ਮਰਣ� ਮ�ਣਸਾ ਸੂਰਿਆ ਹਕ� ਹੈ ਜੋ ਹੋਇ ਮਰਨਿ ਪਰਵਾਣੋ ॥

Shaheed Bhai Balkar Singh Ji - murdered by criminals of the Sirsa Sauda Cult

Scenes of the Shaheed Singh’s Antim-Sanskar Procession :

Thousands of Sikhs attended the final rites for Shaheed Bhai Balkar Singh, who was gunned down onn June 20th by the body guards of criminal Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the Mulund suburb of Bombay.  Sikhs all over India and the globe have protested this cowardly act by the Sirsa Sauda cultists. 

Mumbai (KP) - Bodyguards of the controversial Sirsa cultist Gurmeet Ram Rahim, attacked a group of Sikhs whom were protesting the Bombay visit of the Sirsa cult leader.  One Singh was killed, and others were seriously injured when Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s bodyguards began to shoot at the protesting Sikhs.  The Singh’s name is reported as Bhai Balkar Singh of the Bir Khalsa organization.

According to eyewitnesses, the Baba was escorted out of the area and onto the Bombay-Pune Expressway.  As news spread of the shooting, hundreds of Sikh activists began following the Babas’ entourage on the expressway. 

Meanwhile, GurSikhs assembled at a Raen-Sbaee Kirtan program in Puna, upon hearing the news began to block the opposite side of the expressway near Puna, hoping to trap the Baba from their side.   

As PW correspondents were speaking to the GurSikhs assembled on this national expressway, police had already arrived, possibly to detain the protesting Sangat and let Ram Rahim escape to his Haryana dera.

As a followup to our article last week, here is the Gurmatta passed by Sri Akal Takht Sahib on June 6th in full.

Translation:

Today, date 23 Jeth Nanakshahi 540 (6th June 2008), the Five Singh Sahibaan have gathered at Sri Akaal Takht Sahib and passed

GURMATTA - 1

The 300th anniversary of the Gurgaddi diwas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is an opportunity to highlight the concept and authority of “Guru Granth-Guru Panth”. The last order of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji was “Sabh Sikhan Ko Hukam Hai, Guru Maaniyo Granth” and that the Panth accept Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as his Living Light and stand strong on this. To overcome all challenges, the Sikh Panth has sought guidance from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Debates presented in relation to Sri Dasam Granth are totally needless. No one has the right to present a questionable debate on the writings from Dasam Granth which the Panth has accepted and uses for the Sikh Rehit Maryada, Nitnem and Amrit Sanchaar. The whole Panth should be reminded that Sri Dasam Granth is an inseparable part of Sikh history, but Guru Gobind Singh Ji did not give it equal status to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and for this reason no other Granth can be Prakaash equal to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Joginder Singh
Jathedaar

Fatehgarh Sahib (KP) – The Punjab Police recently arrested a Sikh woman in relation to the recent arrests of three Sikh men from Jammu.  Bibi Ranjit Kaur, aged 38, is a resident of village Khamano of Fatehgarh Sahib District.  She was arrested and immediately sent to police remand until June 10.

Bibi Ranjit Kaur is an amritdhari Gursikh and runs a small tailoring booth in her village to feed her family.  Apparently, the arrest of Bibi Ji has surprised everyone in her village.  She is said to be a very religious person and always supporting of others.

According to SSP Gurpreet Bhullar (Ludhiana-rural), Bibi Ranjit Kaur was involved in pro-Khalistan activities.  As alleged by the SSP, her husband is a leading member of the Shiromani Akali Dal (PP).  Furthermore, Bhullar alleged that she was in contact with one of the arrested members of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) in Jammu.

Bibi Ranjit Kaur was arrested from her house randomly when two men accompanied by a woman, all three dressed in plain clothes, asked for her to be taken to the police station.  All three of them identified themselves as officials of the Ludhiana Police.

The arrest of Bibi Ranjit Kaur is indeed suspicious.  In the past, the police has picked up Sikh women and fabricated false cases.  Three years ago, a Sikh woman named Bibi Manjot Kaur was arrested from her residence in Chandigarh for having associations with Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara.  However, after hard work by several Panthic organizations, the Police had to release her as they failed to present any credible evidence against her.  She was however forced to remain in Police custody for days where she was tortured and interrogated.

Also not very long ago, Bibi Parveen Kaur, a resident of Haryana, was also mysteriously arrested by the Police.  The wife of Jathedar Bhai Jagtar Singh Hawara also remains lodged in jail although she played no part in any pro-Khalistan activities.  Panthic organizations are once again expected to launch state-wide protests to seek the release of Sikh women from barbaric Punjab Police Cells.

Lahore, Pakistan (KP) – On his visit to Pakistan, Bhai Raghbir Singh Saharnmajra, a delegate of the SGPC from Amritsar Sahib, requested the Government to allow the PSGPC (Pakistan Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) to manage all the restricted Gurdwara Sahibs in the country.  Ever since the partition, the Government of Pakistan has shown cooperation while allowing the Sikh Sangat from Eastern Punjab to visit their holy shrines in the country, but at the same time it has barred all access to many historical Gurdwara Sahibs.

Saharnmajra further requested the Government to grant more authority to the PSGPC and issue visas to Sikh visitors in abundance.  He held that the only way all Gurdwaras in Pakistan could be made functional once again was to appoint caretakers and sevadars at isolated Gurdwara Sahibs and PSGPC should take an initiative in this.

In the recent past, the PSGPC has gone through several modifications, including a change of leadership.  Raghbir Singh Saharnmajra held that the PSGPC should be allowed to function as a distinct representational body of the Sikhs in the country and law and order must be established to appoint officials in the PSGPC.

Issuance of visas in greater numbers is a much needed development as India and Pakistan have spent huge sums of dollars on roadways projects for the pilgrims.  Without visas, there is no way people can take advantage of these projects.  The Indian Government should join hands with Pakistan and follow their policy while granting visas and the Pakistan Government should open a permanent visa center in Lahore.