Chandigarh Archive

Punjab shutdown against riots hits normal life

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags: ,

Chandigarh/Amritsar, Nov 3 – Trains were stopped, road traffic was hit and schools and colleges were closed in many Punjab towns as radical organisations called for a one-day shutdown Tuesday to protest denial of justice to the families of thousands of people killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The call for the strike was given by the radical Sikh organisation Dal Khalsa and was supported by the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), Damdami Taksal, Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak committee (DSGPC) and Shiromani Panthic Council.

‘We have not got justice for Sikhs in the last 25 years. We want the deaf government in the centre to listen to our demands,’ Dal Khalsa leader Kanwarpal Singh said.

Dal Khalsa activists stopped trains at the Amritsar railway station Tuesday morning.

The Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express, Sachkhand Express, Dadar Express, Superfast Express and other trains were stopped by the activists. Scores of Dal Khalsa members squatted on the rail tracks and blocked trains.

The Shatabdi Express was later cancelled by railway authorities, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.

Shops in some areas of major cities, petrol pumps and a few banks also remained closed in the first half of the day. Schools in various cities were shut by the authorities. Bus services and other modes of public transport were also affected.

Police in Amritsar stopped a group of about 50 Sikh youth on motorcycles moving around in the city brandishing kirpans (swords). Police officials stopped them near the Hall Gate and confiscated the kirpans.

There was a minor clash between the two sides but later the youth were allowed to leave and protest peacefully.

Road and railway traffic was also affected near Rajpura town, 40 km from Chandigarh. Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal urged that protests should be peaceful.

‘We will ensure that law and order is maintained. People can protest peacefully,’ Badal said.

The strike did not have much effect in the industrial and commercial city of Ludhiana. However, protesters blocked one over-bridge in the heart of the city.

India’s then prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards Oct 31, 1984. The assassination led to widespread riots against Sikhs across the country, with thousands being killed and thousands more rendered homeless.

Chandigarh looks for its VIP fugitives

Published: November 3, 2009Posted in: NationalTags:

Chandigarh, Nov 3 – Being the joint capital of two states and the headquarters of a union territory gives Chandigarh a lot of VIPs, including two who are now on the run.

Prithpal Singh, a man of religion who heads a prominent gurdwara in Chandigarh’s upscale area near the famous Sukhna Lake, has been declared a proclaimed offender by a local court.

Singh and the other fugitive, Congress councillor Devinder Babla, are well-connected not only with other VIPs but also with certain Chandigarh police officials. The same police force has been tasked to find them now.

‘The police are looking for these persons. They cannot escape from law for long,’ a senior city police officer told IANS, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Singh, who has been absconding since the police booked him in May last year, is wanted in a case of cheating, fraud and criminal conspiracy. He has been charged with selling land belonging to someone else.

The religious preacher who prefixes the title Baba (godman) to his name, runs the Gurdwara Gur Sagar Sahib near Sukhna Lake. Visitors to this gurdwara include top politicians, bureaucrats, police officers and other influential people.

Big names who have been to the gurdwara and are associated with the preacher include former union ministers Balram Jakhar, Arjun Singh and Buta Singh, former Punjab governor (late) Surendra Nath and former Punjab chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

Several politicians and VIPs from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are also known to the preacher, who wears traditional white robes.

Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala had cleaned shoes in this gurdwara a few years ago as penance after he was held guilty by Sikh religious leaders for violating the religion’s code of conduct.

The other known fugitive from law in the city, Devinder Babla, is a councillor in the city’s municipal corporation and a general secretary in the Chandigarh unit of the Congress. He is considered close to union parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.

Babla has been booked by the vigilance wing of Chandigarh Police for alleged irregularities in allotment of sheds in the city’s grain market last year when he was chairman of the market committee. Each of the sheds was worth a few million rupees.

But minister Bansal has defended Babla, saying the Congress leader has been framed in the case.

‘He and other Congress leaders have been framed in cases at the behest of UT (union territory) administrator S.F. Rodrigues (who is also Punjab Governor),’ Bansal said.

Babla, who has been on the run since he was booked and is facing a court ‘lookout’ notice, has claimed that he is being hounded for political reasons.

Babla has also been declared a proclaimed offender in another case of rioting registered against him and other Congress leaders in 1997.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)

Sikh groups lend support for Nov 3 shutdown

Published: October 28, 2009Posted in: National, ReligionTags:

Chandigarh, Oct 28 – Various Sikh organisations, including Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Wednesday announced they would support the call for a Punjab shutdown Nov 3 to mark 25 years of anti-Sikh riots.

‘All educational institutions and other offices falling under the management of DSGMC would remain close on Nov 3 to pay homage to thousands of innocent Sikhs who were killed 25 years ago on this day,’ said Parmjit Singh Sarna, the president of the DSGMC in a statement.

The shutdown call was given by radical Sikh organisations Dal Khalsa and Khalsa Action Committee, to protest the killings of thousands of Sikhs 25 years ago.

Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh body guards Oct 31, 1984. The assassination led to widespread rioting against Sikhs across the country.

Manjit Singh Calcutta, chairman of Shiromani Panthic Council, said: ‘The massacre of Sikhs is a big blot on the face of India’s so-called secularism. Though 25 years have passed but the country’s justice system has failed to bring the perpetrators to book.’

In a separate statement Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) executive member Karnail Singh Panjoli too backed the shutdown call. He said his party has always been on the forefront struggling against the ‘highhandedness’ of the Congress.

Badal wants youth to eat traditional food

Published: October 25, 2009Posted in: NationalTags:

Chandigarh, Oct 25 – Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Sunday urged the youngsters to say good-bye to fast food culture of pizza, burgers and pastas, and eat traditional food that has a more nutritional value.

‘Now it is high time to revive the culture of traditional food – ‘the wisdom of our grandmothers’. Naturally grown and seasonal foods have always been intricately woven in our food culture, but unfortunately we have almost lost this,’ Badal said.

The chief minister was addressing a gathering here after inaugurating ‘Bebe di Rasoi – 2009′, a traditional food festival jointly organised by Chandigarh Press Club in collaboration with Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM) and Millets Network of India (MINI).

‘This rasoi (the festival of food) offers an opportunity to younger generations to have a feel of rich taste of our traditional food that have now become a matter of the past,’ he said.

‘Such traditional food festivals should be organised regularly to apprise our children especially with urban background about the rich nutritional value of traditional food,’ he added.

In Bebe di Rasoi, there were different stalls displaying traditional cuisines of various states like Punjab, Haryana, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

Hooda gets one week to prove majority in assembly

Published: October 25, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags:

Chandigarh, Oct 25 – Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia Sunday gave one week’s time to newly inducted Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly.

Hooda, who was sworn-in chief minister by Pahadia Sunday evening amid chaos at the ceremony as unruly Congress supporters virtually took over the proceedings, told the media that the Congress would easily be able to prove its majority in the assembly.

Hooda said that he would induct ministers in his government after proving majority in the house.

The Congress in Haryana emerged as the single largest party in the state assembly elections Oct 13, winning 40 seats in the 90-member assembly and falling six seats short of simple majority in the house.

Seven Independent candidates, however, Friday extended their support for the formation of the new government and shored up the Congress party.

The lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator in the assembly, Akram Khan, too Sunday extended his support to the Congress government.

‘The Congress has the support of seven Independent MLAs, and one MLA of the BSP has also extended his support to the Congress,’ Hooda said.

Asked about Haryana Janhit Congress joining hands with the Congress, Hooda said: ‘Members of the HJC were part of the Congress family, but somehow they had parted away. If they give unconditional support, the Congress would welcome them.’

This is the second time that Hooda has taken over the reins of the state. He first became the chief minister in March 2005.

His name to be chief minister was cleared by the Congress high command early Sunday after much suspense as his detractors within the party, including Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja, held him responsible for the party’s not-so-good showing in the assembly poll.

BSP legislator extends support to Congress in Haryana

Published: October 25, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags:

Chandigarh, Oct 25 – The lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator in the Haryana assembly, Akram Khan, Sunday extended his support to the Congress government in the state, far from the political battlefield of Uttar Pradesh, where BSP and the Congress do not see eye to eye.

Akram Khan said that he had been directed by BSP president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to do so to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and others out of power in Haryana.

‘I have extended support to the Congress government,’ Akram Khan told IANS.

Khan met Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia and gave a letter extending his party’s support to the Congress.

The Congress in Haryana emerged as the single largest party in the state assembly elections Oct 13 with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, falling six seats short of simple majority in the house.

Seven Independent candidates, however, Friday extended their support for the formation of the new government and shored up the Congress party.

With the BSP support, the Congress now has a comfortable support of 48 legislators in the house.

Hooda sworn in as Haryana chief minister amid chaos

Published: October 25, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags:

Chandigarh, Oct 25 – Bhupinder Singh Hooda was Sunday evening sworn in as the chief minister of Haryana for a second term amid chaos as unruly Congress supporters virtually took over the proceedings.

Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia administered the oath of office and secrecy to Hooda at a ceremony in the Haryana Raj Bhavan here. Hooda took the oath in Hindi.

The ceremony, meant to be a formal one, was virtually hijacked by Congress leaders and supporters who stormed the stately complex as if they were going to a public rally.

Hooda, 62, had to gesture to supporters to keep quiet so that he could take oath.

Despite the Chandigarh Police cordoning off the entire area around the Raj Bhavan much in advance, thousands of uninvited Congress supporters created complete chaos on the occasion.

Police personnel had to resort to mild cane charge to disperse people trying to push through the iron gates of the Raj Bhavan. Even senior officers were stranded outside the gate for some time.

The ceremony was delayed for 15 minutes due to the bedlam. Even the motorcade of the chief minister got into the complex with much difficulty.

This is the second time that Hooda has taken over the reins of the state. He first became the chief minister in March 2005. His name to be chief minister was cleared by the Congress high command early Sunday after much suspense as his detractors within the party, including Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja, held him responsible for the party’s not-so-good showing in the assembly poll.

The Congress in Haryana emerged as the single largest party in the state assembly elections Oct 13 with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, falling short of simple majority by six seats.

Seven Independent candidates, however, Friday extended their support for the formation of the new government and shored up the Congress party.

The lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator in the assembly, Akram Khan, too Sunday extended his support to the Congress government. He said that he had been directed by BSP president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to do so to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and others out of power in Haryana.

At Sunday’s ceremony, ministers in the previous Hooda government, dignitaries from Delhi, senior Congress leaders and their family members had a tough time in finding a seat as party supporters swarmed every inch of space available. Even the security ring near the dais saw hundreds of people occupying it.

The chaos and confusion forced Hooda to retreat into the Raj Bhavan building with the governor instead of coming to the lawns of the complex to mingle with invitees.

Hooda sworn-in Haryana chief minister for second term

Published: October 25, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags:

Chandigarh, Oct 25 – Bhupinder Singh Hooda was Sunday sworn-in the chief minister of Haryana for a second term.

Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia administered the oath of office and secrecy to Hooda at a ceremony in the Haryana Raj Bhawan here Sunday evening.

This is the second time that Hooda has taken over the reins of the state. He first became the chief minister in March 2005.

The Congress in Haryana emerged as the single largest party in the state assembly elections Oct 13 with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, falling short of simple majority by six seats.

Seven Independent candidates, however, Friday extended their support for the formation of the new government and shored up the Congress party.

25 years later: Sikhs have neither forgotten nor forgiven Indira Gandhi

Published: October 25, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags: ,

Chandigarh/Amritsar, Oct 25 – In June 1984, when then prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to storm the Golden Temple complex, home to the holiest Sikh shrine Harmandar Sahib, she could not have realised that the action would engrave her name in the inglorious part of Punjab’s history.

Even 25 years after her death on Oct 31, 1984 – she was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards at the prime minister’s residence in New Delhi – not many Sikhs in Punjab are ready to forgive her, though the chapter is no longer part of everyday discussion in India’s only Sikh-majority state.

The Congress party has had popular governments in Punjab for over 10 years since the 1984 Operation Bluestar to flush out heavily armed Sikh separatists led by radical ideologue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Congress leaders have over the years expressed near regret for the events. But the wounds are unlikely to be healed for a long time.

‘The attack on Darbar Sahib (as Harmandar Sahib is also known) in 1984 was totally illegitimate and beyond any justification. Its immediate repercussion was the assassination of Indira Gandhi,’ Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) secretary Dalmegh Singh told IANS in an interview. SGPC is effectively the religious parliament of Sikhs.

He added: ‘Following this there were widespread anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, Kanpur and other places that crossed all limits of human rights and value. Nobody can forget those horrifying days. Those violent attacks had targeted the Sikh community and alienated it from other sections of society.

‘Now when our new generation and we look back at what happened in 1984, then all our memories and wounds get fresh. No compensation or development can erase that history and it will always remain there.’

The families of Indira Gandhi’s assassins Beant Singh and Satwant Singh were honoured by religious leaders after her killing and both were declared martyrs. Now they do not find much of a mention in any circle.

The Sikh community, one of the most progressive in the world, has moved on.

When the political scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi surprised everyone by quietly arriving early morning in September last year to pay obeisance at Harmandar Sahib as a commoner, the Sikh religious leadership did not term it a stunt.

In fact, Rahul sat inside the sanctum sanctorum for a long time in an enclosure meant for hymn singers.

Younger Sikhs too say that the community has moved on but the scars remain.

‘Those responsible for the killing of Sikhs after her (Indira Gandhi’s) death have not been brought to justice by the agencies concerned. There is always a looming fear that such things could happen again. The community otherwise has moved on,’ said author and agriculturist Khushwant Singh, who authored a book ‘Sikhs Unlimited’.

Radical Sikh elements have now called for a Punjab bandh (strike) Nov 3 to observe the 25th anniversary of the killing of Sikhs in Delhi and other places.

‘The 1984 holocaust left a deep scar on the psyche and social life of all Sikhs. We have not forgotten or forgiven the perpetrators behind those attacks. It is really sad that instead of punishing the culprits, the Congress had glorified them by giving them plum posts,’ Kanwarpal Singh, spokesman of radical Sikh group Dal Khalsa, which has given the strike call, told IANS.

He added: ‘The verbal assurances given by the governments hold no water and they were all politically motivated. They did not even spare our holiest shrine Golden Temple and no true Sikh can forgive them for that inhuman act.’

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)

Doctor contracts swine flu in Chandigarh

Published: October 25, 2009Posted in: Health, NationalTags:

Chandigarh, Oct 25 – A resident doctor of the leading Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here tested positive for influenza A (H1N1) virus, a health official said Sunday.

The 27-year-old doctor of the paediatrics department was residing in the doctors’ complex of PGIMER and his samples were collected Saturday morning for tests.

‘The patient was exhibiting symptoms of swine flu like sore throat, high fever and running nose. We had sent his throat and nasal swab samples in the virology lab of PGIMER yesterday (Saturday) and his reports have come positive,’ the health official said.

‘The patient is undergoing treatment and has been administered Tamiflu. His condition is stable and there is nothing to worry. We are also checking the condition of those people who were in direct contact with him,’ he added.

Last week also, a senior resident doctor of PGIMER was tested positive for swine flu.

So far, over a dozen doctors and other medical staff were reported to have been suffering from H1N1 in this city — seven of these cases are from PGIMER alone.

Till now, over 250 suspected cases of swine flu have been reported in Chandigarh hospitals, of which 51 tested positive. Two casualties, one each in Chandigarh and its neighbouring town Mohali, were reported till now.

In Chandigarh, testing facility for this virus is available at the virology department of PGIMER, which is catering to the needs of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

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