Latest news with #DelhiSikhGurdwaraManagementCommittee
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Delhi govt to renovate Guru Tegh Bahadur's memorial, hold light and sound shows
The light and sound show at the memorial is expected to begin in the month of November when the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of the Sikhs, is observed, it said. The announcement was made following a consultative meeting chaired by Art and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa with prominent community leaders and members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), according to a statement. New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) The Delhi government plans to honour the legacy of Guru Tegh Bahadur with series of cultural and educational initiatives, which will include a daily light and sound show and the renovation of his memorial near the Singhu Border here. 'Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's sacrifice is a global symbol of the right to freedom of thought and belief. Our tribute will go beyond one day or one event. We are working on initiatives that preserve and promote his legacy for generations,' said Mishra. Sirsa, who also addressed the meeting, said Delhi has a deep historical and emotional connection with Guru Tegh Bahadur's legacy. 'We will work with schools, colleges and cultural institutions to ensure that our youth learn about his life and message,' he said. The ministers said the government also plans to establish a Centre for Martyrdom Studies and launch an annual Punjabi Literature and Cultural Festival. According to the statement, several proposals are currently under consideration, including academic programmes and public outreach initiatives to raise awareness about the significant historical sites related to Guru Tegh Bahadur, such as Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib. PTI SHB RHL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
GK, Sarna send DSGMC resignations to PM, allege interference by BJP govt
1 2 Amritsar: Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) members Manjit Singh GK and Paramjit Singh Sarna on Tuesday submitted their resignations directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instead of DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka, alleging Delhi govt's interference in the affairs of the Sikh institution. Both GK and Sarna are former presidens of DSGMC. Alleging a "top-down political assault" on Sikh institutions by Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, GK and Sarna said the govt was trying to derail the functioning of DSGMC, and suppress internal democracy. "This (resignation sent to the PM) was to ensure that the issue of the Delhi govt's interference in DSGMC's affairs remains on record and cannot later be denied or ignored by the Centre," he added. You Can Also Check: Chandigarh AQI | Weather in Chandigarh | Bank Holidays in Chandigarh | Public Holidays in Chandigarh Sarna alleged that since 2021, BJP-run state govts had used state power to undermine, infiltrate, and silence Sikh institutions. "Today, this blueprint has reached Delhi's gurdwaras, from historic shrines to local Singh sabhas. There is no space left untouched by Gupta and her ministers," he added. In the resignation sent to the PM, both GK and Sarna wrote: "This is a complete reversal of the no-interference principle upheld under the then (1999-2004) Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the then chief minister Madan Lal Khurana when, despite ideological differences, Sikh institutions were treated with a basic degree of respect. That respect has now been shattered. This collective resignation is our final attempt to sound the alarm. It is a statement to the world that beneath the BJP's scripted optics and symbolic gestures lies a systematic dismantling of Sikh religious autonomy by state govts like the one run by Rekha Gupta." Reacting to their resignation submitted to PM Modi, Inder Mohan Singh, former DSGMC member and president of Dashmesh Sewa Society, said, "They have set a wrong precedent by sending their resignation to the Prime Minister instead of the DSGMC president. This move has further politicised the issue they themselves have been accusing the Delhi govt of."
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Can't undo past but can improve present': Delhi CM gives job letters to kin of 1984 riot victims
The 1984 riots in Delhi remain a dark chapter in the history of India, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Tuesday as she handed over appointment letters for government jobs to the relatives of those killed in the carnage. 'For those who lost loved ones, no compensation can ever be enough for their pain. We cannot undo the past, but we can certainly improve their present…This is more than a bureaucratic decision — it is a restoration of rightful entitlements,' said the CM at the event held at the Delhi Secretariat. The appointment letters were handed over to 19 persons for multi-tasking staff (MTS) roles in the revenue department. Many recipients were emotional after receiving the job offers. Joginder Singh, who lost his father in the riots when he was just three, said, 'Ab hum matha tekne ja rahe hai (Now, we are going to pay obedience to God).' 'This is not just an appointment — it is justice walking into their lives after 40 years of silence and struggle,' the CM asserted. Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she underlined that the process of justice for the riot victims began after he came to power. Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the Sikh face of the BJP government, was in attendance at the event. 'This moment is deeply personal—not just as a minister, but as a member of a Sikh family that has endured this pain… this wait, this hope. I proudly say today that this government has finally delivered what should have been theirs decades ago.' '….This appointment is historic in itself, as the Delhi Government has even relaxed eligibility conditions to ensure justice is served,' he added. Referring to the government's step as a 'landmark' in the journey towards justice, the Chief Minister said, 'By distributing these appointment letters, the Delhi government has not just provided jobs, but also recognised the dignity and identity of thousands of families who had waited decades for justice.' The anti-sikh riots broke out in the aftermath of the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the then-Prime Minister, by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Thousands were killed across the country, and many families have since fought protracted legal battles for compensation and rehabilitation. The handing out of the appointment letters on Tuesday is a part of an ongoing process. Last November, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena distributed job letters to 50 persons, followed by 89 more in January this year, ahead of the Assembly elections in the city. The latest batch brings the total number of appointments under the government relief scheme to 158. Atma Singh Lubana, Vice-Chairperson of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, who has been advocating for the victims since 1998, said, 'Many applicants were uneducated and couldn't qualify for government jobs under regular norms. It wasn't until 2024 that this requirement was waived.' He added that over 650 applications had been submitted after camps were held at district magistrate offices. 'The problem now is that those who were in their 20s at the time of the riots are over 60 now, so they can no longer join government service. We are demanding that in such cases, the grandchild of the victim be offered the appointment instead.' During the event, the CM also spoke about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits and those who lost loved ones during the Covid pandemic but were not provided any compensation. 'To address this, a special committee has been formed to identify such cases and provide financial support,' the Delhi government said.
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
1984 anti-Sikh riots: Delhi court concludes recording ex-DSGMC chief's statement against Tytler
A Delhi court on Friday concluded recording the statement of former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh GK as a prosecution witness in a 1984-anti Sikh riots case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler. Appearing before special judge Jitendra Singh, he claimed of having received a pen drive allegedly containing the voice recording of Tytler confessing his role in the riots. 'Matter is at the stage of further cross examination of Manjit Singh GK. He has been cross examined and discharged,' the judge said. The matter would now be heard on June 4. During his deposition, Singh claimed having received an envelope at his house in 2018, containing a letter and the pen drive, which he later handed over to the CBI, which was investigating the matter. Singh said Tytler, who was present in court, threatened a witness in the case. He would continue to record his statement on April 21. The case is linked to the killings of three persons at Gurdwara Pul Bangash in the national capital in 1984. The judge on November 12, 2024 concluded recording the statement of Lakhvinder Kaur, the widow of Badal Singh, who was killed by a mob at Gurudwara Pul Bangash during the riots. The court framed charges of murder and other offences against Tytler on September 13 last year. A witness claimed Tytler came out of a white car in front of the gurdwara on November 1, 1984, and instigated a mob against the community, leading to the killings. A sessions court in 2023 granted anticipatory bail to Tytler in the case on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh and a surety of like amount. Tytler was directed not to tamper with the evidence in the case or leave the country without the court's permission, among other conditions. The agency invoked charges under Sections 147 (rioting), 109 (abetment) read with 302 (murder) of the IPC, among others, against him.
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Delhi HC directs gurdwara body to secure its properties in Shahdara, Haryana to clear Rs 400 crore dues to GHPS employees
The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) not to create third-party rights in connection with two of its properties – 292 acres at Bigar in Haryana and 15 acres at Shahdara in Delhi – in order to pay pending dues to employees of 12 schools managed by the Guru Harkrishan Public School (GHPS) Society. Justice Anish Dayal, while issuing the direction on May 2, reasoned that 'it is essential to secure these properties since they seem to be of large value and will possibly help in shoring up the dues, amounting to around Rs 400 crore, which are owed to the petitioners.' Justice Dayal was dealing with a batch of contempt petitions, moved before the Delhi High Court from 2022, wherein the court had in 2023 recorded wilful disobedience on the part of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and the GHPS Society for failing to comply with court orders issued in 2021. The petitions filed by teachers and employees of GHPS between 2018 and 2021 had sought benefits as per the recommendations of the 6th and 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC), along with arrears and other benefits. On November 16, 2021, the high court had directed to revise the salaries and other emoluments of the petitioners under the 6th and 7th CPCs in accordance with the rules. It was further directed that the arrears under the 6th CPC shall be paid to the petitioners with interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum and under the 7th CPC without any interest, within six months. Failure to pay the amounts within the time would entail payment of a higher interest of 9 per cent per annum on the arrears of both 6th and 7th CPC, and retiral benefits, it said. However, the respondent authorities failed to make the payments as directed by the court. After contempt petitions were moved from 2022, the Delhi High Court in 2023 recorded wilful disobedience of the court order of 2021 and also directed the Department of Education to 'to take a decision on appointing an Administrator or de-recognise the school'. Further, the court took a stern view on February 26, 2024, recording in its order, 'The financial incapacity to clear the arrears and pay even the current dues, as pleaded by the respondents, only strengthens the belief of this Court that there is gross mismanagement of the affairs of the schools, GHPS (ND) Society, and to some extent, even of the DSGMC.' 'The religion of Sikhism preaches the ideals of honesty, compassion, humanity, humility, and generosity in everyday life. While there is no doubt that various philanthropic and charitable causes are being discharged by the community and its leaders, at the same time, it should be kept in mind that 'charity begins at home',' it added. 'There is no point of such philanthropic activities and values when its own teachers and staff of the schools, who are helping to lay down the foundation of a good and progressive society by imparting education and instilling moral values to young students and helping in running the said institutions, are ill-treated and not given their rightful dues, on the other hand are rather made to suffer the agony of approaching this Court repeatedly for the same,' it stated at the time. The court then appointed a forensic auditor to audit their accounts, and directed that any rent received by the society, 'shall stand attached and be used to pay the arrears of the employees of the 12 schools managed by the society.' The petitioners further moved an application seeking that the properties owned by the DSGMC in Haryana as well as in Delhi, which are large acreages of land, must be attached. Acting on the application, Justice Dayal thus directed that the two properties not be alienated nor any possessory rights be given to any party without prior permission of court and no encumbrance will be created further without its permission.
