The Indian Panorama

Month: June 2016

  • Jaish handler who directed Pathankot attack flees to Afghanistan

    Jaish handler who directed Pathankot attack flees to Afghanistan

    LAHORE (TIP): The Jaish-e-Mohammed leader who gave directions over phone to the terrorists during the attack on the Pathankot airbase has reportedly managed to flee to Afghanistan from Pakistan, an official said.

    “The alleged JeM handler who communicated by telephone more than two-dozen times with the terrorists in Pathankot before they carried out the attack on the airbase on January 2 has managed to cross into Afghan border,” a member of the joint investigation team probing the attack said on Thursday.

    He said the JeM handler, who is in late 20s, was in the tribal area of Pakistan when he communicated about 18 times with the terrorists.

    “The law enforcement agencies tried to trace him (in the tribal belt) but there are reports that he managed to escape to Afghanistan,” he said, without disclosing the JeM leader’s identity.

    Interestingly, during interrogation JeM chief Masood Azhar claimed that the handler of the Pathanokot operation had quit the organisation sometimes ago.

    “Azhar disowns the JeM handler (to prove his innocence),” another source privy to the development told PTI.

    He said the investigation agencies have been under “immense pressure” from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to thoroughly probe the matter and come up with “true facts” of the Pathankot incident.

    Although the counter-terrorism department (CTD) of the Punjab police had registered an FIR against the alleged attackers of the Pathankot airbase and their abettors, not a single person has been charged in this regard.

    The FIR was registered in the CTD police station Gujranwala under sections 302, 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and sections 7 and 21-I of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

    The FIR says Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval informed authorities that the four attackers had come from Pakistan and had “probably crossed the border adjacent to the Pathankot general area”. The NSA says the terrorists made phone calls to cell phones and belonged to a proscribed organisation.

    Five terrorists and seven Indian army personnel were killed in a gun battle at the Pathankot airbase.

    The attack occurred just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a ‘surprise’ visit to Sharif on his birthday on December 25 and the occasion of his granddaughter’s wedding – a move that appeared to promise better ties between the two countries in future.

    Adviser to the Prime Minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz also confirmed that one of the mobile phone numbers linked to those who attacked the airbase had been traced to the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur, some 400km from Lahore.

    JeM chief Azhar, who has been named by India as the mastermind of the airbase attack, had been under protective custody since January 14.

    Aziz said that Azhar, along with a few other operatives of JeM, had been kept under protective custody and that some of the JeMs premises had been sealed.

    He said action would follow against Azhar and others the moment evidence became available.

    However, despite the Pathankot visit of five-member JIT team of Pak Punjab government headed by CTD additional inspector General of Police (IGP) Tahir Rai, no progress has been made in the investigation so far.

    (PTI)

  • Taliban use ‘honey trap’ boys to kill Afghan police

    Taliban use ‘honey trap’ boys to kill Afghan police

    TARIN KOT (TIP): The Taliban are using young boys as sex slaves to mount crippling insider attacks on police in southern Afghanistan, exploiting the pervasive practice of “bacha bazi” —paedophilic boy play — to infiltrate security ranks, multiple officials and survivors of such assaults said.

    Even as ISIS attacks and kills men for being gay – the terrorist group says homosexuality is unIslamic – the ancient custom of “bacha bazi” is still practiced across Afghanistan. Nowhere does it seem as entrenched as in the province of Uruzgan, where “bacha bereesh” — or boys without beards — widely become objects of lustful attraction for powerful police commanders.

    The Taliban over nearly two years have used them to mount a wave of Trojan Horse attacks — at least six between January and April alone — that have killed hundreds of policemen, according to security and judicial officials in the province.

    “The Taliban are sending boys —beautiful boys, handsome boys — to penetrate checkpoints and kill, drug and poison policemen,” said Ghulam Sakhi Rogh Lewanai, who was Uruzgan’s police chief until he was removed in a security reshuffle in April amid worsening violence.

    “They have figured out the biggest weakness of police forces — bacha bazi,” he said. The assaults, signifying abuse of children by both parties in the conflict, have left authorities rattled, with one senior provincial official who echoed Rogh Lewanai’s view saying “it’s easier tackling suicide bombers than bacha attackers”.

    The killings illustrate how bacha bazi is aggravating insecurity in Uruzgan, a remote province which officials warn is teetering on the brink of collapse, unravelling hard-won gains by US, Australian and Dutch troops who fought there for years.

    (AFP)

  • Strike shuts down schools, markets and transport in Nepal

    Strike shuts down schools, markets and transport in Nepal

    KATHMANDU, NEPAL (TIP): A general strike called by a small communist party demanding that the government release its supporters detained after previous protests has shut down schools, markets and transportation in Nepal.

    Police says 28 more supporters of the Nepal Communist Party Maoist were arrested as they attempted to enforce the general strike forcing vehicles off the streets in Kathmandu.

    They torched a taxi and vandalized a public van in Kathmandu but no one was hurt.

    The party which is a splinter group of the main Maoist party that is part of the government. The Maoists are former communist rebels who fought government troops for 10 years before entering mainstream politics in 2006.

    Security has been stepped up and riot police are guarding the main streets of Kathmandu.

    (AP)

  • Migration fears as Bangla zealots go after Hindus

    Migration fears as Bangla zealots go after Hindus

    NEW DELHI (TIP): After reciting all his morning shlokas and mantras, 70-year-old Ananda Gopal Ganguly , bowed before the multi-armed, lion-mounting Goddess Durga, walked out of the temple, climbed his bicycle and pedalled slowly through the paddy fields. The incense and the oil lamps might have been still burning in the sanctum sanctorum when three bikers blitz through, hit him with sharp-edged weapons and slit his throat, leaving his head barely hinged on the neck.

    Ganguly was hacked to death in a small village in southwestern Bangladesh on June 7. Two days later, another Hindu religious worker Nityananda Panday (60) was killed in almost the same manner early morning in front of a mental hospital.

    Bangladesh is caught in a spiral of violence targeted at religious minorities, following a spate of systemic attacks on atheist bloggers, secular activists and intellectuals that began last year. The priest’s beheadings, however, has triggered fresh fear psychosis and whisper talk about the arrival of the Islamic State (ISIS) and migration plans among the already dwindling Hindu minority in Bangladesh.

    “I don’t know whether it is ISIS or some other group decapitating Hindus but it is quite clear that this persecution is not the same as earlier. It is a new phenomenon,” Kajal Debnath who heads Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council (HBCUC) told TOI from Dhaka. “Earlier, they would rape Hindu girls or torch our temples and houses, forcing Hindus to abandon their properties and migrate to India. It was mostly about grabbing Hindu land and property. But now they are slaughtering ordinary landless poor Hindus with no social or economic standing and the message is entirely different,” he adds. A fresh wave of migration of Hindus out of Bangladesh, he fears, will start quietly.

  • Pakistani lawmaker abuses woman activist on TV debate; booked

    Pakistani lawmaker abuses woman activist on TV debate; booked

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): An influential lawmaker of Pakistan’s ruling coalition has been booked for allegedly verbally abusing and trying to physically attack a woman rights activist during a live TV debate on honour killing.

    The ugly incident happened during a private TV talk show last week when Hafiz Hamdullah of Jamiat Ulema-e-Isla Fazal (JUI-F) became furious at Marvi Sarmad for speaking against honour killing.

    According to the footage widely circulated on social media, the bearded lawmaker used foul language against the activist and tried to attack her.

    Marvi lodged a complaint with the Margalla police station and the case was registered on Tuesday, a police official said.

    The lawmaker’s JUI-F party is an ally of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

    At least 1,100 women were killed in the name of honour in Pakistan last year by their relatives on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honour.

    Police on Tuesday arrested the brother of a Pakistani woman for alleging burning her to death in an honour killing last week.

    An Islamic religious body in Pakistan on Tuesday declared that killing of women in the name of “honour” is un-Islamic, days after 40 influential clerics issued a fatwa against honour-killing.

    (PTI)

  • ORLANDO PULSE | AS I SEE IT

    ORLANDO PULSE | AS I SEE IT

    The Omar Mateen Orlando Pulse Mass Shooting was a merger of evil and hatred – perhaps, even Omar’s self-hatred. It was a merger of Terror and Hatred. It was the renunciation of allegiance to the United States by an American-born citizen in favor of a 911-documenting call by Omar to pledge allegiance to ISIS – to avoid other terror causing groups from taking credit without having inspired Omar, as ISIS did. Omar did not want his joint act of hatred & terror to be plagiarized by uninspiring-to-him jihad groups or confused by historian-autopsy.

    Never before has the LBGT community suffered so much – and as a result shaken the collective soul of our nation more – for all of us to be just American – young old, black white, able and disabled, gun-loving and gun-fear, and proud-straight and proud-LBGT. It’s the ultimate of E Pluribus Unum.

    Hollywood had done a remarkable job to lessen cultural hostility to any community, and replace it with pride -for each human being to be human as they and/or God chose.

    A while back, I was struck that the Indian Supreme Court had decreed a 3rd sexual gender: transgender. Given the recent legal fight over bathrooms in schools – based upon a person’s sex, which takes the concept of pro-choice to a whole new level, the Indian Supreme Court’s wisdom and solving some of this civil rights controversy is now more apparent.

    But beyond the typical political debate about guns, every time there is a massacre, this particular event in Orlando is unique because it is a casserole of many geo-political issues, social issues and civil rights issues at the cutting edge of law and society. Indeed, President Obama’s reluctance to use the term radical Islam has become more political fodder for the uninformed, misguided or reckless. Taking the refrain from the NRA, guns don’t kill people, people kill people, I want to remind all those who, perhaps out of a sense of grief and outrage, want to marry the term radical to Islam, that religion does not kill people, people kill people; akin to the NRA’s wisdom.

    While I am not happy about the faded Red Line in Syria drawn by President Obama, I celebrate his wisdom in abstaining to engage in a religious dispute where only the members of the specific religion, Islam, are both credentialed and qualified to engage in. I recall well that Islam at its origin was dedicated to science, higher education and the arts. Indeed, the folklore regaled us all about the attempts to convert lead into gold in science labs centuries ago. Perhaps the passing of the Prophet Mohammed has left the world with the longest running estate fight between the Sunni and the Shia. As for me, I am most comfortable following the principle enunciated well by Pope Francis: practice your own faith and respect everyone else’s faith. I’d add, let’s try a little more love and a little less hate; the world is really small and we must really find a way for the human family to live in peace. Hat tip to Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev’s Manifesto for the 21st century: which I described as war on war. In the meanwhile, all of us must defend our nation from enemies foreign and domestic.”

    Ravi Batra
    Ravi Batra (File Photo)
    (The author @RaviBatra is an eminent attorney based in New York. He can be reached at ravibatralaw@aol.com)

  • Eric Schneiderman on #OrlandoShooting

    Eric Schneiderman on #OrlandoShooting

    This weekend’s tragedy in Orlando – the worst mass shooting in our nation’s history – was not only an act of terrorism, but an unspeakable hate crime directed at our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. The nation’s outpouring of support for the grieving families has been inspirational. But as we mourn, we must also come together to confront the challenge of combating terrorism here at home. Together, we must demand that Congress finally pass common sense gun control measures that can prevent the loss of innocent lives to gun violence.

    Fortunately, Hillary Clinton is doing exactly that, and reminding us of every American’s unalienable right to feel safe and welcome in our country. Sadly, Donald Trump is doing the opposite and even trying to divide us. Just one day after the massacre, Trump called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States.

    Vilifying the entire Muslim community based on the actions of one terrorist is profoundly un-American. It goes against everything we stand for as a country founded on religious freedom. And it will make us less safe.

    The response to hatred cannot be more hatred. Now is the time for us to come together and work towards the America we need and deserve.

  • Congress cuts its losses | Kamal Nath defrocked of Punjab charge

    Congress cuts its losses | Kamal Nath defrocked of Punjab charge

    Opinion & Perspective: Perceptions do matter and sometimes even win elections. No party realizes it better than the Congress, now reduced to less than 50 seats in the Lok Sabha. When it set about setting its Punjab house in order, the Congress thought it had ticked all the boxes. Capt Amarinder Singh became the state party chief while the Punjab party in-charge, the ineffectual and ineffective Shakeel Ahmad was shown the door. But the Congress missed a trick by replacing him with Kamal Nath. With a reputation for ingenuity and resourcefulness, Kamal Nath was the right person for a grueling, no-holds-barred battle of wits with the Akalis and AAP. The Congress has rapidly realized that Punjab’s DNA is different. The albatross of Kamal Nath’s alleged involvement in the 1984 riots far outweighs his usefulness as a shrewd political operative.

    Soon the Akali Dal and AAP targeted the Congress for picking a 1984 riots suspect to oversee polls in a state still awaiting closure on a dark chapter. It is a measure of the dissonance in the Congress that it did not sound out the Captain before replacing Ahmad with Kamal Nath. The upshot was a tempest in Punjab that put Congress’ poll preparations on the backburner while Amarinder Singh lamely defended the high command’s choice. The former Punjab CM cut a sorrier figure when the Congress removed Kamal Nath hours after he had defended his appointment.

    For a party short on confidence, luck and public support, the Congress can ill afford a slip-up. It currently has a narrow window of opportunity to prove it will be a worthy contender. AAP’s claim to be purveyors of experimental politics is under challenge. The sword of disqualification hangs on 21 of its Delhi MLAs, half of its original lot of ministers has quit and the first scam under Arvind Kejriwal’s watch seems to be brewing. The Akali Dal is saddled with more than an incumbent’s disadvantages but is not throwing in the towel. Kamal Nath’s appointment is a distraction the Congress could have done without.

  • DANCE REVOLUTION: Nartan Rang Dance Academy’s Annual Extravaganza

    DANCE REVOLUTION: Nartan Rang Dance Academy’s Annual Extravaganza

    GARDEN CITY, NY (TIP): -On Sunday, June 12th, 2016, the Nartan Rang Dance Academy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan presented its annual dance showcase, Nritya Ranjani (now in its 15th year) at the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center on Long Island. In attendance were Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, accompanied by County Director of Southeast Asian Affairs, Dilip Chauhan, who both generously presented the school with a County Citation.

    Choreographed by Swati Vaishnav & Siddhi Vaishnav, Nritya Ranjani 2016: Nritya Shailee showcased the various styles & genres of dance through both traditional folk, semi-classical, Bollywood, & even popular Top 40 songs.

    The school, which works under the umbrella of renowned non-profit organization Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, had over 75 students in its 2015-2016 year ranging in ages from 4 to 60!

    DANCE REVOLUTION 2Opening the show was a prayer dance to Gajanana from the film Bajirao Mastani in the Bharatnatyam for m, followed by a catchy swing/jazz number to the Bollywood song Girls Like To Swing. The show catered to all tastes with its inclusive perfor mances in styles such as kathak, fusion, hip-hop, garba, raas, Rajasthani folk, Latin fusion, contemporary folk, Punjabi giddha, & many more. Said artistic director Swati Vaishnav, “We wanted to have a little bit of something for everyone this year & we wanted to make sure our students lear n various forms of dance, while still being enriched by the traditional styles from our South Asian heritage & culture.”

    DANCE REVOLUTION 3Information about classes for the 2016-2017 year can be found at www.nartanrang.com or by E-Mailing vaishnavswati7@gmail.com.

     

  • Ambassador of India to the United Nations to Visit the Hunter’s Point Community Middle School in Queens

    Ambassador of India to the United Nations to Visit the Hunter’s Point Community Middle School in Queens

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Ambassador of India to the UN Syed Akbaruddin @AkbaruddinIndia will visit the Hunter’s Point Community Middle School in the Long Island City section of Queens on Friday, June 17th to speak with a seventh grade NYC Junior Ambassadors classroom about his role in New York City and with the United Nations. The time of the visit will be 11am.

    NYC Junior Ambassadors is a program of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs and is an exciting initiative focused on engaging 7th graders in all five boroughs of New York City to see themselves as global citizens through a connection with the United Nations. Through this unique program nearly 275 students have received curated tours of the United Nations New York campus. This year 11 students at the Hunters Point Community Middle School visited the United Nations as part of the program and the visit of Ambassador Akbaruddin to their classroom constitutes the second part of this program. The class is incorporating the United Nations into their curriculum through learning about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    More about NYC Junior Ambassadors can be found at http://www1.nyc.gov/site/international/pro grams/nyc-junior-ambassadors.page About the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs: The New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs works to foster positive relations and encourage collaboration between the international community and New York City’s agencies and local neighborhoods. New York City is home to the largest diplomatic community in the world -193 Permanent Missions, 114 Consulates and the headquarters of the United Nations.

  • Uplift Humanity Celebrates Six Years in India: Launches Mumbai

    Uplift Humanity Celebrates Six Years in India: Launches Mumbai

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Uplift Humanity, founded in 2010, is an organization that works towards enabling American youth to empower juveniles in India through education. Since UHI’s inception in 2010, they have launched programs at three juvenile rehabilitation centers throughout India: Gujarat, Hyderabad, and the newest in Mumbai. In the past 6 years, Uplift has successfully brought 250 students to India from the United States and contributed approximately 150,000 hours of volunteer work with the demand growing exponentially each year. Uplift’s rapid growth has enabled the organization to educate more than 500 different juveniles and orphans and donate in excess of Rs. 250,000 in scholarships funds to dozens of children who are seeking higher education or vocational studies.

    Uplift Humanity, a passion project of Founder Anish Patel, was started when he took a trip to India with his family. Whilst delayed in traffic on the roads of Vadodara, Anish noticed a group of children playing behind the gates of a dilapidated juvenile detention facility. Anish’s curiosity led him to research the treatment of juvenile inmates and orphans in India. He found that many of these children committed crimes out of economic desperation, and would likely never receive the education, or life-skills training necessary to secure a higher standard of living. And thus, Uplift Humanity India was born. Anish believes that through cross-cultural education, the relevant instructional materials, and the right people, we can change the way that education is delivered across institutionalized facilities in India.

    The two key platforms that contribute to the success and growth of Uplift Humanity are the organization’s Academic Program and their Annual Summer Program. The academic program is the most crucial element of the on-site work done at juvenile centers year-round, where local educators teach how to read and write in English, and how to use computer technology. The summer rehabilitation program brings students from the United States over to one of the three rehabilitation facilities in India where the volunteers teach orphans and juveniles life skills such as moral decision-making, self-esteem development, anger management, daily etiquette, and public speaking.

    In June 2013, Narendra Modi witnessed first-hand the impact of Uplift Humanity’s work with juveniles and orphans in India and invited the team to discuss ways to increase education levels in institutionalized facilities in India. This new partnership allowed Uplift to strengthen their impact in India. With the aid of local and national governments, Uplift Humanity was able to launch in Mumbai.

    “Uplift Humanity’s expansion into Mumbai shows our commitment to eradicate juvenile recidivism throughout the Indian subcontinent. We’re so excited to be in Mumbai because it’s such a bustling city with so much potential. What makes Mumbai even more special for our team is that it’s the first location that we’re allowing non-Indians to apply to our programs. Essentially, now any teenager from any demographic can apply to volunteer with our organization” says Founder Anish Patel.

    Uplift Humanity has also appointed Hollywood actor, Arjun Gupta as a brand ambassador for the organization. With Gupta’s fan following in hit series such as Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie” and Syfy’s “The Magicians,” Uplift hopes to draw attention of the younger generation for a passion for community service and volunteering with the organization.

    “Uplift is a really exciting organization for two reasons: one because their work is directly helping young kids in India get out of a dangerous cycle of recidivism. And secondly, the effect the program has on the young volunteers that travel to India will inform them for the rest of their lives, creating better leaders, more active members of their community, and will continue to help change the world. As an artist, I believe that art is service but often the effects of my work have an indirect effect on change. To be working with an organization that is directly causing change for the better is simply a thrill for me. I am honored to be a part of this organization” says Uplift Humanity Brand Ambassador Arjun Gupta.

    Uplift Humanity continues to make huge strides in India and encourages millions to join their journey. They invite volunteers and sponsors to come onboard and help their fight in sending one of 31 million orphans back to school. For more information on Uplift Humanity, please visit: www.uplifthumanityindia.org

    About Uplift Humanity Criminals are often created from children who have experienced gross neglect and poverty as children. They fall into the same habits, the same crimes, and the same people their surroundings provide them with. They are victims of recidivism. Uplift Humanity India is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of juvenile inmates in South Asia. Its founding motto epitomizes the method by which it seeks to empower youth through hands-on education, mentoring, and technology training. Uplift Humanity’s goal is to spread its specialized curriculum throughout the continent to give youth opportunities to flourish once they reenter society.

  • Fashion Designer Rohini Bedi to lead the fashion show ‘The Colors of India’ at AAPI Convention in New York

    Fashion Designer Rohini Bedi to lead the fashion show ‘The Colors of India’ at AAPI Convention in New York

    NEW YORK (TIP): AAPI Convention has come to be recognized for its ways of catering to the varied needs of the delegates from across the nation. A ways of networking and strengthening bond, AAPI convention offers events, programs and services, always striving to provide the best in the world to the participants.

    While AAPI convention is packed with Seminars, CMEs, CEO Forum, gala, cultural events, scintillating Bollywood and Hollywood shows, one thing has come to be popular among the delegates is the live fashion shows Participants at the 34th annual convention in New
    York City this year will not be disappointed.

    This year’s Fashion Show is being led by Rohini Bedi. The much sought after South Asian designer Rohini Bedi from Los Angeles brings you her exclusive collection 2016 for APPI in her presentation for AAPI delegates, “The Colors of India,” announced Dr. Seema Jain, President of AAPI. “Rohini’s collection infuses the vibrant colors of the East and the jaw dropping designs that rock the runways in the West,” she added.

    According to Dr. Hetal Gor, an organizer of the event at the Convention, “The Fashion Show will consist of beautiful dancers, dancing to Caribbean, Brazil, Hawaiian dances provided by Bergen pac and music. These will be followed by models walking in Resort Wear.” In addition, there will be Fusion/Jazz/ Tap dancing to get everyone excited for the day wear/office wear which stunning models will show case. A sensational Kathak Dance with Pakiza set and Taj Mahal on the screen will be followed by Party and Wedding Wear. The grand finale will have breathtaking performances by Sonali Bhendre.

  • Indian American Night organized

    Indian American Night organized

    LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): Harry Chapin lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park witnessed yet another colorful evening on June 13 when Indian American Night, an annual feature, was celebrated with enthusiasm. Presented by Indian American Forum, the program included Yoga, Health Fair organized by Dr Rakesh Dua and members of AAPIQLI and, of course, delightful dance and music performances.

    Yoga and meditation were led by Ranju Narang and Perry Walia with several members joining them.

    Jaya Bahadkar Cultural chairperson presented beautiful cultural program reflecting dances from different parts of India. Students from local dance schools participated. Aarti Datta, Jyotika Patel, Satya Pradeep, Archana Dave, Sangeeta Pandit and Monica Bajwa presented attractive performances. Vocal performances were organized by Nilima Madan of Vedic Heritage. Jyoti Gupta, Amita Karwal and T S Taluja from Tri state area entertained the audience with their memorable songs.

    This program is part of 2016 summer concert series sponsored by Nassau county Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums. Indian American Night is a showcase of Classical Indian music and folk dances from all regions of India. Nassau county Executive Edward P Mangano, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, Nassau County Parks Commissioner Brian Nugent, Legislature Kevin Abrahms, Town of Hempstead, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby andseveral other elected officials and community leaders were present

    On Behalf of Nassau County Executive Edward P Mangano, Legislator Rose Marie Walker welcomed everyone and commended the Indian American Community for their outstanding achievements. On the occasion, those presented with Nassau County Awardsincluded Harry Singh, President Bolla Oil Corp; Kusum Gupta, Trustee Vedic Heritage in Hempstead; Anurabh Talwar MD, Endocrinologist North Well Health Medical group; Neelam Modi, Cultural Chairperson IALI; Sangeeta Bahl, President Rotary Sunrise Jericho; Nishi Bahl, President Panache Entertainment, and Beena Kothari, President IALI.

  • BOLLYWOOD FILM ‘UDTA PUNJAB’ SET TO RELEASE ON JUNE 17 in NY

    BOLLYWOOD FILM ‘UDTA PUNJAB’ SET TO RELEASE ON JUNE 17 in NY

    NEW YORK (TIP): The last ditch attempt to stall release of the controversial film Udta Punjab havingfailed, the controversial film is now all set to release, as planned, on June 17. The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday, June 16 dismissed the petitions seeking stalling the release of Bollywood film ‘Udta Punjab’ on Friday, on the plea that it projected Punjabis in bad light.

    The petition filed by a lawyer and other petitions failed to find favor with the court as Justice M Jayepaul dismissed the petitions after the amicus curiae argued that the film did not glorify the use of drugs in Punjab, there was nothing objectionable to Punjabis in it and it did not portray them in bad light.

    Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had refused to entertain the plea by an NGO seeking stay on the release of the film. A vacation Bench of Justices AK Goel and LN Rao had advised the NGO petitioner to await the outcome of a similar case pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

    The NGO, Human Rights Awareness Association, had accepted the suggestion and withdrew its appeal against the Bombay High Court verdict allowing the release of the movie.

    The NGO had moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday to stall the screening of the film, while another plea by it had prompted the Delhi High Court to direct the producer to modify the promos by adhering to the Bombay High Court order.

    The plea filed before the apex court bench sought a direction to restrain the screening of the movie on the grounds that it depicted Punjab in a bad light.

    Behind the noise lie layers of reality: a cringing fear of getting swamped by drug prevalence and the unverifiable impact of government’s efforts to minimize the damage.

    Here are the facts from a report on drug addiction in Punjab published in The Tribune, Chandigarh some time ago.

    First the figures:

    The state police say 32,522 persons have been arrested for possessing drugs since January 2014 in Punjab at an average of about 1,121 persons per month. As many as 48,653 people have visited OPDs of the various de-addiction centers besides about 16,230 admitted for treatment. Over Rs 100 crore has been spent on constructing 26 de-addiction and rehabilitation and skill development centers.

    The government says there are around 700 beds in 22 functional government de-addiction centers in the state. In his budget speech, state finance minister Parminder Dhindsa said: “The state government is committed to eradicating drug menace in an effective manner. To provide tertiary level facilities, five model drug de-addiction centers, 50-bed each, have been set up in Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, Amritsar and Faridkot. The state government has also established 22 counselling and rehabilitation centers.” The state has 14 licensed private de-addiction centers

    There are 108 male staff nurses and 82 ward attendants in the centers. One counsellor has been provided at a DDC in each of the eight central jails. Currently, the state health department has 30 psychiatrists. 60 trained medical officers for counselling and rehab services.

    In 2012: Punjab Opioid Dependence Survey conducted in 10 districts by AIIMS and Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses found that 2.32 lakh individuals are dependent on opioid in state. An overwhelming majority (89%) are illiterate.

    Government officials as well as the police have no idea as to what impact the state government measures have had. A senior doctor responsible for rehabilitation says: “The entire concept of rehabilitation needs to be studied again before formulating a workable, purposeful plan of action for resettlement of addicts. Wasting crores of rupees on useless infrastructure will be just a meaningless exercise.”

    The police data claims the worst is over. The figures of seizures reveal that even if there were fewer arrests this year, the quantity was almost on the line of the previous years. In 2015, about 11 kg of smack was seized, but in the first five months of this year, the haul has already reached 7.5 kg. For the first time since 2014, about 10gm cocaine was recovered.

    Ever since the hypersensitive Pahlaj Nihalani took over as the CBFC head, he has been hyperventilating his spleen and disdain against all things he deems un-Indian. As he locked horns with more than one maker, even the government understood the impasse couldn’t continue. When Shyam Benegal-led committee was appointed to look into the CBFC guidelines and suggest changes, the government seemed sincere. Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitely too observed that he wanted the board to be controversy-free. Many saw light at the end of the tubular vision of the board otherwise groping in darkness of regressive values. Never mind if the well-meaning Mudgal committee recommendations could not be implemented.

    The CBFC chief, meanwhile, has gone about his business as usual: Films have been cut left, right and center. Innocuous kissing scenes, the staple diet of James Bond films, were axed in Spectre. Films like Jungle Book based on all-time favorite book of children were slapped with a U/A rating.

    Aligarh director Hansal Mehta was miffed when censor board gave an A certificate to film’s trailer too. Expectedly he dismissed the board’s thinking in one word “outdated.” Prakash Jha too saw red when the censor’s axe fell on Priyanka Chopra starrer Jai Gangajal. Nevertheless, directors relented. A snip here and there was taken in stride.

    But this time an altogether different game plan was in the offing: Change the film’s title, remove references to Punjab and its cities, shift the story to an imaginary land… the suggestions were as ludicrous as endless. Expecting a film to make 89 cuts (the review committee list stated 13 suggestions but then there are cuts within cuts) is crazier than any character Shahid would ever get to portray on screen. Somebody out there is so rattled by the film’s ‘unsavory’ subject of drug abuse in Punjab that even before the film could hit the screens, an absurd campaign was unleashed.

    The point isn’t whether the CBFC should limit its role to certification. Its very existence and utility has come under a cloud. Udta Punjab or Udta India or whatever might be the new title of the film (if the censors have their way), the board can’t be allowed a free run.

    On June 13, the Bombay High Court had cleared the decks for the release of ‘Udta Punjab’ after ordering deleting of one scene-a urination scene and displaying a revised disclaimer as per which the makers would have to delete reference to Pakistan.

    The Bombay High Court had also directed the film-maker to make additions to the disclaimer to the effect that the movie, its characters and the film-makers do not promote the use of drugs and abusive language, and the film is only attempting to depict the reality of drug abuse.

    In the Bombay High Court, Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films had challenged the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) revising the committee’s order of June 6 directing a total of 13 changes in the movie.

    The Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh-starrer “Udta Punjab” delves into how a large number of youth in Punjab have succumbed to drugs.The film premiers in New York on June 17 at Bombay Theatre, 68-25 Fresh Meadows Lane, Flushing, NY 11365.

  • 2-Day BJP Conclave Concludes

    2-Day BJP Conclave Concludes

    ALLAHABAD (TIP): The Two-day conclave of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) concluded here Monday, June 13. High on the agenda was a strategy for the 2017 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. Of all the States going to polls in 2017, the State of Uttar Pradesh is of the greatest strategic importance for BJP. If the party is able to perform as it did in the Lok Sabha elections, it will contribute greatly to its strength in the Rajya Sabha where as of now the combined opposition is in a position to stall the BJP. Thus, the main thrust of the party leadership has been to strategize for a win in Uttar Pradesh.

    Senior Cabinet ministers, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, party MPs and other senior leaders are participating in the conclave.

    Sources said PM Modi asked BJP office bearers to take forward what has been achieved. There is a need to constantly innovate in today’s politics. An organization and its working style should change with the political situation, he reportedly said.

    Briefing the media in the evening, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP “maintained balance between rural and urban development, reform and public welfare, connection between defense and foreign policy”.

    He quoted party chief Amit Shah as saying that the victory in Assam had opened the “gateway to the north east” for the party. Mr. Shah, he said, expressed confidence that the party will return to power in UP in 2017 and at the Centre in 2019 as well.

    The party discussed a strategy for Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and four other states – Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa. Om Mathur, PM Modi’s key man in UP, said: “Many issues were discussed at the meet but the main focus was on UP polls due next year.”

    Sources in the BJP, however, say a decision on who will be the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the two key states will be taken in due course.

    The BJP has brought several new faces to its National Executive — including Himanta Biswa Sarma, who defected from Congress to BJP and played a key role in its big Assam win, and former Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, a new entrant to the party.

  • Long Island restaurateur Harendra Singh’s Trial fixed for January 9, 2017

    Long Island restaurateur Harendra Singh’s Trial fixed for January 9, 2017

    CENTRAL ISLIP, NY (TIP): A federal judge on Wednesday, June 15 set a trial date of Jan. 9 for prominent Long Island restaurateur Harendra Singh, who has been charged with numerous crimes, including bribing a former Oyster Bay deputy town attorney, according to a Newsday report. But Singh’s attorney, Anthony La Pinta, suggested that a trial might not be necessary, telling U.S. District Judge Sandra Feuerstein that there are “ongoing discussions to settle the case … still ongoing.”

    La Pinta also said in court that he is preparing a new bail application in the hopes of getting Singh released from jail, because of personal family reasons.

    When Singh was arrested in September on a 13-count indictment, six of the counts accused Singh of paying a bribe to a former Oyster Bay deputy town attorney to get an “indirect guarantee” of $32 million in loans for his businesses, including food concessions he ran at town beaches and a town golf course.

    Other charges included defrauding the Internal Revenue Service by not reporting millions of dollars in wages paid to employees of his restaurants, and fraudulently collecting almost $1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That alleged crime refers to Singh collecting the money for falsely claiming his Water’s Edge restaurant in Long Island City was damaged during superstorm Sandy.

    Singh has been held without bail since December when federal prosecutors accused him of violating conditions of his release by fraudulently trying to get a new $148,000 loan.

    Meanwhile, the Town of Oyster Bay is in a fix on account of the complex situation arising out of the guarantees for loans to Singh and the future management of the properties leased to Singh who had added a couple of investors to overcome his financial woes. It is learnt that the Town administration is aware of an ongoing investigation in to the role of certain Town officials in the deal with Singh and does not want to burn fingers. Therefore, the top officials are said to be of the view that the properties leased to Singh should not go to anyone connected with Singh in any way, including the investors who are said to be keen to remain involved in the business.

  • British Member of Parliament Shot dead Suspect Arrested

    British Member of Parliament Shot dead Suspect Arrested

    LONDON (TIP): The 41-year-old Labour politician was attacked earlier Thursday, June 16 in the village of Birstall, within the region she represents, and later died of her injuries.

    The BBC reports that Cox was both stabbed and shot in the attack. The broadcaster says a man has been arrested and police are not looking for any other suspects.

    A second person, a man, was also injured in the attack and is expected to survive, The Associated Press reports, citing West Yorkshire Police.

    Jo Cox, a member of the British parliament, has died after being shot in a village near Leeds
    Jo Cox, a member of the British
    parliament, has died after being shot in a village near Leeds

    Cox held a regularly-scheduled drop-in session where her constituents could meet with her, The Guardian reports, and the stabbing and shooting occurred nearby.

    Police have not commented on a motive for the attack. The U.K is currently preparing for a high-stakes, hotly contested referendum next week.

    Voters will choose whether to stay in the European Union or leave it – the so-called “Brexit.”

    In the wake of the attack on Cox, the intense campaigning over the issue has been suspended.

    Cox was campaigning for the “remain” side, the AP reports, while noting that it’s unclear if the attack was related to the EU debate.

    Before being elected to Parliament last year, Cox was an aid worker and charity campaigner, The Financial Times reports.

    Cox, who had a working-class background and went to Cambridge, was a head of policy at Oxfam, an adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and an adviser to an anti-slavery campaign.

    Voters will decide on the “Brexit” question in a June 23 referendum. Postal voting forms are available ahead of time.

    In Parliament, she was vocal about the need to find an end to the Syrian Civil War and advocated greater British military involvement to protect civilians in that conflict. Colleagues knew her as personable and independent-minded, the FT writes.

    In her first speech on the Parliament floor last year, Cox celebrated immigration and diversity, praised her home community as a picturesque manufacturing hub and said she looked forward to passionately championing continued EU membership. She closed by saying, “I am proud that I was made in Yorkshire and I am proud of the things we make in Yorkshire. Britain should be proud of that, too. I look forward to representing the great people of Batley and Spen here over the next five years.”

    Cox leaves behind a husband and two young children.

  • MASSACRE AT ORLANDO ~ World Mourns for Victims

    MASSACRE AT ORLANDO ~ World Mourns for Victims

    ORLANDO, FL (TIP): The world stood shocked and reminded of terrorist attacks in various parts of the world when the news of the worst mass shooting in the history of America broke out. A lone wolf gunman killed 49 at Pulse club, a popular gay night bar in Orlando, on Sunday, June 12, 2016. Another 53 were injured; either because of the gunshot injuries or because of the stampede that followed the gunman’s opening fire. It may be recalled that the earlier worst shootings in the US had taken placeat Virginia Tech in 2007 and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, claiming 32 and 27 lives.

    The gunman who was also killed has been identified as Omar Seddique Mateen, a U.S. citizen of Afghan descent.The suspect, 29 is from Fort Pierce, Florida. Mateen worked as a private security guard. He rented a car and drove to Orlando to carry out the attack, as reported by a TV channel.

    “It appears he was organized and well-prepared,” Orlando Police Chief John Mina said early Sunday. The shooter had an assault-type weapon, a handgun and “some type of (other) device on him.”

    The whole world, from Australia and New Zealand to San Francisco has shared the grief of the victims’ families and mourned for the victims of the carnage.

    Memorials, candlelight vigils and moments of silence were observed in cities around the globe as the world stopped to reflect on the violence that unraveled Sunday early morning at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub.

    We bring to our readers glimpses of mourning in the form of prayers and vigil in various parts of the world. On Monday, June 13 evening, thousands of Londoners came out in solidarity for an Orlando shooting vigil in the historically gay neighborhood of Soho.

    Crowds gathered in and around gay bars on Old Compton Street, an LGBTQ thoroughfare.

    A deluge of photos and videos from Monday evening’s gathering was shared on Twitter.

  • Volume 10 Issue 23 | New York | June 17

    Volume 10 Issue 23 | New York | June 17

    10 years
    Celebrating 10 Years of The Indian Panorama

    Print Edition

    Reimagined for the Web 

    Volume 10 Issue 23 ~ NY ~ June 17

     

    TIP VOL 10 ISSUE 23 | June 17
    TIP VOL 10 ISSUE 23 | June 17

     

     

    Introducing Home Delivery Subscription:

    As a home delivery subscriber to The Indian Panorama, you enjoy the convenience and reliability of having the printed newspaper delivered to you first thing in the morning every Saturday.

    This incredible offer is available for 2016 at an introductory price of $5 per month (including shipping & handling – US Only). To know more email subscriptions@theindianpanorama.news

    Your subscription includes free Digital Access to www.theindianpanorama.news at no additional charge.

     

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    Our main print coverage is in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Dallas / Fort Forth among other major cities of The United States.

    The Indian Panorama is the 2nd most visited website by NRI’s & Indian Americans for Asian News, Immigration, Diaspora News in the United States much ahead of other newspapers like DesiTalk, NewsIndiaTimes, India Abroad, The Indian Express, South Asian Times etc (Source: Alexa Rankings)

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  • Mobile App On Sikh Heritage In Singapore Launched

    Mobile App On Sikh Heritage In Singapore Launched

    SINGAPORE:  A mobile app exploring Sikhs’ history in Singapore has been launched in Singapore, according to media reports.

    Partially funded by the National Heritage Board, the Sikh Heritage Trail app was developed by Ishvinder Singh, a 29-year-old project engineer in an aerospace company, and was launched yesterday, The Sunday Times reported.

    Available both on the Android Google play store and the Apple app store, the SGD 20,000-app covers a trail of Sikh imprisoned in 1850 in Singapore, then a penal colony of British Empire.

    The late Maharaj Singh is revered for his bravery and for planning a revolt with his followers against the British Raj in Punjab.

    Bhai Maharaj Singh, Sikh martyr, was jailed in 1850 at the now-defunct Outram Prison. He died in Singapore in 1856.

    His unmarked tomb in the forested grounds, where Singapore General Hospital is today, was relocated to the Silat Road Sikh Temple (Gurdwara) in 1966.

    Among other trails, the app has the Sepoy Lines area around Outram Road and Cantonment Road where the sepoys, or Indian soldiers in the British Raj, built their barracks.

    The app trail through Bukit Brown Cemetery and its surrounding cemeteries, home to 30 pairs of Sikh guard statues, is also featured in the app.

    Other sites featured include the Upper Barracks and Lower Barracks on Pearl’s Hill, which were built in 1934 for the Sikh Contingent of the Straits Settlement Police to live in.

    Ishvinder Singh and his team of two full-time app developers Chris Cai, 29, and Melody Ho, 24, as well as head researcher Vithya Subramaniam, 27, a South Asian studies graduate student at Columbia University, spent about three years putting together the app.

    Their research involved site visits, conducting interviews with heads of Sikh temples in Singapore, and browsing materials from the National Archives of Singapore as well as overseas libraries.

  • Malaysia University claims Hindus are Unclean

    Malaysia University claims Hindus are Unclean

    KUALA LUMPUR: A teaching module published by a leading Malaysian university which depicted Hindus in India as unclean and dirty has generated a controversy and outraged the minority community in the Muslim-majority country.

    Slides from the module of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) caused uproar after they were posted online.

    The slides claimed that Hindus consider the dirt on the body as part of their religious practice to achieve nirvana.

    After the issue was raised by Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan, the university said it would review the module.

    “I have just spoken to the Vice Chancellor of UTM and he has acknowledged the mistake,” Kamalanathan, an ethnic Indian, said in a Facebook post.

    The necessary changes to the module will be carried out expeditiously. The official had “totally agreed” to his suggestion to ensure that such errors are not repeated, Malay Mail online said today.

    Muslim-majority Malaysia’s 28 million population include 60 per cent Malays who are all Muslims, 25 per cent ethnic Chinese mostly Christians and Buddhists and eight per cent ethnic Indians, a majority of whom are Hindus.

    The Minister said slides from the UTM module portraying Hindus as “dirty” could have been designed to intentionally misrepresent the religion. Commenting further, he expressed his personal disappointment over the messages in the slides that were leaked online, triggering Hindu outrage.

    Further, he said he will ask the Higher Education Ministry to ensure that all content in the Islamic and Asian Civilisation Studies module be vetted by religious experts before they are presented to students, the news portal said.

    The module also claimed that Islam had introduced civility to the lives of the Hindu community in India.

    Another slide aimed at teaching the origins of Sikhism claims that founder Guru Nanak had a poor understanding of Islam and had combined it with his surrounding Hindu lifestyle in forming the early foundation of the Sikh faith.

    The slides led to condemnation by the Malaysian Indian Progressive Association (MIPAS) which called for a retraction and apology from the university.

    “The teaching is insulting followers of Hinduism as a dirty community and a community that regard physical filth as part of its religious practice.

    “MIPAS condemns completely, the actions of UTM for publishing and allowing such a module that contains negative elements in its educational course that carries elements of insult and harassment as well as demean the purity of the Hindu faith,” MIPAS secretary-general S Barathidasan said.

    A police report was lodged by the chairman of the Hindu Dharma Association of Malaysia in Sungai Petani district against UTM, and expects more police reports to be lodged, Barathidasan added.

  • In a First, Sikh Sworn-In As Police Officer In Modesto, California

    In a First, Sikh Sworn-In As Police Officer In Modesto, California

    A 28-year-old Sikh man has been sworn in as the first officer from the community who can wear his turban and beard on work despite grooming policy that requires officers to be clean shaven in the Modesto Police Department, California.

    Varinder Khun Khun, who was born in India, graduated from the Napa Police Academy on June 11 along with two other officers. He is one of 33 officers hired by the department so far this year, The Modesto Bee reported.

    “I’ve never seen police officers wearing a turban before; I didn’t know if I would get a chance (to be a police officer)… I am thankful for the department for giving me the opportunity,” Khun Khun said before the swearing-in ceremony in Modesto.

    The Modesto Police Department’s grooming policy requires officers be clean shaven, allowing only for a mustache that extends to the edge of the lip.

    Khun Khun approached Police Chief Galen Carroll a year ago about applying for the job and the requirement that he have a beard and wear a turban, it said.

    “I told him that that didn’t matter, that we would make accommodations for his religious beliefs and that, more importantly, we were looking for people with high character standards and he would be an addition to the Police Department as a segment of the community that is not represented in the Police Department,” Carroll said.

    “You want to have a police department that mirrors the community as much as possible. When you call an officer and nobody looks like you… you don’t feel like they can understand you or relate to you, so it is important to have that so you build stronger ties with the community,” Carroll added.

    In 2012, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law that added to California’s Fair Employment Act protection against discrimination for religious dress and grooming practices.

    In April, three Sikh US Army enlistees won permission to wear beards and turbans after filing federal lawsuits that seek to force the Pentagon to accommodate those who wear beards for religious purposes.

  • Indian American Hedge Fund Manager Charged With Insider Trading by SEC

    Indian American Hedge Fund Manager Charged With Insider Trading by SEC

    An Indian-origin hedge fund manager was today charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with insider trading after he reaped unlawful profits of nearly $32 million by trading on pharma stocks on the basis of tips he received from a former US government official.

    Valvani reaped unlawful profits of nearly USD 32 million for hedge funds investing in health care securities by insider trading on tips he received from Gordon Johnston. 

    Sanjay Valvani, 44, reaped unlawfl uprofits of nearly $32 million for hedge funds investing in health care securities by insider trading on tips he received from Gordon Johnston, who worked at the Food and Drug Administration and deceptively obtained confidential information.

    In parallel actions, the office of US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara also announced criminal charges against Valvani and Johnston.

    In the criminal complaint, Valvani has been charged on five counts including securities fraud, defrauding the US and wire fraud.

    The charges also carry a maximum fine of $5 million.

    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleges that Johnston concealed his separate role as a hedge fund consultant and obtained confidential information about anticipated FDA approvals for companies to produce enoxaparin, a generic drug that helps prevent the formation of blood clots.

    Johnston allegedly funneled to Valvani the details of his conversations with FDA personnel, including a close friend he mentored during his time at the agency.

    Valvani then traded in advance of public announcements concerning FDA approvals for such companies as Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Watson Pharmaceuticals, and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals.

    “We allege that Valvani’s formula for trading success was tapping Johnston to abuse his position of trust as a generic industry representative to the FDA and underhandedly obtain confidential information from his friends and former colleagues at the FDA,” said Andrew Ceresney, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.

    Ceresney said Valvani and his hedge funds made millions by trading on non-public FDA drug approval information not available to the rest of the stock market.

    The SEC further alleges that Valvani in turn tipped fellow hedge fund manager Christopher Plaford, who is charged in a separate complaint with insider trading on this non-public information.

    Plaford allegedly made approximately $300,000 by trading based on inside information in hedge funds he managed.

     

  • Sikh-Americans fear backlash after Orlando shooting

    Sikh-Americans fear backlash after Orlando shooting

    Sikh-Americans, who have faced hate crimes after every major terror attack, are fearing a backlash following the Orlando gay club shooting, even as the Obama Administration has assured them of their safety.

    In a bid to allay growing concerns within the community, the White House sent one of its top officials to a gurdwara in the suburb of Washington DC yesterday to meet members of the Sikh community and local leadership to assure them about their safety and interest.
    (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

    “We know, this is a time when some in the community fear unease,” Cecilia Munoz, Director of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House, said after her interaction with the Sikh community at the oldest gurdwara of Maryland—Guru Nanak Foundation of America. She also attended ‘sangat’ with its members.

    “I shared the work that the federal government is doing to make sure that every child is safe and secure, every person is feeling safe and secure in the places of worship and the places where they work and the places where they study,” Munoz said, adding that there was no need to be fearful.

    Her visit to the gurdwara was planned a few days ago but her presence was very timely in terms of the new wave of fear that has gripped the community because of the Orlando incident—the deadliest mass shooting in America’s history.

    Omar Mateen, an Afghan-origin gunman who carried an assault rifle and a pistol into the gay club in Orlando in the wee hours of yesterday and killed 50 people while injuring 53 others, was later shot dead by the police.

    “This is a country of great diversity. We cherish that diversity. We celebrate it. We feel great gratitude to the Sikh community for the many, many contributions to the United States,” Munoz said.

    “It is fundamental to our democracy that people have freedom of worship, but also have freedom from fear,” she said, adding that the Obama Administration has taken steps to address these challenges.

    Paramvir Singh Soni, chairperson of the Guru Nanank Foundation of America, acknowledged that there is a sense of fear in the community and said the Sikh-Americans are touched by the steps being taken by US President Barack Obama in this regard.

    “We are still looking for stronger actions against hate crimes. I think there we need to do some more work, but we are making progress,” he said.
    Singh said the community wants to have the next President as one who can address its challenge.

    “Someone who is more open to the Sikh community, somebody who is more engaged,” he said.

    Dr Rajwant Singh, Washington-based chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education, said the Sikh community is very concerned about the possible backlash from the Orlando killings.

    “We are thankful to the White House for sending Cecilia Munoz to the Sikh congregation in Silver Spring in Maryland. As we were thrilled by this kind gesture, our hearts were broken with the terrible news about the merciless killings of so many innocent people in Orlando,” Singh said.

    “We have had several incidents of violence after the San Bernardino killings last December. We are praying for the victims but at the same time very concerned that how this would impact the Sikh community across the nation,” he said.

    “We have conveyed that this needs to be spelled out by the White House and we request that President Obama include and mention Sikhs, particularly in his remarks, while issuing a statement about the Orlando tragedy. Sikh congregations across the world need some security assistance and capacity building resources,” Singh said.

    The Sikh Coalition in a statement condemned the Orlando shooting as a terrible act of terror, hate and bias-based violence and bigotry against minority communities, including the LGBTQ community.

    “In the aftermath of such events, minority religious communities are acutely vulnerable to backlash, and we urge every Sikh to exercise extra vigilance and caution during this period of heightened anxiety,” it said.

    In another statement, the Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF) condemned the hateful attack on the lesbian, gay, bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) community in Orlando Florida.

    American Sikh Council (ASC) said it is extremely distressed by the indescribable act of mass murder at the ‘Pulse’ nightclub in the city of Orlando

    “As a result of such events, religious communities like the Sikh-Americans are acutely vulnerable to backlash, and we urge everyone to exercise vigilance and caution during this period of heightened anxiety. Please notify the local law enforcement in case of any threats of violence,” it said in a statement.

  • US Lawmakers Propose Change In H-1B Visa Laws To Contest Layoffs: Report

    US Lawmakers Propose Change In H-1B Visa Laws To Contest Layoffs: Report

    New York: Several US lawmakers have proposed revisions to visa laws to include measures allowing former employees to contest their layoffs after a number of American workers lost their jobs to immigrants from countries like India on H-1B and other work visas, a media report said on Sunday.

    The New York Times report said that while corporate executives have been outspoken in defending their labour practices, the American workers who lost jobs to global outsourcing companies have been largely silent.

    “Until recently. Now some of the workers who were displaced are starting to speak out, despite severance agreements prohibiting them from criticising their former employers,” the report said.

    It cited the example of former Abbott Laboratories employee Marco Pena, who was among about 150 technology workers laid off in April by the global healthcare conglomerate.

    Mr Pena and the other laid off employees “handed in their badges and computer passwords, and turned over their work to a company based in India”.

    Mr Pena said he had decided not to sign the agreement that was given to all departing employees, which included a nondisparagement clause. He said his choice cost him at least $10,000 in severance pay.

    The report said leading members of the US Congress from both major parties have questioned the non-disparagement agreements, which are commonly used by corporations but can prohibit ousted workers from raising complaints about what they see as a misuse of temporary visas.

    Lawmakers, including Richard Durbin of Illinois, the second-highest-ranking Senate Democrat, and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, have proposed revisions to visa laws to include measures allowing former employees to contest their layoffs.

    “I have heard from workers who are fearful of retaliation,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of
    Connecticut, said in the report. “They are told they can say whatever they want, except they can’t say anything negative about being fired.”

    Senator Durbin, who is from Illinois, criticised the layoffs and said Abbott’s non-disparagement clause was “overly broad”.

    Professor Hal Salzman, a labour force expert at Rutgers University, said in the past five years, through loopholes in the rules, tens of thousands of American workers have been replaced by foreigners on H-1B and other temporary visas.

    In March, two Americans Craig Diangelo, 63, and Judy Konopka, 56, laid off in 2014 by a New England power company – Eversource Energy, spoke at a news conference in Hartford even though they had signed non-disparagement agreements.

    They said “most of the 220 people facing dismissal had been required as part of their severance to train Indian immigrants with H-1B and other visas”.