Category Archives: Latest News

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.

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)

 

Application for World heritage Site Status for Sri Harmandar Sahib..

The Sikh Council UK is very concerned to note that an application has been made in secret without any consultation with neither the community /key stakeholder institutes of Amritsar nor the wider global Sikh Community. Sri Harmandar Sahib is a sacred space and over centuries very many Sikhs have died to preserve its sanctity and sovereignty – it is not in the gift of the Indian State nor SGPC or any political party to take this decision.Therefore we urge for this application to be withdrawn immediately and for an independent inquiry to be held as to how it came to be submitted in the first place.
The Sikh Council UK has written to UNESCO, expressing our concerns and the lack of consultation by the Indian Government with the diaspora Sikh Community who are also key stakeholders in relation to issue about the Independance and sovereignity of Harmandar Sahib. We will also be taking this matter up with  the Akal Takaht Jathedar during his visit to the UK, this weekend
The Sikh Council UK also recognises that there an urgent need to safeguard the built and historical heritage of the Sikhs and is very concerned at the failure of the those with responsibility to preserve and conserve this heritage leading to widespread heritage vandalism. In this regard we strongly recommend that no Sewa should be given to any party or undertaken with out written agreements as to exactly what needs preservation and how it would be done.In this regard the SGPC is asked to urgently clarify the arrangement being put into place in relation to the bhora of Baba Deep Singh Ji and the Sewa being awarded as to the conservation and preservation arrangements.
We urge all Sikhs to sign the petition, link below and write to and the Prime Minister of India to withdraw the application and UNESCO asking them to refuse the application, if its is not withdrawn.

11th October 2014 the General Assembly will be selecting the 3rd Administration of the Council

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Dear Member

Following two memorable and successful terms of Sikh Council UK, we are progressing fast towards the 3rd term for which Sikh Council UKs membership renewal process has started; On the 11th October 2014 the General Assembly will be selecting the 3rd Administration of the Council.

We request your attention in completing the attached relevant renewal of membership forms and returning these back to us at your earliest convenience along with the relevant fee of membership.

The complete process will be as follows:

  1. Renewal of membership/s  onto Sikh Council UK General Assembly by the Gurdwara Sahib/s or Sikh Organisation/s must be received by 22nd September 2014 (while this is an ongoing and open process we urge everyone to renew their membership in the coming weeks).
  2. Nominations for the new Executive Committee by General Assembly members must be received by 30th September 2014 
  3. Selection of the Executive Committee to progress the new administration of the council for the 3rd term will take place at the General Assembly on the 11th October 2014 (details to follow)

 

Please find attached (zip file containing all below documents or individual documents)

  • Introduction of Sikh Council UK
  • Structure diagram of Sikh Council UK
  • Membership renewal form
  • Nomination form for Executive Committee
  • Barclays Bank Standing order (for donations)
Zip file containing all documents for membership renewal:.

Introduction SCUK.doc
Executive Committee Nomination details and form.doc
New Membership Cover Letter.doc
Renewal of Membership Cover Letter.pdf
SCUK-Affiliation-Forms 1.doc
 

Completed forms can be returned via email with direct bank payment or by posted to: Sikh Council UK, PO BOX 16788, Smethwick, B67 9FH with cheque payment

E:  info@sikhcounciluk.org

Membership information and relevant forms are also available on our website http://www.sikhcounciluk.org

https://twitter.com/SikhCouncilUK, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sikh-Council-UK-SCUK,
Telephone contact: 07867 608417

We look forward to our continued work together for the benefit of the Panth through a single cohesive voice.

Kind Regards

————————————

S.Surinder S Jandu
Co-ordinator of Affiliate OrganisationsSikh Council UK
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The views and opinions expressed in this email message are the author’s own and may not reflect the views and opinions of the author’s organisation.Sikh Council UK Correspondence Address: P.O Box 16788, Smethwick, B67 9FH