Latest news with #Gurbani
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Time of India
Killed in WiFi tower's fall, minor had gone to ‘faith healer' for wheat allergy
Patiala: A 16-year-old boy, Rajinder Singh, died Sunday after a Wi-Fi tower fell during a religious congregation at Sidhuwal village in Patiala district. The family has accused the organisers of negligence. Rajinder, a resident of Khusropur village, sustained critical injuries when the tower fell and later died at a hospital. The family claimed that the tower's structural support was weakened following the removal of supporting wires by a landowner recently, a fact they allege was known but concealed by the organiser of the religious gathering. On Tuesday, the officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, visited the bereaved family to offer condolences. During his visit, the family alleged that members of a religious community had influenced them by promising "miraculous healing" for Rajinder's wheat allergy if they converted. Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said a case of causing death by negligence had been registered against those responsible, and an investigation was ongoing. Authorities are probing both the tower's collapse and the family's allegations of manipulation under the pretext of faith healing. Gargaj said he personally sought details of the circumstances that led the family into the trap of such fraudulent individuals. "They came in touch with fake pastors who claimed to cure the condition through religious rituals. With hope for their son's recovery, the family began attending these gatherings, unaware that negligence in arrangements would one day lead to his untimely death. The family had remained firm in Sikh faith and Guru Granth Sahib, but the father of deceased was misled by false promises of healing, leading them toward these fraudulent religious circles," he said. Gargaj also spoke with the SSP, asking him to take strict action under appropriate sections against those responsible and justice for the suffering family. To offer spiritual support, the Jathedar recited Gurbani and prayed for peace for the departed soul and strength for the family to accept divine will. "Everyone has the right to practice and propagate their religion, but deceiving others under the guise of religion is intolerable," said the jathedar. 'Some in Christian community misusing religion' Gargaj said some individuals within the Christian community were misusing religion for personal gain, and their leaders should take responsibility to stop them. "In the past, a joint understanding had been reached between Sikh and Christian religious leaders at Akal Takht. It was mutually agreed that the term 'crusade' would not be used in Punjab for religious outreach. At that time, representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, the United Christian Front Punjab, and the Evangelical Society participated in the discussion. Catholic representatives submitted a written statement at Akal Takht, declaring that the Catholic Church prohibits the use of the word crusade. They clarified that those who use such terms are not church members but fake godmen exploiting religion for monetary gain, actions that go against Christ and the Bible," said Gargaj. MSID: 122514611 413
The Print
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Print
127 cuts for Punjab '95 shows institutional paranoia
Trehan claims that there has been no dialogue with the CBFC, nor any explanation for the cuts, despite the filmmakers having filed multiple documents that support the events in the film. 'They have just dictated terms,' Trehan told me over the phone. 'But the CBFC's remit is to certify films, not to control the narrative.' The CBFC, he argues, is meant to be an independent body, and 'cannot be colour-coordinated with the government of the day.' Punjab '95 , produced by Ronnie Screwvala, has been trapped in bureaucratic purgatory since December 2022, when it was first submitted to the CBFC. The film is anchored by Diljit Dosanjh as Khalra, and Arjun Rampal as the dedicated Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer who led the investigation into his disappearance. The CBFC took several months to respond, and then demanded 21 cuts. Since then, the film has been viewed several times by the Revising Committee (the first viewing is by the Examining Committee), and the number of proposed cuts stands at 127. In 1995, Punjab Police abducted Jaswant Singh Khalra from outside his home in Amritsar. Thirty years later, India's Central Board of Film Certification has abducted him all over again, this time from cinema screens. The CBFC is demanding 127 cuts to Honey Trehan's Punjab '95, a film about the human rights activist who documented extrajudicial killings at the peak of the insurgency in 1990s Punjab. The strategy – then, as now – remains consistent: disappear the inconvenient and erase the documented. The list of deletions is a distillate of institutional paranoia. Trehan was told to remove references to the places where the events took place, like Tarn Taran, Durgiana, and Patti, as well as the figure of 25,000 presumed killed. The makers were also instructed to delete court-verified crime scenes, and do away with any references to Punjab Police, the Gurbani, the Indian flag, or even a passing mention of Indira Gandhi in a title slate. 'But all of this is in the public domain,' Trehan said. 'The six men responsible for Khalra's murder have been sentenced by our courts. If anything, it shows our Constitution being upheld!' That argument has done little for a film that, three years later, remains in limbo. Punjab '95 was even selected for the Toronto International Film Festival's prestigious Gala Presentations section in September 2023, only to be withdrawn by the producers at the last minute. Trehan had mounted a legal challenge in the Bombay High Court, which resulted in further delays. Eventually, the director said, they were forced to withdraw the case as well. A devastating, slow-burn thriller I watched Punjab '95 during a private screening recently. At two-and-a-half hours, it unfolds with the momentum of a slow-burn thriller, even though everyone knows the contours of this story. Trehan's direction is spare, unflinching, and never descends into sentimentality despite the film's tragic events. He was clear that he didn't want to make a conventional biopic, and wanted to keep his audience engaged. 'I took many scenes rather slowly. For instance, Arjun's interrogation with the cops and eyewitnesses,' he said. 'We live in such a fast-paced world, so I really wanted these things to register.' The film's power lies in its restraint, even when what's unfolding on screen is brutal, making it all the more devastating. Trehan embarked upon Punjab '95 while quarantined during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when he discovered Amandeep Sandhu's Panjab: Journeys Through Fault Lines. The book's chapter on disappearances, titled 'Laashaan' (dead bodies), rekindled Trehan's connection to a story he had grown up with. 'Even today, Khalra's portrait is kept in the Golden Temple. That's the kind of honour and respect he has been accorded,' he said. For Trehan, who belongs to the same Tarn Taran district as Khalra, the activist holds a status equivalent to Bhagat Singh in Punjab's pantheon of martyrs. He took the call to make the film on 6 September that same year, which also happened to be the anniversary of Khalra's abduction. What followed was two years of meticulous research: meetings with Khalra's family, consultations with his lawyer RS Bains, and studying court records to ensure absolute fidelity to documented events. The family, according to Trehan, had closely guarded the rights to Khalra's life and even signed a contract with the makers, retaining final approval on the film. For Trehan, staying faithful to Khalra's story was more than a moral obligation. Also read: Diljit Dosanjh's Sardaar Ji 3 broke records in Pakistan. Accounted for 25% of day 1 earnings Too dangerous an idea If the CBFC's skittishness is any indication, even the idea of Jaswant Singh Khalra is too dangerous for an Indian state that needs a few fictions to remain propped up. The bank director wielded a subversive weapon; the state's own records turned against itself. His approach to documenting the deaths of Punjab's civilians was extremely simple: He cross-referenced municipal cremation logs with firewood purchases to expose a policy of industrial-scale murder among Punjab's police. This forensic precision terrified power structures because it is constitutionally unassailable. Khalra's methodology continues to find resonance in the work of activists and NGOs today. Punjab '95 captures a sense of terror and not knowing that pervaded the state during the 1990s. Amandeep Sandhu recalls how his classmates would gather around to recount the number of people who went missing in their neighbourhoods. 'The fear of the police was greater than the fear of militants,' he told me. 'There has been a systemic obliteration of Sikh voices in Punjab.' That obliteration extends to other films about the state. The most famous example of this is Udta Punjab (2016), a film on which Trehan served as the casting director. It faced 94 cuts before release, but was eventually released with only one cut. Other films have not been so lucky: Toofan Singh (2016), based on the life of a Sikh militant, was banned entirely in India. Kaum De Heere (2014), met a similar fate for allegedly glorifying Indira Gandhi's assassins. Five years later, however, the Delhi High Court cleared the film for release. It's especially infuriating when you know that Punjab has provided Bollywood with decades of 'content' – a salubrious background for filmy fantasies or comic relief in the form of loud, bumbling sidekicks. But its harshest tragedies – the Partition, Operation Blue Star, and the decade of insurgency – remain untouchable. Trehan pointed out that films like The Kashmir Files (2022), The Kerala Story (2023), The Sabarmati Report (2024), and Emergency (2025), representing four different states, continue to be released without any concerns about unrest in the respective states that they depict. 'I respect the freedom of speech of each of these filmmakers. But if law and order can be controlled in Kashmir or Gujarat, why is it that only Punjab's law and order cannot be controlled? These are the questions which disturb me, but the CBFC has no reply to them. Who should I ask?' A few days ago, an elementary school named after Jaswant Singh Khalra opened in Fresno, California. Yet, the same man's legacy is deemed too inflammatory for Indian screens. Trehan is still hoping for a path for the film that does not involve him slashing it. 'If we have to edit the film according to the CBFC's list of cuts, then Diljit and I will not lend our name to it,' he told me. 'I feel CBFC should take the credit for that film. We can only stand by our conscience.' Karanjeet Kaur is a journalist, former editor of Arré, and a partner at TWO Design. She tweets @Kaju_Katri. Views are personal. (Edited by Zoya Bhatti)
Indian Express
30-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
With Pak not an option, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death anniversary marked at Summer Palace
Under the patronage of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) organised a special religious function at the historic Hawa Mahal (Summer Palace), located in the renowned Rambagh of Amritsar, on Sunday to observe the death anniversary of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The event included recitation of Sri Sukhmani Sahib, followed by Kirtan by Jatha of Bhai Sukhjeet Singh Baba Bakala, Dhadi Vaar by Bhai Gurbhej Singh Chawinda, and Kavishri by Bhai Sucha Singh Dera Pathana — connecting the congregation with the Gurbani and Sikh history. Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj shared that considering the demand from the sangat and the current year's restrictions on Sikh jathas travelling from India to Pakistan for observing the anniversary under Shimla Samjhauta, he had suggested to SGPC to organise this event at Rambagh. He expressed gratitude to SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami and the Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib management for their support in holding this programme. Massive enthusiasm was shown at the congregation at Rambagh, a site of Sikh heritage. Participants included devotees from across Punjab and Amritsar, representatives of social and Sikh organisations, student bodies, and distinguished personalities. Prominent attendees included Kulwinder Singh (former head of History Department, Punjabi University), Baldeep Singh Ramuwalia, Sarabjeet Singh Ghuman, S Rajinder Singh Marwaha (Chief Khalsa Diwan), and Gangvir Rathore (Aalmi Punjabi Sangat) among others. Addressing the gathering , Jathedar Gargajj stressed on the urgent need to preserve Sikh heritage buildings not only in Western Punjab, but also in Eastern Punjab so that future generations can inherit history related to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He pledged to work towards holding annual commemorative events at Rambagh Hawa Mahal on both the birth and the death anniversaries of Maharaja Ranjit Singh through the SGPC. Speaking to the media, Jathedar Gargajj noted Maharaja Ranjit Singh was deeply devoted to Khalsa Panth, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, and Sri Guru Ramdas Ji. He offered gold to adorn Sri Harmandir Sahib as well as extended similar reverence to Kashi Vishwanath Mandir and Sunehri Mosque. After building his palace in Amritsar, he named the surrounding garden 'Rambagh' in honour of Sri Guru Ramdas Ji. Jathedar Gargajj remarked that holding a Gurmat Samagam at this location after a long time, under the auspices of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, was a blessing from the Guru. He also noted SGPC arranged the poshak (robe) for the Nishan Sahib installed at Rambagh.
United News of India
29-06-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Punjab: Ruling AAP suspends MLA from party
Chandigarh, Jun 29 (UNI) Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today suspended its MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh from the party for 5 years for "anti-party activities". Party sources said that the decision was taken by AAP's political affairs committee (PAC). The sources said Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh - the legislator from Amritsar North constituency - was suspended for indulging in "anti-party activities". Recently, he had spoken against the Punjab Vigilance action taken against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. He had joined AAP in June 2021. After his suspension, Vijay Pratap Singh posted on social media X a Gurbani "Kabeer Jis Marne Te Jag Dare Mere Munn Anand" (Kabeer, the world is afraid of death- That death fills my mind with bliss). UNI GS SSP
Time of India
29-05-2025
- Time of India
32 years on, Akal Takht former jathedar's son seeks justice for his ‘custodial killing'
Chandigarh: Over three decades after the alleged custodial killing of former acting jathedar of Akal Takht, Gurdev Singh Kaunke, his son has approached the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking the registration of a criminal case against those responsible. Taking cognisance of the petition, Justice Sanjay Vashisth has issued a notice to the Punjab Police, directing them to file a response by July 28. The plea, filed by 49-year-old Hari Singh Sekhon—son of the late Jathedar—alleged that Kaunke was kept in illegal detention, tortured, and ultimately killed in police custody by then Jagraon station house officer inspector Gurmeet Singh. According to the petition, Kaunke was taken into custody on Dec 25, 1992, and remained confined until his alleged death on Jan 2, 1993. At the time of his disappearance, Kaunke, then 43, was known for preaching Gurbani and held in high regard within the Sikh community. The petition recounts that he was first picked up by inspector Gurmeet Singh on Dec 20, 1992, but was released following intervention by community elders. He was detained again five days later, this time in the presence of nearly 200 villagers. Despite his detention, no formal arrest was made, nor was he presented before a magistrate. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo He was allegedly held at the Jagraon police station and the CIA staff building, where he was severely tortured. Kaunke's wife, Gurmail Kaur, was reportedly allowed to visit him with food and clothes until Dec 28, after which she was denied entry. Sekhon, a minor at the time, claimed he accompanied his mother during these visits and saw his father with visible signs of torture. Another witness, Jagjit Singh, corroborated the account, stating he too saw Kaunke with injuries while in custody. In 1993, Gurmail Kaur filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court. Hari Chand was appointed as a warrant officer to investigate, but during his visit to the Jagraon police station, there was no trace of Kaunke. According to the petition, on Jan 2, 1993, inspector Gurmeet Singh sent a message to Sidwan Bet police station reporting Kaunke's "escape" from custody. An FIR was subsequently registered at Sidwan Bet. "During the pendency of the habeas corpus petition, inspector Gurmeet Singh submitted an affidavit on Jan 14, 1993, denying Kaunke had ever been taken into custody or arrested," the petitioner submitted to the court. "There was no mention of any arrest related to FIR No. 181, dated Dec 8, 1992, nor of any alleged escape following an encounter," the petition added. The petition also alleged that in a bid to intimidate the family, police later implicated Sekhon in a 1995 attempt-to-murder case, under FIR No. 133. He was later discharged by the court. It has also been informed that a govt-ordered inquiry was conducted by then ADGP (security), B P Tiwari. His report, based on numerous witness statements, concluded that Kaunke had been abducted by the SHO, kept in illegal custody, tortured, and never seen alive after Dec 28, 1992. Tiwari rejected the escape narrative and recommended registering a criminal case against the officers involved. However, the report was not approved by then director general of police Sarabdeep Singh.
