Category Archives: Press Release

Briefing on Census 2021

The Census Day is Sunday 21st March 2021. There is a media
campaign underway and people will also be getting communications
being sent to their homes.

Paper form will be sent to homes between the 3rd -13th March 2021.

There are three key questions from Panthic Perspective:

Q15E Ethnicity : SIKH

Q16 Religion : SIKH

Q18 Language: PUNJABI

Q.15 – WHAT IS YOUR ETHNIC
GROUP?

IN THIS QUESTION ONLY ONE
SECTION NEEDS TO BE ANSWERED.
THE MOST APPROPRIATE SECTION
FOR SIKHS IS

Vaisakhi Greetings and a date for your diary.

Sikh Council UK extends its warm greetings to all members and the wider community on the occasion of Vaisakhi.

It is the first day of the month of Vaisakh which is the second month in the Nanakshahi Sikh calendar. On this day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, created the order of the Khalsa in the Sikh faith. Vaikakhi also traditionally marked the end of the spring harvest in the Punjab region of northern India.

Sikhs in the UK celebrate Vaisakhi with colourful Nagar Kirtan processions and the distribution of free food to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike. It is a time for festivities and also new beginnings with many Sikhs choosing this time to undertake the Khalsa initiation ceremony.

With the challenges to religious identity and the practice of faith faced by Sikhs and others in recent times, Sikh Council UK is requesting in particular all Sikhs this year to share and celebrate our faith with the wider community in which we live and work. Only by getting to know our neighbours and letting them know about us and the values we stand for will we be able to foster greater understanding.

This year also marks the 350th anniversary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh. Sikh Council UK will be holding a national event at Wymeswold Airfield Grounds in Loughborough (east midlands) on Sunday 13th August 2017 to mark the occasion. It will be the largest one day event organised by Sikh Council UK with the support of all members. More details about the event will be released in the coming weeks.

Statement from Sikh Council UK Operations Team

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

We are writing in response to several issues being brought to our attention during the past couple of months. Taken collectively these are matters of significant concern due to their adverse impact on community cohesion and reputation within the mainstream society.

Read full statement:

download_long

UK Granted Asylum person Parmjeet Singh’s safe return from Portugal

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Dear Colleague
Please immediately send the letter below to your MP in support of Parmjeet Singh’s safe return to the UK via email or use https://www.writetothem.com

 

It takes no more than 5 minutes to write to your MP. (use sample letter below)

Please confirm via return email the MP you have contacted (his or her name and constituency).
Our initial aim is to reach 50 different MPs today and at least 75 before Christmas Day (by close of play tomorrow) and over 150 different MPs by 4 January 2016.
Dear Your MPs name
Arrest of Paramjeet Singh in Portugal on 18 December 2015
I am writing to you regarding my concerns for the above named person who has been residing in the UK for the past 20 years and granted asylum by the Home Office. Paramjeet Singh has indefinite leave to remain in the UK and his children aged 4 to 12 are British citizens.
His constituency MP John Spellar has been assisting the family since his arrest and has shared the following information with officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and kept the family updated through community contacts.
Paramjeet arrived in Portugal on the 18th December 2015 with his wife and children for a family holiday and was arrested by Interpol from the hotel where they were staying. He was presented to court the following day and became aware of a request from the Indian authorities to extradite him to India.
Indian media sources claim Paramjeet Singh is wanted for questioning by police in relation to the 2009 death of Rulda Singh, head of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, a wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS is a far-right Indian nationalist group complicit in communal killings and associated with fascism.
The case was already investigated in an 11 month joint investigation with Indian and British police in 2010 and the evidence was unsatisfactory for Paramjeet Singh to be charged.
The British Government has granted Paramjeet Singh asylum as the authorities were convinced his life would be in danger if returned to India. His elder brother was tortured in jail and was subsequently killed in a case which remains unsolved.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has thus far not done enough for Paramjeet Singh and his family by ensuring Paramjeet Singh is returned to the UK.  The British authorities appear to have been slow in sharing relevant information with the Portugese Government, such as why they have given protection to Paramjeet Singh and if extradited he may never see his family and especially his children again.
It is disappointing that the initial court decision in Portugal has been to give the Indian authorities until 4 January 2016 to present evidence for Paramjeet Singh’s extradiction when the British authorities already have all the information needed to secure his release and return to the UK.
I would be grateful if you could raise concerns with the Foreign Secretary and the Portugese Embassy and send me a copy of your letter and any responses. We urge you to request Portugal to return Paramjeet Singh immediately to the UK where he has been resident and if India has any case for it be presented to the British courts.  The Sikh community believes there is a risk of this happening to others and is extremely anxious.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Your name and full address, including postcode

 

Anand Karaj , Resolution – Clarification – Flowchart – Declaration

Following the recent national meeting of Gurdwaras coordinated in partnership with Federation of Sikh Organisations (FSO), and Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, We are pleased to provide you with further clarifications and information.

We would also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who attended and offer apologies to those who were not able to share their views due to time constraints of high number of contributors

Please find enclosed the following documents: (Links to documents available below, zip file format)
· Covering Letter
· Resolution Clarifications – English
· Resolution Clarifications – Panjabi
· Flowchart for Anand Karaj Booking – English
· Flowchart for Anand Karaj Booking – Panjabi
· Anand Karaj Declaration

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us, equally please feel free to add your own logos to the document to personalise them to your Gurdwaras Sahib or region.

Finally; as agreed at the meeting we will embark upon development of educational support materials shortly and welcome anyone who wishes to contribute.

Kind Regards and good wishes for the Chardi Kala of the Sikh Panth
S.Gurmel Singh
Secretary General
Sikh Council UK

 

Document download location of link: Best Practice Guides (Anand Karaj updated Marriage Guidelines)