SGPC: Punish those behind gurdwara graffiti in US
Saturday, 03/08/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130803/punjab.htm#3
A year after the Oak Creek Gurdwara shootout at Wisconsin in the US, the incident of spray-painting of the word ‘terrorist’ on the walls of Jurupa Valley gurdwara in the US has evoked widespread condemnation from the community.
Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC president, today appealed to the US Administration to identify those behind the incident and initiate stringent action against them. He demanded that a thorough probe be ordered to expose the forces behind such incidents.
He expressed surprise at the timing of the incident, saying the Oak Creek gurdwara shootout had taken place during the same time last year.
American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC) president JS Hothi, coordinator Dr Pritpal Singh and Sikh activist Harpreet Singh said they were in touch with the federal authorities through the American Sikh Congressional Caucus.
The Sikh leaders described the incident as ‘hate crime.’ They said co-chairpersons of the American Sikh Caucus Judy Chu and David Valadao had initiated a campaign to educate the public about the Sikh community.
Dr Pritpal said that religious ceremonies were being performed to mark the first anniversary of the attack on Gurdwara Oak Creek. “This is the time to offer prayers for the departed souls and sympathise with the aggrieved families,” he said.
Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa president Kanwarpal Singh said: “The rogue element in the American society that has been targeting Sikhs by resorting to hate crimes has once again shown its ugly face.”
He said though the US Administration had showncommitment to check the recurrence of such incidents, it needed to be more vigilant in this regard.
