A view of the pension camp organised by the Indian Consulate in Vancouver inside a gurdwara in Surrey / Courtesy Photo

Leaders of various moderate Sikh bodies joined by leaders of other South Asian communities, including Hindus, denounced incidents of violence, intimidation, and coercion that marred the post-Diwali celebrations in Surrey, British Columbia.

Convened by the Khalsa Dewan Society, the meeting was attended by representatives of more than 20 organizations, including the Surrey Hindu Sabha, Ramgarhia Society, Sri Guru Ravi Dass  Sabha, and  Lakshmi Narayan Temple of Surrey where most of the speakers assailed a group of “disgruntled elements” who had been trying to hold the entire South Asian community in general and the Sikhs in particular to ransom with their anti-secessionist agenda.

The organizers claimed an overwhelming response to the meeting held at a banquet hall where most of the resolutions were adopted by raising hands.

Leaders of various moderate Sikh organizations held that “antisocial and anti-national elements” had been using coercive means not only to gain control of Sikh gurdwaras by threatening and intimidating their office-bearers but were also interfering in the Sikh religious affairs by pretending to be “Sikh reformists”.

Joginder Singh Sunner, a spokesperson of the Khalsa Dewan Society, said that the Society had sought the court's intervention in creating a buffer zone around the Sikh temple where the Indian. The consulate in Vancouver held a pensioners camp. Nearly 350 old people, some of them handicapped, were issued “life certificates” to ensure that they would continue to withdraw their pension from India.

He said that such camps have been held regularly for the last 20 years inside places of worship, including Sikh gurdwaras and Hindu temples, to facilitate old and infirm Indian pensioners who cannot go downtown to get Life certificates issued by the Indian Consulate.

The second camp, he said, would be held in the third week of this month. 

Camp organised by the Indian Consulate in Vancouver inside a gurdwara in Surrey / Courtesy Photo

At the meeting attended by leaders of various religious and social organizations, the Speakers assailed the action of the “disgruntled elements” who had allegedly intervened and disrupted the soliciting of inter-caste marriages,  abusing and threatening old and infirm people, forcing law-abiding and peaceful members of the South Asian community to boycott the Indian Consulate, besides creating ruckus during the conduct of Nagar Kirtan processions. 

Sunner said the speakers were unanimous in their opinion to fight a united fight against these “disgruntled elements” and give a befitting reply.

Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal, Secretary of the Khalsa Dewan Society, while explaining the agenda of calling the meeting, said that activities of the “disgruntled elements” were increasingly becoming unbearable. “They are teasing me as Kashmiri Lal Dhaliwal,” he said maintaining that “our patience has exhausted. We cannot take it anymore. We have to put up a united and strong fight to defeat their nefarious designs,” he said.

Kuldip Singh Thandi, President of the Society, who moved a resolution to fight these elements unitedly, received an overwhelming response from the audience. Attendees raised their hands in approval. Another leader of the Society, Kuldip Singh Dhessi, endorsed the move of Kuldip Singh Thandi. A call was also given to members of the audience to become members of the Surrey Delta Gurdwara so that these elements were thrown out.

Preet Singh Sandhu recalled how in 1998 the community had joined hands to throw out such elements from the management of Surrey Delta gurdwara.

Vijay Chaturvedi of the North America Hindu Association said that as a representative of the Kashmiri Brahmin Association, he always advocated and supported the Hindu-Sikh brotherhood as the Kashmiri Hindus owe their existence to the great sacrifice made by the ninth Sikh guru, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur. 

Harjit Singh Sohpal of Sri Guru Ravi Dass Sabha of Vancouver also stressed the need for Punjabi and Sikh brotherhood.

Others who addressed the meeting including Parshottam Goel of Lakshmi Narayan Temple,  Malkiat Singh Dhami, ex-President, Jaswinder Singh Hayer, Darshan Mahal, Gurdev Singh Brar,  Gurbaksh Singh Baghi Sanghera, Giani Harkirat Singh, Bill Basra Manjit Singh Panesar and Maninder Singh Gill.