Anti-Sikh Hindutva

[Premi]

 

https://www.sikhpa.com/sikh-orgs-condemn-ongoing-australian-hindutva-hindu-extremist-anti-sikh-campaign/

Sikh orgs condemn ongoing Australian Hindutva (Hindu extremist) anti-Sikh campaign

February 11, 2023/in News /

Various Australian Sikh organisations have spoken out about an ongoing anti-Sikh campaign being pushed by Hindutva (Hindu extremist) Indian ultranationalists in the country, which includes boycotting Sikh businesses and attempting to have the kirpan banned.

Note- Hindutva is entwined with Indian ultranationalism as it believes Hinduism must dominate India.

The Sikh Council of Western Australia and the Miri Piri Gurduara both released statements this week detailing community concern about the anti-Sikh campaign. The statements come on the back of a call made by Indian Hindu groups to boycott Sikh businesses and a petition by Australian Hindu asking Australian authorities to “deport” Sikhs and have basic faith practices “banned”.

The business boycott plan has been pushed by the “HinduAmericans” group in response to incidents in Australia, as well as the “Indians in Melbourne” Facebook page. Lists of Sikh owned businesses and/or businesses with Sikh and Punjabi sounding names have been circulated online, with some owners noting the negative impact with news outlet SBS.com.

The petition, which had seven demands including “deport every Nihang (Sikh warrior faction)”, was allegedly handed over to MP Clare O’Neil when she visited Durga Temple in Melbourne, according to a tweet by Hindutva org Australian Hindu Media. However, the format of the demands – scruffily hand written on paper with several mistakes and signed “Victorian Hindus” without any specific organisations or individuals putting their name to it – suggests the petition was created on the spot and does not have any official consensus backing. MP Clare O’Neil has also not made any reference to the petition, making it unclear if it was ever even presented to her.

The petition also comes on the back of false claims Sikhs used “knives” (likely a reference to the Sikh article of faith the kirpan, a small sword) during the skirmishes with the Indian ultranationalist mob on 28.01.23. No kirpans or knives were seen in use or reported by police after the incidents. However, Indian ultranationalist Hindutva supporters have made this false claim to try to attack the Sikh practice of carrying weapons for selfdefence and to protect others.

The statement from the Sikh Council of Western Australia highlighted “Hate Crimes” against Sikhs from “Hindutva extremist outfits” that are targeting “Sikhs and our children”. This came as Hindutva supporters began circulating pictures of Sikh children online they claim were involved in the skirmishes against Indian ultranationalists, even though some look no older than 10-years-old.

 

The Sikh Council of Western Australia also highlighted a history of Australians being victim to India’s Hindutva issue, citing the murder of an Australian missionary by Hindu extremists in India.

See their statement in full below.

Miri Piri Gurduara stated “The Sikh community have been repeatedly targeted”, whilst also highlighting that accusations Sikhs were behind graffiti on Hindu temples came “without a thorough police investigation” (and no evidence of Sikhs being behind the crimes since). See their statement in full below.

The anti-Sikh campaign in Australia has been vehemently upped by Indian ultranationalists ever since a Sikh backlash against an attempt to disrupt the recent Khalistan (free Sikh homeland) referendum in Melbourne. The incident saw an Indian ultranationalist mob storm the area where the referendum was being held, chanting anti-Sikh slogans and intimidating all in sight, which included women and children. Minor skirmishes then broke out as Sikh men retaliated against the mob.

The mob invasion was just one of several incidents in the lead up to the Khalistan Referendum in Melbourne, including a spate of vandalism which saw one group of anti-Sikh Indians caught red-handed in an attempt to graffiti Gurdwara property. Read more on these incidents here- Indian vandals caught red-handed amid ultranationalist attempts to disrupt Khalistan Referendum | SikhPA.

With another Khalistan referendum event announced for Brisbane for 19th March, the anti-Sikh campaign is likely to continue. Speaking on the issue, Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said:

“There is no doubt that these attacks on not just the Sikh community but the Sikh faith itself are driven by Hindutva Indian ultranationalist antagonism towards the Khalistan referendum. Similar incidents in Ontario (Canada) indicates there is some kind of fascist template that Indian ultranationalists follow to disrupt movements of Sikh sovereignty.

“It should be of great concern to Australian authorities that Hindutva and its twin Indian ultranationalism are trampling on the freedoms which allow Sikhs in Australia to hold the Khalistan referendum, just as Sikhs have done in the UK, Italy and Canada. Politicians and media need to ensure they are not coerced into speaking in support of the fascism that upholds India’s regime creeping into Australia.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Premi]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-21/canberra-controversial-sikh-flags/102243352

Controversy around Sikh flags in Canberra highlights tensions between India and Khalistan separatists

By foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic

Posted Thu 20 Apr 2023 at 7:31pmThursday 20 Apr 2023 at 7:31pm, updated Thu 20 Apr 2023 at 11:00pm

The Australian Capital Territory government became embroiled in a dispute with Canberra's Sikh community earlier this month after it abruptly took down dozens of flags bearing a symbol of the faith, fearing they might be interpreted as a statement of public support for an Indian separatist movement.

Key points:

• The flags were removed after a complaint related to India's Khalistan separatist movement
• Flags of the Khalistan movement incorporate the same Sikh holy symbol featured on the Canberra flags
• However, the dispute was quickly resolved with a new design, and the flags have been replaced

 

The Canberra Sikh Association wrote to the ACT government last week, seeking an "urgent meeting" to explain why dozens of flags depicting the Khanda — an emblem of Sikhism — were pulled down earlier this month, less than 24 hours after being put up along major thoroughfares on the approach to Parliament House.

The issue was eventually resolved on Friday last week after the ACT government sat down with Sikh community representatives. And the flags — with a slight modification — are now flying once again from the flagpoles.

However, the dispute left some in the Sikh community deeply unhappy, demonstrating the political sensitivities and community divisions surrounding the campaign from some Sikhs to establish a separate state in India.

Sikh movement sparks escalation in tension

International political rifts are making a mark in Melbourne as tensions between Victoria's Sikh and Hindu communities escalate.

Read more

The saga began on April 3, when 82 flags bearing the Khanda — a symbol of the Sikh faith and identity — were put up along Kings Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue in Canberra to mark the festival of Vaisakhi.

However, the Khanda is also used as a symbol by those campaigning to establish an independent nation for Sikhs, called Khalistan, in the Punjab region in India's north-west.

India's government regards the Khalistan movement as a direct threat to its sovereignty, and last month launched a major manhunt to capture separatist preacher Amritpal Singh, who broke into an Indian police station with armed supporters in February to free one of his associates.

The Khalistan movement has also been trying to build support in Sikh diaspora communities in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia.

An ACT government spokesperson told the ABC that "a concern was raised by a member of the public to the ACT Property Group about the flag's design" and the "flags were lowered on the same day" after it consulted with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

The ACT government did not identify who made the complaint, but the ABC understands it related to the Khalistan issue.

However, the decision to unilaterally take down the flags then drew protests from the Sikh community, which said it was blindsided by the move.

[Premi]

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/oz-police-see-hindu-hand-in-temple-graffiti-advise-closure/articleshow/103744961.cms?from=mdr

JALANDHAR: Australia’s Queensland state police have released documents of its investigation into the defacement of a Brisbane temple’s outer wall, which suggest that they are ready to close this matter after getting no more leads from the complainants and there seems a “Hindu hand” in the anti-Modi graffiti that was done on the night of March 3 but blamed on pro-Khalistan elements.

Holding that they have no suspects in the case, the investigators proposed a theory that the Hindus defaced their own temple after shutting off the key CCTV cameras purposely and the serial offender who had done similar mischief in Victoria had then sneaked into Brisbane’s Sikh rally of March 4. Three more Australian temples have been defaced since January. The Australian police released five full and seven partial investigation documents to Sikh activist and author Bhabishan Singh Goraya, who had alleged that Sikhs had been accused of vandalism without inquiry.

The Australian solicitor’s office report mentions a communique from senior detective Nicole Doyle to security intelligence officers about the Sikhs for Justice organisation that holds unofficial “Khalistan referendums” in various countries. The report cites an anonymous woman source who passed police inputs from the SFJ events to some Hindu groups and claims that she might have mental health issues or attention-seeking disorder. The detective found it odd why the temple’s CCTV was dysfunctional, and claimed that since police also had no suspects, graffiti could be a Hindu work to set cops after the SFJ.

 

 

 

[GurjantGnostic]

1 hour ago, Premi said:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/oz-police-see-hindu-hand-in-temple-graffiti-advise-closure/articleshow/103744961.cms?from=mdr

JALANDHAR: Australia’s Queensland state police have released documents of its investigation into the defacement of a Brisbane temple’s outer wall, which suggest that they are ready to close this matter after getting no more leads from the complainants and there seems a “Hindu hand” in the anti-Modi graffiti that was done on the night of March 3 but blamed on pro-Khalistan elements.

Holding that they have no suspects in the case, the investigators proposed a theory that the Hindus defaced their own temple after shutting off the key CCTV cameras purposely and the serial offender who had done similar mischief in Victoria had then sneaked into Brisbane’s Sikh rally of March 4. Three more Australian temples have been defaced since January. The Australian police released five full and seven partial investigation documents to Sikh activist and author Bhabishan Singh Goraya, who had alleged that Sikhs had been accused of vandalism without inquiry.

The Australian solicitor’s office report mentions a communique from senior detective Nicole Doyle to security intelligence officers about the Sikhs for Justice organisation that holds unofficial “Khalistan referendums” in various countries. The report cites an anonymous woman source who passed police inputs from the SFJ events to some Hindu groups and claims that she might have mental health issues or attention-seeking disorder. The detective found it odd why the temple’s CCTV was dysfunctional, and claimed that since police also had no suspects, graffiti could be a Hindu work to set cops after the SFJ.

 

 

 

Didn't have to be psychic to call that unfortunately. 

[SinghSingh]

Utterly pathetic by the BJP supporters to do graffiti at Mandirs to defame the silent majority of peaceful Sikhs.

However, the clownish anti-Hindu speeches of ISI+RAW double agent Pannun merely facilitate the BJP IT cell workers in trying to blame these wretched acts of graffiti by Hindutva Hindu rashtra supporters upon Sikhs.

[Premi]

 

https://maktoobmedia.com/india/wanted-to-say-masjid-madrasa-but-somehow-said-gurdwara-sikh-leaders-reject-bjp-leaders-apology-for-hate-speech/

“Wanted to say Masjid-Madrasa, but somehow said Gurdwara,” Sikh leaders reject BJP leader’s apology for hate speech

 

Maktoob Staff

 

Following the outrage for the “uproot Gurdwara” comment in a public rally, BJP leader Sandeep Dayma apologised by stating he “wanted to say Masjid-Madrasa, but somehow said Gurdwara.”

The first comment against Sikhs was made during an election rally in the Tijara constituency of Rajasthan, in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adithyanath.

Dayma urged the public to vote for BJP candidate Baba Balaknath, who would remove Gurdwaras in Tijara.

After Sikh groups condemned the hate speech, the BJP leader shared a video where he apologised for saying Gurdwara instead of “masjid”.

“In his apology, BJP leader Sandeep Dayma who gave statement of uprooting Gurdwaras & Masjid during his party rally in Tijara, Rajasthan says, “I wanted to say Masjid-Madrasa, but somehow said Gurdwara.” He should be ashamed of this statement too, as speaking against religious places of Muslims is equally condemnable as Gurdwaras,” posted Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on X (formerly Twitter).