Canada now come announcement from us-based Sikh group banned on entry of Indian diplomatic officials

There was hush going on in Canada while US Sikh group support for justice also announce banning the entry of Indian diplomatic officials while it hold the Indian government responsible for the June 1984 military invasion of Golden Temple. The Sikh Coordination Committee East Coast (SCCEC) and American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (APGC) have claimed that 96 gurdwaras in the United States have resolved to ban the entry of Indian officials. The ban will apply to nagar kirtans, or religious processions, a move comes days after 14 gurdwaras in Ontario, Canada, banned the entry of Indian diplomatic officials. The UK-based Sikh Federation has also proposed a similar ban. They, however, later clarified that Indian officials could visit the gurdwaras in their personal capacity.

SCCEC and AGPC claim themselves to be the largest umbrella organizations of Sikh gurdwaras in the US. The announcement has been made with support of US-based group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). “We will also initiate legal proceedings against those Indian diplomats who will try to defy this ban,” said SFJ legal adviser Gurpatwant Singh Pannum. “Indian government officials and any person/s representing the interests of the Indian government shall not be allowed to enter the US gurdwaras or to participate in any religious programmes,” the resolution reads.

The resolution read out by Himmat Singh, coordinator of SCCEC, before a Sikh gathering at a gurdwara in Richmond Hill, New York, on Saturday said they hold the Indian government responsible for the June 1984 military invasion of Sri Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) and 40 other gurdwaras, among other thing

“Sikhs in the Diaspora are fed up with Indian government officials and their agents increasingly interfere in our institutions and Sikh affairs, undermining of Sikh campaigns for greater rights and internal matters for the Sikh community,” said Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK). The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has, meanwhile, described the proposed move to ban the entry of Indian officials in Gurudwaras in UK as unfortunate and said nobody can stop anybody from entering the ‘Guru ghar’ for paying obeisance. “It is a very unfortunate what they (Sikh groups) had done. Guru Ghar is open for all,” SAD chief Sukhbir Badal said while addressing the media. “Going to a Guru Ghar (House of the Guru), nobody can stop anybody. We are very clear on it… I do not agree what their statements are,” he said news from TOI.