'It was a fiasco on the part of the Indian government to think that it could carry out crimes in Canada and the US and get away with it'
A group of eminent Indian Americans in Silicon Valley has held a special meeting with senior officials of the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and police and told that the United States soil is being used for terrorist activities against India.
In the wake of the shooting incident at a Wisconsin Gurdwara that claimed six lives, United States President Barack Obama feels 'very strongly' that there is a need to recognise the significant contributions of the Sikhs to the American community.
America has thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh extremist in the US, and warned India that its government may have been involved in it, reports the Financial Times.
United States lawmakers, who attended the annual Sikh American Heritage Dinner on Capitol Hill organized by the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, pledged to support the community's efforts to serve in the armed forces without compromising their religious principles.
'If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.'
Three years after the horrific massacre of Sikh worshippers at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, gurdwara by a gunman with ties to supremacist organisations, a federal system to help track hate crimes against Sikhs, Hindu, Arab American communities has been formalised.
The 'deliberate attack' on a Hindu temple in Canada sparked strong condemnation in India on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.
According to the sources, when the charges are laid against the two men, police will reveal their role and that of the Indian government.
"We have noted at the most senior levels of this government the secretary of state has raised this directly with his foreign counterpart that we take this issue very seriously. They told us they would conduct an investigation," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday.
Dr Rajwant Singh, an influential Sikh American community leader, met President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to personally thank them for their deep concern and unstinted support in the wake of the horrific massacre of Sikh worshippers on August 5 at a gurudwara at Oak Creek, Wisconsin by white supremacist and neo-Nazi Wade Michael Page.
The Sikhs emphasised that there must be basic understanding of their religion and its practices among school officials.
For the fourth successive year, Guru Nanak's birth anniversary was celebrated at the White House. Scores of Sikhs from across the country attended the event and were welcomed by key Obama administration officials from the offices of public engagement and the Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships respectively.
In a mass email alert to the community members, Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group, told them that they should be ready for additional screening at all the airports. "Sikhs should now expect to be secondarily screened 100 per cent of the time at American airports, even after passing through so-called Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines," it said.
Two of the most feisty women activists on Capitol Hill, United States Senator Barbara Mikulski and US Representative Judy Chu, both Democrats representing Maryland and California, pledged at the National Federation of Indian American Association's Congressional reception that they would fight against the racial profiling of India Americans, Sikh Americans and Muslim Americans.
In its report, The Intercept claimed that the Indian government issued instructions on a "crackdown scheme" against certain Sikh entities in western countries.
A marginalised Sikh group, which in the past had known supporters of Khalistan, has once again gained access to the powerful corridors of the Capitol Hill, raising concerns for India -- this time piggybacking on the issue of hate crime that the community is facing in the US.
An American court has ruled in favour of a decorated Sikh Army Captain who had demanded that the military accommodate his articles of faith.
American Sikh community leaders have complained US lawmakers that they were experiencing racial profiling, mostly during travel, after 9/11 and the trend has increased of late.
"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," Trudeau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
India on Thursday described as a "matter of concern" the US charging the Indian national with conspiring to kill the Sikh separatist, and asserted that a high-level probe committee will investigate all aspects of the case.
"Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, and Arab American communities live with the knowledge that it only takes one unhinged hatemonger to cut their lives short. The FBI needs to keep track of these hate crimes so that we can have an accurate picture of the danger," Garamendi said in a statement as he joined other lawmakers in writing a letter to the FBI in this regard.
The Sikh community in the United States plans to submit a memorandum to President Barack Obama, expressing their commitment to uphold the highest values of the American society and peaceful co-existence in the wake a shootout at a Gurdwara which left six worshippers dead.
India has constituted a high-level inquiry committee to probe allegations relating to a conspiracy to kill a Sikh extremist on American soil.
Sandeep Singh Dhaliwa stopped a vehicle with a man and woman inside and one of them got out and shot him "ambush-style".
‘Protecting the civil rights of all Americans remains a top priority for the FBI,’ FBI Director Robert Mueller said.
US Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has extended his greetings to the Sikh community in America on the tercentenary celebrations of consecration of the Guru Granth Sahib. In a letter addressed to the American Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee, Obama also thanked the Sikhs for their efforts to promote cultural diversity.
Washington, DC, has given the green light for Sikh police officers to sport turbans and beards, making it the first major city in the United States to accommodate the religious articles of faith
India has constituted a probe team to investigate allegations relating to the foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh extremist and known to be an American and Canadian citizen.
At the World Bank Banga will be replacing David Malpass, a former Trump treasury official, reports axios.com. Malpass had already announced that he will resign by July, months ahead of his term expired. "Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history," President Biden said in a statement. Banga, 63, currently serves as vice chairman at General Atlantic.
The US of late has seen a rise in Hinduphobia which needs to be fought because there is no place for hatred in this country, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar has said, as he joined a group of Hindu leaders and organisations seeking to fight this growing hate crime against the community.
In their letter, the lawmakers said that the US as a nation that is familiar with political protests can offer counsel to India during their current period of social disturbance.
He was colourful. He was dramatic. He was The Master of His Craft. There never will be an editor as versatile as Pritish Nandy, notes Nikhil Lakshman.
Two US-based rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the US Army for allegedly not enlisting a Sikh student in the Reserve Officer Training Corps programme, unless he shaved his beard and cut his hair.
'Initially, I didn't think much of him. But when I walked alongside him, I realized he has what it takes.'
While The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald said two Indian spies were booted out, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation did not mention any number.
SEWA International, a leading Indian-American non-profit organisation, has so far raised more than $250,000 for its COVID-19 relief efforts. It is using the money to buy personal protective equipment's, in particular facial masks and surgical masks, to donate free to the local law enforcement officials and hospitals in some of the hot spot areas like New York, who have run out of these essential items.
Amid growing anti-Muslim rhetoric in the US poll campaign, President Barack Obama today made his first visit to a mosque as part of his effort to assure the religious minority of their safety and security and celebrate religious diversity of the country.
