‘Wall of Truth’ to have names of all Sikhs killed in hate crimes: DSGMC
CHANDIGARH:THE Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Monday announced to write names all 17 Sikhs, who were killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad last week, on “Wall of Truth”, a memorial for Sikhs killed during the 1984 riots.
The announcement was made during the “antim ardaas” (final prayer) of 17 Sikhs killed in Afghanistan.
DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK said the committee has names of 11 Sikh killed in suicide bomber attack and would procure details of others too. The “Wall of Truth” was constructed on the premises of Gurdwara Rakab Ganj, adjoining Parliament in New Delhi.
“Other than this, we have also decided to mention names of all Sikhs killed world over in hate crimes, be it in North American countries of the US and Canada, including those killed in Oak Creek Gurdwara in Milwaukee. All the innocent Sikhs killed for their unique identity need a tribute. The wall will be proof of sacrifices made by the peace-loving community,” said GK.
The DSGMC president said the names of Sikhs killed in Chattisinghpora in J&K and Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh would also be written on the wall. “I have asked my staff to gather all the details,” said GK. He said the names of 21 Sikhs militants whose surrender was arranged by Captain Amarinder Singh in the early 1990s and were allegedly eliminated later, will also found mention on the wall. The incident has a mention in a biography on Amarinder.
GK said DSGMC had filed a case last year in the national human rights commission (NHRC) seeking justice for 21 Sikhs, who were still to be identified. Amarinder was also made party in the case, he said.
CANADA URGED TO GIVE ASYLUM TO AFGHAN SIKHS, HINDUS
TORONTO:THE Canada India Foundation (CIF), non-profit organisation, has urged the country to accept Sikh and Hindu minority communities from Afghanistan as refugees following the killing of 19 Sikhs by an IS suicide bomber in Jalalabad.
“This dastardly act is yet another sign of the continuing victimisation of the religious minorities in Afghanistan and Pakistan by fundamentalist Islamist forces,” said CIF’S Ajit Someshwar. He said Canada should help alleviate the plight of Sikh and Hindu minorities in Afghanistan and Pakistan the same way it helped Syrian refugees by giving them asylum in the country.
“Just as Canada took the lead in accepting Syrian refugees, the Canadian government should also allow the members of the minority Sikh and Hindu communities from Afghanistan and Pakistan to immigrate to Canada,” Someshwar said.
At the gala, the foundation conferred the 2018 Global Indian Award on 14-year-old prodigy Sparsh Shah who overcame physical challenges to create worldwide following as a rapper and as a motivation speaker.