwest News Service, writing for the Montreal Gazette, a Punjab government committee is to look into initiating legal and diplomatic proceedings to recover a $15,000 “entry tax” that Sikh passengers aboard the Japanese steamship Komagata Maru reportedly paid out in 1914.

Why the figure has soared to  $143 million has not been explained, according to the English-language Hindustan Times. Whether the tax was $15,000 per passenger, or for the entire ship, is also undetermined.

The Komagata Maru carried 376 would-be immigrants  from Hong Kong to Vancouver. They included Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus from various Far East locations.

All but 24 were refused entry when Canada applied a regulation that said immigrants should come by continuous journey from their home country.  It has been regarded ever since by Sikhs as a racist blot on Canada’s record and may become the subject of a feature film by Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta.  Actors Seema Biswas, John Abrham and Terence Stamp have been mentioned in connection with the project.

The vessel lay at anchor for two months before being forced to steam back to India by Canadian warships. Twenty people were killed and many more jailed by British authorities when it docked in Calcutta.

The Hindustan Times reports that the Punjab government has decided to investigate the possibility of financial reparation after meeting families of passengers killed by British officers. The families maintain that the $15,000 deposited as entry tax is lying unused.

If the Punjab government decides there are grounds to act it will raise the issue with the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Money recovered could be used to fund memorials although it has also been suggested that it could be paid out to descendants of the affected passengers. Many had sold land and belongings for the voyage to Canada and their lives were in ruin where they were returned.

The Punjab government’s hopes of a massive financial settlement may be easier to aspire to than to achieve.  An academic in Canada has cast doubt on the size and source of the so-called entry tax.

Hugh Johnston, professor emeritus of history at Simon Fraser University, in BC, said passengers were required to pay for the chartered vessel in $15,000 instalments, one of which fell due when the ship arrived in Vancouver.

Members of Vancouver’s Khalsa Diwan Society are reported to have raised about $25,000 from local Sikhs to pay the ship owners.

The Descendants of the Komagata Maru Passengers Society say that what British Columbia’s South Asian community wants more than money is an official apology from the federal government in the Canadian House of Commons.

Last year Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an apology to the Sikh community during a festival in Surrey, British Columbia — although this was criticised by some as insufficient — along with $2.5 million in federal funding for projects commemorating the tragedy.

The province of British Columbia issued an official apology for the discriminatory policy in the legislature in 2008.

Vancouver Sun

By Douglas Todd, Vancouver SunApril 28, 2010 The extremist Sikhs who have gone online to threaten the life of Vancouver South MP Ujjal Dosanjh are doing…read the full story here

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Anti-Sikh riots: US court summons Kamal Nath

Oneindia

New York, Apr 7: The US federal district court has summoned India’s Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath in connection with the 1984 Anti-Sikh …read the full story here

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Hounslow goes orange for Sikh celebration

Hounslow Chronicle

Vaisakhi is a traditional harvest festival and marks the beginning of the Sikh new year. It also commemorates the establishment in 1699 of the Khalsa at …read the full story here.

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Sikh groups to take part in WSC

Press Trust of India

Amritsar, Apr 7 (PTI) Various Sikh bodies, including Khalsa Action Committee, today decided to participate in the 2-day World Sikh Conference (WSC) to be …read the full story here.

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PM may participate in Sikh celebrations

Press Trust of India

New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to participate in the tercentenary celebrations of Sirhind Fateh Diwas to be held at Sirhind …read the full story here

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Kamal Nath summoned in anti-Sikh riots case

Indian Express

New York: Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath has been summoned by a US federal district court for his alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots …read the full story here.

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Sikh preacher determined to keep speaking

Toronto Star

Darshan Singh, once the chief priest of the Sikh faith, was recently excommunicated by current leaders for his controversial position on the authenticity of …read the full story here

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Muslims, Sikhs Welcome Change in Airport Security Screenings

Beliefnet.com (blog)

WASHINGTON (RNS) Muslim and Sikh groups praised the Transportation Security Administration for rolling back screening rules on passengers arriving from 14 …read the full story here

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Turbans take centre stage

Vancouver Sun

Romana hopes the younger generations of Sikh, Hindu and Muslim turban-wearers hear that talk and continue the cultural conversation with their peers…read the full story here

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Sikh Summit to be held in Washington in May

Press Trust of India

Washington, Apr 6 (PTI) A Sikh advocacy group today announced to organise a Sikh Summit here in May where members of the community from across the US would…read the full story here

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Penang, Selangor Urged To Declare Vaisakhi A Holiday

Bernama

He said the request for a holiday to mark the Hindu and Sikh new year was a legitimate expectation for all Hindus and Sikhs in the country…read the full story here

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UAE Death Sentence Hanging Over 17 Indians

The Sikh Times, UK

He gave a glowing report of the Sikh community, which will be opening the first gurdwara at Dubai on Guru Nanak Sahib’s Parkaash Utsav in November this year…read the full story here

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Feds halt profiling put in place after Flight 253

Detroit Free Press

The Sikh Coalition, which advocates for people who practice the Sikh religion, also praised the move. Walid and Hamad said they’re waiting to see how the…read the full story here

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.What should Pope Benedict XVI do?

Ottawa Citizen

Sikh Gurus and their followers suffered brutal oppression with sacrifices and extreme physical tortures, for “freedom of religion.” Sikh religion is a very …read the full story here

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Ba retains Sikh crown

Fiji Times

SKIPPER Alvin Singh scored a brilliant goal in the first half to help Ba successfully defend the Fiji Sikh Football Association Inter District Champion-ship …read the full story here

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Book editor of vernacular paper for hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs: KAC …

SikhSiyasat.Net

Urging the Punjab government to initiate legal action against the editor to soothe the hurt feelings of the Sikhs, they said he (Joginder Singh) must be …read the full story here

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BC turban-tying event targets youth

CBC.ca

This year the organizers of the annual contest aim to encourage younger Sikh men and teenaged boys to take pride in wearing a turban, also known as a Dastar…read the full story here

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Four hymn singers killed as car rams into truck

Calcutta Tube (blog)

Chandigarh, Feb 17 (IANS) Four ‘raagis’ (Sikh hymn singers) were killed Wednesday morning when their car rammed into a stationary truck near Punjab’s…read the full story here

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India’s Sikh Widows of 1984 Say Justice MIA

Women’s eNews
By Gagandeep Widows of Sikh men massacred 25 years ago in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination say India has failed to produce a single conviction…read the full story here

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I want Sajjan Kumar to stop smiling: Jarnail Singh

Mid-Day
Since the infamous shoe-gate incident, life for this 40-something Sikh journalist has not been easy. No job, daily struggle to make ends meet and suspicion…read the full story here

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Plans for Sikh temple draw audience ire at public meeting

Guelph Mercury
GUELPH — City staff got a hostile reception at a public planning meeting for a controversial southside domed Sikh temple in a rapidly growing upscale…read the full story here

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SGPC ready to Print Guru Granth Sahib in foreign countries: Makkar

PunjabNewsline.com

“We are open to the idea of allowing the printing of the holy scripture in other countries if the Sikh population in these countries can provide us the land…read the full story here

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Gurdwara Sikh Sangat in Bow

A year after a blaze that destroyed three-quarters of the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat in Bow, east London, the temple committee plans to launch an international appeal for the £2.5million needed to rebuild the temple.

It intends asking English Heritage to grant aid because the temple was set up in a Grade 11 listed building.

The appeal is part of a BBC News report on progress at the temple since the suspected arson attack last year.

The temple will make an appeal to Sikhs based in the UK and abroad to help raise £2.5m to rebuild the temple and plans to approach English Heritage for grants. A year after a suspected arson attack on a Sikh temple in east London a trustee has said the community is “very disappointed” with the police inquiry.

The fire at Gurdwara Sikh Sangat in Harley Grove, Bow, last March damaged the Grade II listed building and destroyed several Sikh holy books.

Jagmohan Singh said it was “very disappointing” that no arrests had been made despite a £50,000 reward.

Police said “extensive inquiries” had been carried out.

Mr Singh said a 40-hour reading of the Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib Ji, to mark the fire will conclude later.

‘CCTV evaluation’

The fire destroyed 75% of the building and caused the roof to collapse. But the temple continued to function from some rooms at the back of the building, which were restored at a cost of £200,000.

“Today is a remembrance day and at the same time it is a celebration as despite the attack we are holding worship inside the premises,” Mr Singh said.

“The Granth has also returned. It was devastating to see the gurdwara and particularly the holy book targeted.”

“We are very disappointed with the investigation. Nobody has been apprehended and that is more disappointing than having to provide services from a constrained space.”

A statement from Tower Hamlets Borough Police said it had conducted “extensive inquiries” and carried out a “thorough CCTV evaluation”.

“We wish to reassure the community that everything that can be done is being done and every possible line of inquiry is being pursued.”

“The investigation team is in regular contact with the temple committee and liaise with our independent advisory group, whilst providing updates both locally and nationally to the Federation of Sikh Organisations UK.”

The temple will make an appeal to Sikhs based in the UK and abroad to help raise £2.5m to rebuild the temple and plans to approach English Heritage for grants.

Rajinder Singh, 78

Rajinder Singh, 78, is shown here minus his customary turban in a photograph issued by the formerly ‘whites only’ BNP, which has been forced by a court to allow membership for blacks and Asians.

The BNP announced his signing on its website.

By contrast, also shown – in a Ministry of Defence picture – is another elderly Sikh, who has challenged the BNP over its use of the Spitfire fighter aircraft in its promotional imagery and has recently told how he battled against fascism as a Royal Air Force fighter pilot in the Second World War.

When he was shot down, Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji, now in his 90s, reckons his life was saved by the padding in his specially adapted turban, worn as a requirement of his faith.

The young pilot crash-landed his Hurricane aircraft near the White Cliffs of Dover after the plane was crippled in a dogfight over the Channel.

He was helped from the wreckage with severe head injuries but believes the reinforced covering, which had his RAF wings sewn on to it, acted as a cushion and extra protection. He was taken to hospital head covered in blood but after seven days was in the air again.

The story is told on the Kent News website in the run-up to the 70^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain this year.

The RAF ace, who flew Spitfires as well as Hurricanes, plans to release his memoirs this year but allowed Kent News to publish some of the tales he lived to tell. See http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Sikh-WWII-RAF-ace

He recalled how a bullet destroyed his cockpit instrumentation over the Channel and how his windscreen was covered in oil. He made it back over the White Cliffs to a landing strip but the plane was engulfed in flames and it was totally wrecked as it hit the ground.

Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji

Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji was convinced the six feet of wound cloth in his turban saved him from worse head injuries.

Born in Simla, India, he signed up for the RAF after reading an advert declaring ‘Pilots needed for Royal Air Force’ in an Indian newspaper. He had learned to fly in 1937 and was one of only eight pilots from the then Empire colony thought good enough for fighter duties.

He went into action in 1940 at the height of the Battle of the Britain against the Luftwaffe bombers that swept in across southern England. He also flew mission after mission escorting RAF bombers across the Channel.

He felt he was fighting a just cause in joining the battle against Hitler. Britain went to war to save Europe and he went to war for Britain, he said. “I saw the people here and had admiration for them.”

He also saw action in Africa, the Middle East, Palestine and Asia – the only man to see combat in five theatres – and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery. His latter career saw him work as a commercial pilot and run an aerodrome for the Indian government.

Last year he made headlines here by challenging the British National Party after it used images of a Spitfire in a political campaign.

Sqdn Ldr Singh Pujji , who lives in Gravesend, Kent, was angered by its use of imagery from the war: “The BNP are wrong to use the Spitfire as representative of their party. They forget people from different backgrounds helped in the Second World War,” he said.

“Even in those days, there were ethnic minorities fighting for the British. I would recommend the armed forces for young people regardless of race.”

‘Wider membership will dilute BNP views”

The teacher, now retired, who has joined the BNP is Rajinder Singh, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, who believes it is the only political party that will resist what he sees as the spread of Islamic fundamentalism in Britain.

The BNP changed its rules to allow membership by Asian and black people last month after it was told by Central London County Court to amend its constitution to comply with race relations laws or face legal action by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Mr Singh, who was born in West Punjab, says opening its doors to Asians was a positive  move by the BNP that would help prevent the kind of violence caused by partition in India, which caused him to leave the country in 1967 and which had led to the death of his father,

He has written BNP leader Nick Griffin letters of support and even gave him a character reference at his trial in 2006 accused of inciting racial hatred. He votes for the BNP at election time and says he has adopted the British way of life, although he maintains that he still has core Sikh values.

He believes that by opening its doors to non-whites the BNP’s attitude to what constitutes British roots will be diluted for the better.

Rajinder Singh spells out his position – see http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/11/bnp-nonwhites-members-sikh-join

The BNP’s tangled attempts to reconcile its rules with equality laws – see http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/12/bnp-racist-membership-rules-outlawed

Sukhwinder Singh, 31, died from a fatal stabbing in a snowy east London street in January after trying to apprehend two men who had mugged a young woman coming out of Barking railway station.

The Metropolitan Police described him as a hero and he was treated that way when his body was returned home to Dholanwal village in a farming community near Ludhiana in the Punjab. Hundreds of mourners turned out for a cremation ceremony made all the more poignant by the fact that his ten-year-old son, Gurjinder Singh, whom he had never seen, lit the funeral pyre.

Sukhwinder Singh, a builder, moved to Britain ten years ago to try to create a better future for his family – but never managed a return journey in that time.

He sent money home to his wife Sandeep Kaur, 29, their daughter Aman, and the little son born after he left India, but a tragedy befell the family when Aman died eight years ago after falling down the steps of a temple.

After his death it was said that Mr Singh was saving money to visit his wife and son and parents in June this year.

A regular attender at the Singh Sabha London East Gurdwara in Barking, Mr Singh was declared a martyr by Gurbachan Singh, the jathedar or head of the Akal Takht, the Punjab-based highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion.

The Thai Indian news website reported the announcement was made after a meeting of the five Sikh high priests. Gurbachan Singh said Sukhwinder Singh showed the utmost bravery in confronting the criminals in London and had brought pride to the Sikh community through his selfless act.

His photograph will be displayed in the Sikh Museum at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.

Britain’s media called him a have-a-go hero after he chased and confronted youths who punched a student and robbed her of her handbag near the railway station on January 8. He was stabbed in the chest and died at the Royal London Hospital.

Initially police arrested three suspects but these were released on bail pending further enquiries. The names of the two now held have not been released.

The mugging victim, Karamjit Kaur, 28, was treated in hospital for shock. She had been in Britain for two months when the incident occurred. She was attacked as she returned from university in central London.

Police said Mr Singh had lost his life bravely and he was described by his cousin Harwinder Singh, 27, with whom he shared a house, as the “most selfless person” he had ever met.

Nirmal Singh Gill, a Barking and Dagenham councillor, knew Sukhwinder Singh and said he was a sober, clean-living young man who attended gurdwara every evening.  “He would help anybody so it doesn’t surprise me that he was trying to help a lady.”

When police launched their search for the attackers they were looking for two black men in their 20s or 30s, between 5ft 7ins and 6ft tall.

Illegal immigrant – but a great Briton?

Sukhwinder Singh’s death during an act of public-spirited bravery eventually drew attention to another aspect of his life in a report in London’s Evening Standard newspaper – the fact that he was an illegal immigrant, the reason for his not visiting India for ten years.

Sikh columnist Sathnam Sanghera, who writes for The Times of London, believes the praise that was showered on Mr Singh before his status became known made a powerful case for a change of attitude in the UK towards its hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.

Referring to the vociferous opposition of many politicians and parts of the media (not to mention sections of the public) he argued that long-term illegal immigrants, if embraced, would make a positive economic contribution to the country.

Those who had entered Britain by illicit means were often labelled parasites but a report commissioned by Mayor of London Boris Johnson from the London School of Economics painted the opposite picture, he said.

Builder Sukhwinder Singh had helped make the case. His boss regarded him as one of his best concrete finishers, said “he was always the first to arrive and the last to leave” and that he sent home half his £2,000 a month salary.  But, as he had provided a National Insurance and tax reference number, tax had been deducted at source from his wages.

Sathnam Sanaghera said Boris Johnson was right to propose that the best way of dealing with illegal immigration was to give long-term illegal immigrants – those who had been in the UK for five years, had no criminal record and could support themselves – an amnesty.

“Those against an amnesty would have us believe that that it would lead to the moral collapse of our society”, but as several newspapers have pointed out, Singh worked hard to provide for his family, when he was not on the job he dedicated his time to community work at his local temple, and when he saw a British citizen in distress he went to help.

“He paid the ultimate sacrifice and in doing so he proved that, given the chance, he could have made a great Briton. And so could lots of others like him.”

He was commenting on the passage through parliament’s revising chamber, the House of Lords, of the Equalities Bill, which could pave the way for such discrimination to be made illegal.

Hindu and Sikh communities have been under the spotlight for possibly tolerating caste divisions in the workplace but ministers have previously doubted the problem existed, according to a BBC News online report.

Now more research has been commissioned and Mr Porteus Wood said this represented “a historic moment”.

Government peer Baroness Thornton, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department of Health, said evidence may exist. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research would present research findings in July or August, she revealed.

Hindu campaigners have long maintained that Dalits or ‘untouchables’ suffer unfair treatment from ‘higher caste’ members, even in second generation UK Asian communities.

Baroness Thornton said: “We have looked for evidence of caste discrimination and we now think that evidence may exist, which is why we have now commissioned the research.”

Lord Avebury, for the Liberal Democrats, believed the research would prove that caste discrimination does occur in the fields covered by the bill.

If it becomes law, it will require organisations of all sizes and types to promote equality and avoid discrimination in the workplace, said the BBC.

It will clarify existing discrimination legislation concerning sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age, and ministers hope increased transparency will help tackle the pay gap between men and women.

The BBC previously raised the issue of caste discrimination online in March last year – see Does the caste system still linger in the UK? <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7856969.stm>

The Fund’s regional head Stuart McLeod says it will fill a gap in the social history of a community that has settled and made a contribution for half a century.

Gravesham Historical Society and Kent County Library Service will gather information to find out what it was like to be an incomer in the 1960s.

The migrants’ working lives, cultural and sporting interests and places of worship will be shown in the exhibition, plus memories of their earlier lives in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Organisers the North West Kent Racial Equality Council will create a book and website as well as staging the exhibition.

The equality council’s assistant director Gurvinda Singh says it will tell an important story – especially of the migrants’ early struggles in the UK, where craftsmen and farmers from the subcontinent arrived in search of a wage that could support their families back home.

The emergence of the Sikh community is now proudly symbolised in Gravesend by the £12.5 million temple, the Sri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, one of the largest outside India, which opened for worship lin Clarence Place last July after seven years work.

It can house 1,200 worshippers, from the UK’s second biggest settlement of Sikhs.

The gurdwara website give an idea of how the community grew.

It states: “Prior to 1955 weekly congregations were held at the house of Charan Singh (site now occupied by a shopping centre), after this time the size of the congregations grew to the extent that a house was purchased for worshipping in Edwin Street.

“The building that is now the Sri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara was purchased in 1968 and immediately became the focal point of the Sikh community. The building has over the years had extensive building work done to it (all financed from donations) and now there is no mistaking it for anything other than a gurdwara.

“Not only has the gurdwara been the focal point of spiritual activities, it has also been heavily involved in sporting activities. There has been a Guru Nanak FC (football club) team and Kabbadi team for over two decades, during which time both have won many trophies and participated in hundreds of events.

“As well as the main gurdwara, the committee has now purchased (99 year lease) another site not too far from the main building. This new site now not only has a gurdwara it also boasts a fully equiped gymnasium together with playing field and car park. To illustrate the amount of influence the community now has, the local council has named the road this new site is situated on Khalsa Avenue. In additional, in 1997 Gravesend had Kent’s first Sikh mayor.”

More information about the exhibition from the Kent News website on http://www.kentnews.co.uk <http://www.kentnews.co.uk/>

A woman accused of poisoning her former lover after secretly putting an ancient herbal poison into food stored in a fridge has been given a life sentence for his murder.

Mother-of-three Lakhvir Kaur Singh, 40, of Marlborough Road, West Southall, London, was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in jail for causing cleaner Lakhvinder ‘Lucky’ Cheema, 39, what was described as an agonising death.

Mr Cheema and his fiancée Gurjeet Choough, 23, who ate the meal hours after it was laced with Indian Aconite on January 27 2009, felt paralysis creeping through their bodies within a few minutes.

Blinded as well, Mr Cheema, of Princes Road, Feltham, London, died within an hour of being taken to West Middlesex University Hospital by car by his sister Narinder. Miss Choough, who had eaten a smaller portion of the food, survived after being put into a medically-induced coma.

As he fell ill, Mr Cheema asked two women living in the house if anyone had visited and they told him a woman they thought was his sister went into his kitchen, took the container from the fridge, put something in it, put it in the microwave and then returned it to the fridge.

Miss Choough told the court her fiancé told her that if it was Lakhvir who had come to the house she had definitely put something in the food. Singh still held a key to the property.

The jury heard that Singh allegedly poisoned another meal eaten by Mr Cheema on December 6, 2008, but he recovered after spending a week in hospital.

After the second incident police found two bags of herbs containing poison in Singh’s coat and in a handbag at her home.

She was said to have killed Mr Cheema out of “jealousy, anger and revenge” after he got engaged to Miss Choough in December 2008.

Singh denied murder and attempted murder of Ms Choough on January 28, 2009 and the attempted murder of Mr Cheema on December 6, 2008.

She was found guilty of causing Ms Choough grievous bodily harm with intent, but was cleared of attempting to murder her and of administering poison to Mr Cheema in December 2008.

Judge Paul Worsley said he was satisfied Singh had gone to India in November 2008 for Indian Aconite with murder on her mind. A month earlier she had been told that her lover for 16 years was to marry a younger woman.

Within a week of her return, a small quantity of the poison entered her lover’s food.

Singh took him to hospital, visited him every day and showed her concern, hoping he would break off the engagement but he declined to return to her in the face of both entreaties and, later, threats.

The Judge said Singh – who showed no emotion when the sentence was read out – set about a cold and calculating revenge.

On the morning of January 27 at Lakhvinder’s home she took a container of vegetable curry from the fridge and added Aconite – also known as the Queen of Poisons – realising how deadly it was and how agonising its effects would be.

The judge told Singh: “You have shown no remorse whatsoever. At your trial you sought to blame a wholly innocent member of your family (brother Varinder Pal Singh) for your deeds.

“Your actions came as close as can be to claiming the lives of two people who were about to start a new life together.”

Singh’s barrister told the jury that Varinder was the more likely killer. But the jury rejected the claim.
Miss Choough had told the jury how she told Singh to leave her and her husband-to-be alone and look after her family.

Singh had attempted to break up the couple by telling Mr Cheema his young fiancee, who entered the country illegally, was only after a British passport. She got into a jealous rage after seeing the couple in bed through a window and threatened to burn the house down.

The jury heard that Singh became pregnant twice during her affair with Mr Cheema, which was conducted while her husband, Aunkar, 57, was receiving treatment for cancer. Mr Cheema forced her to have abortions each time.

In a statement Ms Choough said Mr Cheema was looking forward to having children with her, and also having his elderly father live with them.

She said the poisoning took her to the brink of death and she believed it would affect her for the rest of her life. Doctors were not sure whether it would have a long-term effect on her internal organs.

The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (Saldef), the nation’s oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organisation, has praised the Senate for passing this important bill by a wide margin, following a landslide of support in the Oregon House on February 13.

Saldef has urged Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski to sign the bill into law quickly.

Saldef initiated an historic campaign on behalf of the Sikh American community to overturn ORS 342.650 in the summer of 2009. It has been working to publicise this discriminatory legislation and repeal it.

“Today in Oregon we took a big step forward to equality in our State. The coalition that came together to pass this legislation crossed all lines of religion, race and culture,” said Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt.

“It was inspiring to see national groups like Saldef join with local groups like the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon to achieve this great victory for tolerance and religious freedom. No longer will any law supported by the KKK (Ku Klax Klan white supremacist movement) be the law in our state.”

SALDEF has worked with Mr Hunt and a broad coalition of groups and individuals to win over Oregon legislators, provide testimony at House hearings,  and mobilise community support for a Lobby Day at the State House in Salem.

Kavneet Singh of SALDEF

SALDEF managing director Kavneet Singh said: “We commend the Oregon Senate for this historic vote to finally bury from their state’s laws the unfortunate legacy of bigotry from the KKK in the 1920s.”

He said it was a huge step for the Sikh American community. “Sikh Americans partnered and mobilised with a truly interfaith coalition behind a bill that was supportive of and that protected people of all faiths.”

The bill will now head back to Oregon House for a vote on the minor changes and amendments added by the Senate Rules Commitee.  The final legislation will land on the Governor’s desk for his signature. The change of law will become effective in school year 2011-2012.

Murdered - Gurmail Singh

Police have charged a 20-year-old man and three 17-year-olds with the murder of a Sikh shopkeeper, ten days after he succumbed to severe head injuries possibly inflicted with a hammer.

Gurmail Singh, 63, who leaves a widow, two sons and a daughter, died in hospital on February 21 the day after trying to prevent a robbery in his convenience store at Fixby, near Huddersfield in Yorkshire.

Police have named the 20-year-old they charged alongside the juveniles as Muawaz Khalid. All four are from the Huddersfield area.

Mr Singh, who celebrated his 63rd birthday the day before he was killed, had lived in the UK since 1963 and was much liked in his community, which is known as a quiet location, but prone to visits by unruly youths from neighbouring areas.

The UK’s Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Singh, who worked seven days a week, had told relatives that he was ready to retire because his shop, the Cowcliffe Convenience Store, was being targeted by violent youths.

Drinkers at a nearby pub brought two men who entered the shop to the ground when they left but could not hold them and they ran off.

Darshan Singh, 67, a relative of the dead man and a one-time shopkeeper himself, described Gurmail Singh as “a very gentle man”.

Det Supt David Pervin, of West Yorkshire Police, said he had been extremely well-liked and respected. People in his community knew him as a “very jolly man” who would do “absolutely anything for anyone”.