Hayer’s killing a warning signal?

JALANDHAR, Nov 20: Kashmir Singh Dhaliwal, who was excommunicated along with slain Punjabi journalist Tara Singh Hayer by the Akal Takht on ...

JALANDHAR, Nov 20: Kashmir Singh Dhaliwal, who was excommunicated along with slain Punjabi journalist Tara Singh Hayer by the Akal Takht on the langar maryada issue, today said that the killing could be a pointer towards revival of fundamentalism and could throw Punjab into another spell of militancy.

Hayer, Dhaliwal and four others were excommunicatated by the Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh in July for refusing to abide by his edict on partaking of langar on the floor instead of partaking on table and chairs as has been the practice in Canada.

Dhaliwal wondered why the Akal Takht had taken no cognisance of partaking of langar on tables and chairs in America and England and had not excommunicated any gurdwara official in these countries on the issue.

He said the Sikh community in Vancouver, including himself, had the highest regard for the Akal Takht. Dhaliwal said in majority of the 15 major gurdwaras in Vancouver the moderates were in control and only two gurdwaras were under the control of the fundamentalists.

Tracing the langar controversy to the attempts by the fundamentalists to grab the control of gurdwaras in Vancouver, Dhaliwal said the first clash on the issue between moderates and fundamentalists occurred in 1996 in which one person was injured following a fight with kirpans.

Dhaliwal, who was a recording secretary at the Ross Street gurdwara before his excommunication, said that following the edict by the Akal Takht Jathedar, he along with another excommunicator Jarnail Singh were shunted out from their posts.

However, a meeting of the executive was held in which nine of the 16 members voted for new president and threw out the existing president. "Six members of the executive boycotted the meeting objecting to the presence of two excommuniators," he said.

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He admitted there had been tension between the moderates and fundamentalists in Vancouver after the edict.

He however claimed that the silent moderate majority in Vancouver had appreciated their stand against the edict on the langar. "We do not feel subjected to any social boycott by Sikhs in Vancouver," he added. Dhaliwal apprehended that the killing of Hayer could revive the old dark days of militancy.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Surjit Singh Barnala, Punjab Public Relations Minister, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, and many other political leaders in Punjab and the NRI Sabha, Punjab have condemned the cold blooded killing of prominent Punjabi journalist Tara Singh Hayer at Vancouver yesterday.

Barnala said the government needed to be vigilant against attempts to stir up feelings of hatred. He said some elements in the neighbouring countries were always ready to seize on chance to spread terror in the state.