KAPURTHALA: Post-9/11, Balbir Singh Sodhi became the first victim of hate crimes in the US. Now, 20 years later, his family wants his picture to be installed at the Central Sikh Museum, Amritsar. They also want more efforts to be made to create awareness of Sikh identity in the US, as well as action against hate messages against the community in India.
“We tried to see Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (
SGPC
) president Bibi Jagir Kaur recently, but she was away. We wanted to request her that Balbir’s picture should be installed at the Central Sikh Museum, as he was the first Sikh victim of hate crimes in the US,” said his brother Jagjit Singh, who lives in their native village Passiwal in Kapurthala district along with his other brother Inderpal Singh.
“We all seven brothers are settled here. Apart from agriculture, we have our cloth business in Nadala, a small town nearby. One of our brothers, Harjit Singh was into Sikh activism after
Operation Bluestar and to escape police persecution he emigrated to the US in 1986. Later, in 1987-88, Balbir also went there and the rest of us followed and settled down in Arizona. I returned in 2001 and now most of the families from our village are in the same town,” he said.
“Though several Sikh groups and activists have worked to create awareness about Sikh identity in the US, more needs to be done,” Jagjit added.
“What is more shocking is that while Sikhs faced hate crimes in the US due to mistaken identity, back home in India, some elements have been spreading hate propaganda against Sikhs, as is evident during the farm movement. The Union government should take tough against such propaganda as hate messages prepare ground for violent hate crimes,” he argued.
In the memory of their brother, the family gives scholarships every year to students who top in their studies at
Guru Nanak Prem
Karamsar College, Nadala, and also organises a volleyball tournament annually.
‘Need to check fights in gurdwaras’Sikhs continue facing hate in the US. It is not necessarily physical violence, several times it is conveyed through gestures. Sikh children are also facing problems. I know several families who tend to ignore it as every time you can’t lock horns everywhere with everybody. So, several cases remain unreported,” said
North American Punjabi Association
executive director Satnam Singh Chahal, living in Brentwood, California.
“Though there have been efforts to create awareness, the Sikh community groups need to reassess the situation and restrategise. At the same time, the community needs to launch a result-oriented campaign against physical fights inside gurdwaras, as these leave a very bad impression in the local communities,” he added.
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