The Indian Panorama

Tag: Nirmal Singh

  • 5 Indian-origin men charged with murder

    5 Indian-origin men charged with murder

    NEW JERSEY (TIP): Five Indian-origin men have been charged with murder in the US in connection with the death of a 35-year-old man from India. Sandeep Kumar, 34, of South Ozone Park, New York, was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the death of Kuldeep Kumar in Manchester Township around October 22, 2024, according to a statement by Ocean County prosecutor Bradley Billhimer and Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick Callahan.

    Investigation into Kuldeep’s death revealed that Sandeep acted in concert with other defendants in carrying out Kuldeep Kumar’s murder. Other defendants in the case are Sourav Kumar, 23, Gaurav Singh 27, Nirmal Singh 30, and Gurdeep Singh 22, all from Greenwood, Indiana.

    On December 14, 2024, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit was contacted for a report of a deceased located in the Greenwood Wildlife Management Area of Manchester Township. According to a postmortem examination, the cause of the individual’s death was multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, and the manner of death was homicide. The individual was identified as Kuldeep Kumar.

    Following an investigation, it was revealed Kuldeep had been reported missing by family members on October 26, 2024, and Sourav, Gaurav, Nirmal and Gurdeep acted together and in support of one another in carrying out his murder. They all were charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were transported to Johnson County Jail in Franklin, Indiana, where they will remain lodged pending their extradition to New Jersey.

    Sandeep was taken into custody on January 3 and processed at the New Jersey State Police Barracks in Holmdel. Kumar was later transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Indian Consulate in New York condemns assault on elderly Sikh man in Queens

    Indian Consulate in New York condemns assault on elderly Sikh man in Queens

    NEW YORK (TIP): The Consulate General of India in New York has condemned the assault on an elderly Sikh man here, terming it as “deeply disturbing”, and said they were in touch with the police who are investigating this heinous hate crime. Nirmal Singh, believed to be in his 70s, was reportedly punched in the unprovoked assault on Sunday, April 3  morning in Richmond Hill in Queens.

    Images shared on social media showed Singh with bloodied turban, face and clothes, which has shocked the Indian community. The Consulate tweeted on Monday, April 4  that it is “deeply disturbed” by the incident.

    “We condemn the violent attack and are in touch” with the New York Police Department and local authorities who are investigating the matter. We are also in touch with local community organizations to ensure the well-being of the victim,” the Indian Consulate General said in a tweet on Monday.

    New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said that NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig is investigating the case. “Together in every community, we denounce violence in our city—and the person(s) responsible will be apprehended,” Sewell said.

    The police have asked anyone with information about the attack to call the department.

    A report in Spectrum News NY1 said that Singh was allegedly repeatedly punched on the face by an unknown attacker around 6.45 am on Sunday. According to Singh’s translator Harpreet Singh Toor, the attacker “approached” Singh from behind and fled the scene, the report said.

    The news report added that Singh is a “tourist visiting from India” and he was able to walk back after the assault to the Sikh Cultural Center, where he has been staying since he arrived in New York.

    Singh was transported to a local hospital where he had been receiving treatment, the report said. Community-based civil and human rights organization, The Sikh Coalition, said that Singh had been retained with the group to provide him with free legal aid. The organization said it is currently in touch with the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force. The task force has “confirmed that they are investigating the assault” as a “hate crime”, The Sikh Coalition said, adding that it had also provided law enforcement video footage of the attack to help them in their investigation.

  • Indian-origin Karnal based Truck driver dies in road accident in Arizona, his companion from Ambala battling for life

    Indian-origin Karnal based Truck driver dies in road accident in Arizona, his companion from Ambala battling for life

    WASHINGTON (TIP): A 37-year-old Indian-origin truck driver has died after his vehicle skidded off a busy highway in the US state of Arizona, his friends have said.

    Nirmal Singh from the Karnal district of Haryana was the sole bread earner of his family back home. He lived in Indiana, which has emerged as a hub of Sikh drivers in the country over the years.

    The incident is reported to have occurred around 11 pm Monday on Highway 40 near Flagstaff in Arizona, as the victim was taking a consignment from Georgia to California. The police are investigating the accident.

    Singh is believed to have died on the spot, while his companion Rahul is battling for life at a local hospital. Rahul is said to be from Ambala.

    According to his friends, Singh is survived by his wife and an 11-year-old daughter – who live in Karnal. Last year, his son, 14, died in a road accident in India. Because of Covid-19 and the lockdown, he was not able to fly back home, according to his friends. He was planning to travel to India later this year.

    His friends in the US have launched a GoFund campaign to support his family and for his last rites.

  • Gurbani Maestro Padma Shri Nirmal Singh Khalsa Falls to Covid-19

    Gurbani Maestro Padma Shri Nirmal Singh Khalsa Falls to Covid-19

    NEW YORK  (TIP): Padma Shri awardee and former ”Hazuri Raagi” at the Golden Temple, Nirmal Singh Khalsa  died at Amritsar of coronavirus Thursday, April 2  morning,  news reports reaching New York said. 

    The 62-year-old ”Gurbani” exponent had recently returned from abroad and tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, April 1, according to  information received from health officials in Amritsar.

    Bhai Sahib had many admirers and friends in New York. A close friend of his Bhai Bhupinder Singh, Head Granthi at the oldest and the largest Gurdwara on the East Coast, Gurdwara Sikh Cultural Society, Richmond Hill described Bhai Sahib as a jewel of the Sikh community and termed his death as a terrible blow to the Sikh religion and the Sikh community, the world over.

    An admirer of Bhai Sahib, Harjit  (Harry) Singh Panaser from New Jersey, condoling his sad demise recalled Bhai Sahib’s association with his family in India and said his death is a personal loss to him as much as it is a loss to the Sikh community.

    Bhai Sahib was born on 12th  April 1952   in Village Jand Wala Bhime Shah, Distt. Ferozepur, Punjab. He  obtained a diploma in gurmat sangeet from the Shaheed Missionary College, Amritsar in 1976. He served as a music teacher in Gurmat College, Rishikesh, in 1977 and in Shaheed Sikh Missionary College, Sant Baba Fateh Singh, Sant Channan Singh, Budha Johar, Ganga Nagar, Rajasthan, in 1978. From 1979, he started serving as ‘Hazoori Raagi’, at Sach Khand Sri Harmandir Sahib. He has also performed Kirtan at all the five Takhts, historical Gurdwaras in India and  in many  countries. He was  one of the finest raagis having knowledge of all the 31 Raags in Gurbani of Dhan Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

    For his services in the field of “arts”, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award  by the government of India in 2009.He was the first hazoori raagi to receive this award.

    We, at The Indian Panorama express our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and pray for eternal peace to the departed soul.