Terming the 1984 riots as a "genocide", a meeting of five Sikh high priests convened by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion, said it was "regrettable" that justice could not be delivered to the victims even after 25 years.
'We are writing to request that you join us in signing the attached letter that we are sending to Secretary (Robert) Gates regarding a fundamental issue of fairness, justice, and religious freedom: the right of Sikh Americans to abide by their religious articles of faith while serving in the United States Armed Forces,' wrote Congressmen Rodney Frelinghuysen and Carolyn Maloney in a 'dear colleague' letter.
A United States court has issued summons to the Congress in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, acting on a Sikh rights group's petition charging the party with 'conspiring, aiding and abetting' organised attacks on the community. A federal district court in New York issued summons to India's ruling party in a class action lawsuit filed by the Sikh organisation 'Sikhs for Justice' which has offices in New York and India.
Lambasting the Bharatiya Janata Party for allegedly bringing up the issues of NRC, CAA and Uniform Civil Code ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted she would not allow anyone to take away the citizenship of people during her lifetime.
Raising concerns over the harassment of a Sikh student in Georgia for wearing turban and being called a 'terrorist', the United States justice department has rapped the school administration for not taking enough steps to prevent such 'verbal and physical' abuse
Following an outcry from the Sikh community, the United States Defence Department has decided to review its policy, which prevents Sikhs from joining the country's armed forces. On behalf of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Pentagon has informed advocacy group Sikh Coalition that it was reviewing current regulations, which prevent a US Sikh national from serving the army, on the ground that they wear turban.
In a major milestone on Capitol Hill for the Sikh American community, a bi-partisan group of United States lawmakers led by California Democrat and Congresswoman Judy Chu and California Republican Congressman David Valadao on Wednesday announced the formation of an American Sikh Congressional Caucus in the US House of Representatives.
A group of eminent Indian-Americans has condemned the brazen hateful comments and a hostile environment against Hindus in Canada and asked Ottawa not to mix freedom of expression with freedom for terror and endorse hate crimes by being silent on the issue.
A day after Trudeau's remarks, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asserted that India's "core issue" with Canada remains that of the space given to separatists, terrorists and anti-India elements in that country.
Weeks before Canada made an explosive allegation implicating Indian officials in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian officials sought public condemnation of the murder from their allies, including the United States, but were met with reluctance, The Washington Post reported.
Bhullar was convicted for carrying out a bomb blast in New Delhi outside the All India Youth Congress headquarters in 1993, which claimed nine lives. His mercy plea was rejected in May 2011.
Akal Takht head Gurbachan Singh's customary address on the occasion of Diwali drowned in the din on Wednesday amid slogan shouting by Sikh hardliners, even as parallely "appointed" jathedar of Akal Takht also managed to address the gathering but was arrested soon after.
Authorities in the United States have made changes in its security procedures at airports to make it non-mandatory for Sikhs to remove their turbans during screening under its new guidelines. The US Transportation Security Administration has announced that it has adjusted its security procedures for headwear, which would include turbans worn by Sikhs, and is now including the screening procedures for headwear within the overall category of bulky clothing.
"India risks becoming one of the world's main generators of instability, atrocities and violence because of the massive scale and gravity of the violations and abuses targeting mainly religious and other minorities such as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and others. It is not just individual or local, it is systematic and a reflection of religious nationalism," he said.
His remarks came after the US said on Thursday that it supports Canada's efforts to investigate allegations of India's involvement in the killing of Nijjar, observing that no country can get any "special exemption" for such kind of activities.
US Congressman Joe Crowley, who spearheaded the campaign for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to create a new separate hate crimes category in the agency's uniform crime reporting programme to track bigoted attacks against Sikh Americans, has now set his sights on fully integrating Sikh Americans in the US Armed Forces
'A marriage is not an event for 'song and dance' and 'wining and dining' or an occasion to demand and exchange dowry and gifts by undue pressure leading to possible initiation of criminal proceedings thereafter'
Biden is not risking his reputation in a crucial election year, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States hasn't been all rosy with a Sikh group protesting his visit and also securing a summons against the Indian PM in the 2002 Gujarat riots case. However, in the face of these protests, a group of Sikhs in New York met with the PM and expressed solidarity with him on Saturday.
Michelle Obama spent a little over 30 minutes with the victims and families.
A bill to educate law enforcement officers about the religious significance of 'kirpans' has been vetoed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who found it 'unnecessary', drawing angry reaction from the Sikh community in the United States.
Sikhs For Justice plans to picket Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters during Narendra Modi's September 27 visit.
But it will be a giant leap for America when all can serve freely in the US Armed Forces, Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi tells Suman Guha Mozumder about the Pentagon's relaxing of rules on religious wear
India received consular access on at least three occasions to Nikhil Gupta, who is detained in a Czech prison following charges by the United States relating to a foiled assassination attempt on a Sikh extremist.
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.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.
Mufti said her father Sayeed was not power hungry and wanted to deliver Jammu and Kashmir from its problems and troubles.
A group of prominent United States lawmakers have urged the Pentagon to end the presumptive ban on Sikh Americans serving in the United States military.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to ask Britain to take strong action against Sikh groups trying to revive the demand for a separate Khalistan and their attempts to radicalise Sikh youth besides giving them training on how to make bombs.
Come mid-October, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is likely to acquiesce to more than two years of pushing by the Sikh-American community and United States lawmakers and finally create a special category for Sikh Americans in the agency's hate crime monitoring form.
The spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said they are "coordinating and consulting" with Canada and also "engaging" with the Indian government.
Scores of Sikh protesters gathered at Lal Chowk in the city centre in summer capital Srinagar to protest against the death sentence to Balwant Singh Rajoana, the assassin of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
The man started his peaceful protest impromptu, when Trump was addressing an impressive campaign rally on Sunday with his signature anti-Muslim speech.
In a major decision that might have a far reaching impact on Sikhs joining the United States military, the Pentagon has issued new instructions relaxing norms to allow troops to wear jewellery and apparel to comply with their religious requirements.
A bipartisan group of 39 influential American lawmakers has asked the International Basketball Federation to end its discrimination against Sikh players and allow them to play while wearing a turban.
Radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who is on the run following a police crackdown, has been maintaining close links with Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and some terrorist groups based abroad, official sources said on Saturday.
Sikh Federation UK, which has styled itself as one of the largest Sikh organisations based in the UK, said Avtar Singh was terminally ill with blood cancer. He was on a life support system for the last few days.
More than 20 Sikh delegates from California want the party leadership to give them an opportunity on the stage during the on-going Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. The delegates from California are attending the Democratic National Convention, which has nominated United States President Barack Obama as its presidential candidate for the November elections.
Sikh-Americans have sought American President Barack Obama's help in getting justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that occurred after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
We bring forth the violent predecessors of the Wisconsin gurdwara attack, courtesy Real Sikhism and BuzzFeed.
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