New York. The US-based Sikh organization Sikhs for America has strongly condemned the wrongdoing of the Khalistanis. India’s Ambassador to America, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, was ill-treated by the Khalistanis during his visit to the Gurdwara in New York. There has been an uproar ever since. Sikhs for America has said that gurdwara management should take strict action against abusers so that devotees can pray “without any fear or pressure”.
According to a report by news agency PTI, the Sikhs of America in a statement issued on Monday said that gurdwaras should be free from personal political views as they are places of worship. Sandhu attended Gurupoorab prayers at the Hicksville Gurdwara on Long Island on Sunday (local time). PTI quoted sources as saying that Taranjit Singh Sandhu was given a warm welcome at the gurdwara. On the other hand, according to a video of the incident circulating on social media, a group of Khalistani supporters surrounded Taranjit Singh Sandhu and asked questions about Khalistani militants Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.
Ambassador Sandhu came to pray at Gurdwara Sahib
Meanwhile, President Kanwaljit Singh Soni said in a statement, “Ambassador Sandhu went to Gurudwara Sahib to offer prayers and the management of Gurdwara Sahib honored him with Saropa Sahib. After that a handful of miscreants tried to insult him and disturb the peace and sanctity of Gurdwara Sahib. The statement said that Gurdwaras are places of worship and should be free from personal political views.
The Sikh community strongly condemned the insult of the Indian ambassador
Khalistani supporters were later escorted out of the Hicksville Gurdwara by members of the Sikh community. “We strongly condemn the desecration of India’s ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, a Sikh, at a gurudwara in Long Island, New York yesterday (Sunday),” it said. The incident took place against the backdrop of rising tensions between India and Canada following the killing of Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18. The killing sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement. Following this, New Delhi has vehemently denied the allegations, terming them “absurd”.
A similar incident has also happened in Scotland, India is serious about the security of diplomats
In a similar incident in September, Vikram Doraiswamy, the Indian High Commissioner to Britain, was denied entry and abused at a gurudwara in Glasgow, Scotland by a group of radical British Sikh activists. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed serious concern over the safety of its diplomats and took up the matter with several countries, including the US and the UK, and called for measures to prevent such incidents in future.
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Tags: Ambassador, America, Canada, Gurdwara, Khalistan, Khalistani, Sikh community
First published: November 28, 2023, 18:20 IST