Jasbir Singh WANTS TO TESTIFY

To avoid confusion, the gentleman wearing the black turban in the picture labeled 'Tytler Guilty' is Jasbir Singh., as is the above picture.

The other picture is of Jagdish Tytler.

I have heard that it is being said the Jasbir Singh Ji does not want to testify. Please read this story from The Times Of India. Does he sound even a little bit relunctant?

Reprinted from
The Times of India -Breaking news, views. reviews, cricket from
across India

Jasbir happy with order but cautious
19 Dec 2007, 0036 hrs
IST,TNN

SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updates



NEW DELHI: Jasbir Singh, the man responsible for the court ordering a
re-investigation in the anti-Sikh riots case against Jagdish Tytler, told TOI
from California on Tuesday that he was happy with the order. He, however,
cautioned that justice was still a long way away.

"Twenty-six members of
my extended family were murdered. It was only because of the support of the
families of the victims that the case has come to this stage - otherwise it
would have closed," he said.

"This is the first step," he said.
"Thousands of Sikhs were murdered in a most brutal way and nothing was done to
stop them. But the order has given a new lease of life to the fight," he said.
Jasbir claims he was forced to leave the country after receiving death threats.
He, therefore, felt he would not be safe if he came to India to depose. "I don't
want to come to India to depose in the case. I want to remain in the United
States to give my deposition. My life is under constant threat in India. Had I
stayed there, I would have been dead by now," he said.

Jasbir's father,
Sattu Singh, was elated over the order. "Now we can hope for justice to be done.
I want my son to come here and look the culprits in their face and depose," he
said. Jasbir's mother however sounded a bit concerned with the proposition. "I
am scared that something might happen to him if my son comes here. It would be
far better for him to stay in America and depose," she said. Jasbir's wife
Prakash Kaur though happy with the court order was of the opinion that she would
wait till the culprits are finally punished. "The court's order has given me
some relief. But I would wait till the end and see the offenders punished," she
said.

Jasbir's mother-in-law, Gurdeep Kaur, was vociferous. "I want the
culprits to hang. We have endured the pain for many years and now I see hope,"
she said.

Oh, yeah, I totally agree with Bhenji Gurdeep Kaur. We have waited impatiently for TWENTY-THREE YEARS. TWENTY-THREE YEARS! That's a long, long time.

Eight members of our family were killed in our one house. There were others of our extended family killed elsewhere. Twenty-six members of his family were killed. Stalin, I think it was, said, 'One or two is murder. Hundreds or thousands are statistics.' This has been the attitude of the Indian authorities for nearly a quarter century. We are tired of waiting. For the first time in years, we see a glimmer of hope.

Nothing, of course, will bring our loved ones back. Nor should they be brought back. They are now our honoured shaheeds. In time, we will write stories and poems, and sing songs about them. They are and will, over time, become ever more recognised as part of our great history.

In the meantime, though, we need justice. We are not demanding that Mr. Tytler and Mr. Kumar be set alight and slowly burn to death while we watch, laughing. We are not demanding that their children be hacked apart in front of their mothers. We are not demanding that their wives, having witnessed the torture deaths of their husbands and children, be gang raped and then be left to fend for themselves. We are not even asking that their homes be looted and burned, nor that their sources of livelihood be destroyed. We are not asking 'an eye for an eye.' And we are not asking for vengeance. We are asking for justice. WE ARE DEMANDING JUSTICE.

This article, also from the TOI, wonders why Bhai Jasbir Singh went to the media rather than to the CBI. Oh my goodness, let me think for a moment. *rolls eyes* Might it just possibly be that he would like to live long enough to testify? Has that occurred to anyone at the TOI? In the media he is Jasbir Singh, Witness and Survivor. In India, he is a troublesome Sardar. He would prefer not to join the ranks of thousands of statistics, at least not before he has the chance to see justice served.

It is not clear how he will testify. It does seem clear to me, that we, the Sikh Community, need to keep a spotlight focused on our brother Jasbir Ji, in order to protect his life. As I stated above, to the Congress Party, he is just a bother that they would rather not contend with.

The Congress Party, of course, stands behind Mr. Tytler. To do otherwise would be to admit the culpability of their party in this whole horrible affair. That would be truthful, honest and courageous; Truthfulness, honesty and courage seem not to be traits of that party.

The TOI is further reporting that our witness also testified to the Nanavati Commission. What has taken so long? (See the preceding paragraph)

If you have not yet seen the TOI video, you may go here and watch.

Other Links:

NDTV: 1984 riots: Tytler's role to be reinvestigated

Sikh Sangat News: Even in United States, Jasbir Singh has enough reason to fear

CNN-IBN Article and Video: I saw Tytler inciting the mob: Jasbir Singh

Two Choices

I know this story is about baseball and most of my readers here don't know a 'grand slam' from a 'fly ball.' Please don't let that stop you from reading this because it's not really about baseball.

Two Choices What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe, that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play.

The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'. Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces. If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process? A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them

You now have two choices:

1. Share this post with someone.

2. Forget it and just go on with what you are doing.

May your day, be a Shay Day

Slightly adapted from a facebook message.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
by Robert Frost


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


Cross posted from sometimes - 2.

Three Singhs - Laibar, Jasbir and Sukhvir - and a Tytler

Dear Friends,

I had another post written and ready to publish about Laibar Singh's continuing difficulties. But I stopped and thought. I am neither a preacher nor a beggar. You are all well aware of his situation and what is needed. For me to keep exhorting you would be, I think, disrespectful toward my readers. So unless something new comes up - assuming I keep control of myself - I will not keep writing about this unfortunate brother who needs our help.

A new story has come to light about someone willing, even eager, to testify against Jagdish Tytler, Mr. Jasbir Singh. I imagine I will, in the next few days be writing quite a bit about this. To whet your appetite, I suggest you go here, to IBN-CNN, read the story and watch the video.

One more piece of business. Does everybody remember Sukhvir Singh, the taxi driver assaulted in Seattle on Gurparab? Since he lives in the United States, he and his family bear the cost of his medical bills, which, as you can imagine, are quite high. A fund has been set up to help him. Any contributions can be sent to:

Gurdwara Singh Sabha
5200 Talbot Road
Renton, WA 98055

Phone: 425-226-2277.

Truthful Living - Update on Laibar Singh Ji

Just a reminder:

ਸਚਹੁ ਓਰੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਉਪਰਿ ਸਚੁ ਆਚਾਰੁ

Truth is higher than everything; but higher still is truthful living. Guru Nanak Dev


I got up this morning and, as usual, checked my e-mail, looking especially for blog comments. There were two for the sometimes - 2 blog. The first was a rather nasty comment from an Anonymous reader:

If you are a Punjabi you should be living in the Punjab. Get out of MY country.

If you want to live in Canada be a Canadian.

Laibar Singh is a
criminal, a thief and a liar. The people who rioted to prevent his being
deported are criminals. They should have been arrested and deported. The next
time there may be some Canadians there to teach the Punjabies a lesson.

Not very nice, but not unexpected.

The second, however, from frank, threw me completely:

Looks like the support for the
unfortunate Singh is levelling off,
according to this morning's SUN.
The mighty emotional outburst at
the demo has faded and Singh is being shuffled from temple to
temple.
Kudos to the volunteers
spending 24 hours with him.
But inter temple
politics seems
to have intervened, and some of the original backers of the
demo
have stopped supporting Singh already. I am wondering, why
the
change of heart?

HUH?!

I thought there must be some mistake, so I went to the Sun and found the following article, with the byline of our community's dear friend, Kim Bolan *rolls eyes*,

Monday » December 17 » 2007

Protesters
fail to support disabled refugee claimant
Temple
president disappointed at lack of funds for paralysed man

Kim Bolan
Vancouver Sun


Monday, December 17, 2007



CREDIT:
Ian Smith
Vancouver Sun / Quadriplegic Laibar Singh (centre) is now being
taken care of at the Guru Nanak temple.

Just last week, supporters of a
paralysed refugee claimant vowed to care for him forever, as they prevented his
deportation at Vancouver International Airport.

But on the weekend,
Laibar Singh was moved for a third time in six days after those same supporters
decided they couldn't care for the severely disabled man any more.

Singh
is now at Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh temple, its president Balwant Singh Gill
confirmed Sunday.

Gill said the New Westminster temple where Singh had
been taken last Monday didn't want him there any more.

Singh's
deportation to India was halted by the Canada Border Services Agency a week ago
after a massive airport protest, at which several leaders pledged to cover
Singh's medical expenses for as long as he remains here.

Yet Gill, who
was not at the protest, said no one has offered his temple any of the funds
raised to care for the wheelchair-bound man.

"I am disappointed that all
the guys who went to the airport to make big speeches have completely backed
off," Gill said. "They didn't give any money to us to help him."

Gill
said his temple is doing what it can to care for the 48-year-old, who arrived in
Canada on a false passport in 2003 and last year suffered an aneurism that left
him a quadriplegic.

Singh was ordered deported in June, but Gill said
the temple wants to make another legal challenge in an attempt to get permission
to keep Singh in Canada.

"We are just trying to help him. We won't break
any laws."

Gill planned to contact the CBSA to let officials know Singh
is now at the Surrey temple and that his congregants have no plans to hold the
kind of blockade that occurred last Monday, tying up airport traffic for hours.

A volunteer has stayed with Singh 24 hours a day since last July, when
he was whisked away from a Vancouver long-term care facility from which he was
about to be deported.

Gill said the volunteer stays in the same room
with Singh and tends to all his needs.

Up until Dec. 10, Singh had been
at Abbotsford's Kalgidhar Darbar temple, but he was taken to the New Westminster
temple after the airport protest.

"If we take him back, we're afraid
CBSA will come in the night and say 'let's grab that guy when nobody is
looking,'" Kalgidhar temple president Swarn Singh explained at the rally.

In fact, Singh was moved to Guru Nanak temple about 1:30 a.m. Saturday,
Gill confirmed.

He said his temple decided to assume care for Singh
"because we heard rumours that the New Westminster temple was refusing to keep
him there."

One of those who backed away from the Singh campaign is
Harpal Singh Nagra, president of the South Asian Human Rights Group.

Nagra had travelled to Ottawa in October with others in his group to
meet with MPs about Singh's case.

Nagra is a controversial figure who
founded the International Sikh Youth Federation, a terrorist group banned in
Canada in June 2003.

Nagra won his own refugee case 10 years ago after
the Immigration and Refugee Board accepted his claim that he left the ISYF in
May 1986 after some of its members were arrested in the brutal beating of Ujjal
Dosanjh as well as in a political assassination plot.

The immigration
department fought against allowing Nagra to stay, but lost its case in the
Federal Court in 1999.

kbolan@png.canwest.com

© The Vancouver
Sun 2007

And you can be sure that those who already resent us are talking. Check this out. And this. What hurts in this discussion is that there seems to be some truth in what they are saying. I have no words to express how painful it is to write that.

What is going on here? Our community is quite wealthy. As a group, we can well afford to pay financially for our brother's medical care. Does anyone out there care what is at stake here?

One week ago today, we were in a well-earned state of euphoria, having, for the moment, at least saved Bhai Laibar Singh Ji. At that time a promise was made, that we would care for him, pick up the tab for his medical care. We are his community, we love him and will see to it that he gets whatever he needs. That was wonderful.

But now that promise needs to be fulfilled. Has Bhai Laibar Singh Ji become 'that sick guy that we're tired of.' That is one issue.

There is another. This involves the honour of the Saadh Sangat. Need I translate those words? We all know what they mean, but it seems some need to be reminded: One easy definition is the company of the holy ones, or the company of the saints. I am not sure what exactly 'holy ones' or 'saints' are, but I am sure they aren't LIARS.
Please, let us put whatever differences we have aside and care for this man, not only because he is a dear brother, which, of course, he is, but also because our honour as Sikhs of the Guru demands it!!

Truthful living demands it!


If I am coming across as self-righteous, I apologise. I am certainly nowhere near what I should be as a Khalsa. I just don't know any other way to get this message across. I believe it must be heard and heeded and quickly, if this man, our brother, is to remain in our care and under our protection.

And on a lighter note, would someone please bring him a blanket or comforter in cheerful colours? He must be awfully tired of that black and white blanket.

Laibar Singh Ji In Gurdwara

According to the Globe and Mail, Laibar Singh is now in a New Westminster gurdwara to allow for ease of medical care and for the convenience of visitors. They make a point of saying that he is not seeking sanctuary there.

On the News 1130 website is another article, Refugee claimant staying in New West Sikh temple.

I have been thinking a lot about how this brother of ours must be feeling. Surely he is overwhelmed by the love and support the sangat has shown him. He must also be apprehensive about his future: Will the government continue to try to make an example of him? What will happen with his health.

Having survived a major stroke a bit over a year and a half ago, I have some idea of his condition. All my senses have been dulled. Food has to be overseasoned for me to taste it. I needed new glasses and my hearing has deteriorated. I cannot smell very well and I often smell scents of things that are not present. I have inadequate control of my bodily functions, although medication helps with this somewhat. The paralysed parts of my body have very strange feelings. Cold feels scalding hot. I get bizarre, severe pains somewhat like an electrical shock that the doctors call 'nerve pain.' I also get severe itching that no amount of scratching can relieve since I cannot feel the scratching. By Guru Ji's blessing, I am able to walk and talk, although imperfectly, even though my doctors predicted that I would never do either. At first glance, my face looks normal, but my smile, however well intentioned looks like a sneer. That is the physical.

There are also the emotional effects caused, I am told, by the damage to the brain. I have always been rather reserved about expressing my emotions. Since the stroke, however, this is much more difficult. I remember when my friend Lilly's father suffered a massive stroke, this big, strong, tower of strength of a man, dissolved into tears at the slightest provocation. This is not weakness; it is a physiological reaction. I also had recurrances of some symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a result of the events of November 1984, that had not bothered me for several years. I will not even try to describe the disorientation and confusion of living in a body that is suddenly malfunctioning and unfamiliar.

Since Laibar Singh's stroke was much more severe than mine, I would imagine that he would have many of the same symptons, only worse. And let me add that I was warned that, while any air travel could be dangerous, a long flight could well be fatal.

Photographs from News 1130

Update - LAIBAR SINGH'S FOILED DEPORTATION - The Next Day

Lest anyone believe I present only one side and don't give the opposition a voice, here is a blog I came across, Dust My Broom. This author does not like Laibar Singh, in fact refers to him as a 'piece of sh*t' in an article entitled:

Canada - A Haven for Villians: Laibar Singh

(Evidently his spellcheck is out of order.) No doubt, as believers in Khalistan, I and many - not all, of course - of our readers, are also 'villians.' Also from this story, it appears that the 1000 2000 3000 supporters at the Vancouver International Airport yesterday were all 'his fellow extremists and apologists.' I have a suggestion. Why not go to this blog and let the author, Darcey, know who we, Laibar Ji's supporters are, civilised, compassionate, but very determined people who will not permit our country to become hard-hearted and merciless, like our good friends and neighbours to the south. I have left a comment myself, mostly to make sure that you don't have to register to be able to comment. I also listed this blog as my website, so you can be sure, they'll be coming here.

So, as promised, the euphoria of yesterday has been replaced with the satisfaction of a battle won. But still the war continues. Our brother does not have legal status, as far as I can tell.

I have no idea where he is. I am, certain, however, he is in the skilled and loving care of members of the Sangat. For myself, I know nothing except what I read in the press and what I know of Guru Ji's Sikhs. Of the press, I have little confidence. In this case, they seem simply confused. I have great confidence in Guru Ji's Sikhs. Wherever you are, brother, know that our love and prayers are with you. I cannot believe that Bhai Laibar will ever be surrendered to the authorities. Any of us would be willing to stand between them and him.

I was so proud yesterday of the lack of violence. Our Canadian Sikhs left our kirpans sheathed, as it was not necessary to draw them. Our behaviour was strong, firm and violence was completely unnecessary.

I am far too tired tonight to write a decent post. Here is what the CBC is saying:
(As I write this, it is about eight hours old.)

Paralyzed
man's supporters promise more protests

Laibar Singh
spent time in at least two temples Monday night


Last Updated: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 2:05 PM ET

Supporters of Laibar Singh weren't saying where the failed
refugee claimant
was on Tuesday morning, but promised more protests if
officials try again to deport him to India.

More than 1,000 people
surrounded Singh's taxi at Vancouver airport on Monday, blocking the
deportation. The paralyzed man has been fighting deportation since his first
refugee claim was denied in 2003.

Harpal Singh Nagra told CBC News
Tuesday morning that he does not know where Singh is being cared for on Tuesday,
but vowed more massive protests if the government makes another attempt to
deport him.

"There will be a huge protest, double the amount of
yesterday's protest, if the CBSA is going to do any efforts," said Nagra, adding
everything possible within the law would be done to keep Singh in the country.

Nagra posted a $50,000 bond to secure Singh's freedom after he was
detained by Canada Border Services Agency officials this summer.

Confusion over meaning of delay

Singh spent time Monday night in at least two temples, Nagra
said, but is not claiming sanctuary there.

That's because Singh's
supporters believe he has been granted an official stay of his deportation
order, said Harsha Walia of the immigration and refugee rights group No One Is
Illegal.

"He's legally in Canada right now. He doesn't need the
protection of sanctuary. He's legally here. He was given a stay," Walia said.

But Canada Border Services Agency spokesman Derek Mellon said Singh has
been granted no such reprieve. His deportation has only been delayed, Mellon
said.

"As to when to enforce the removal order of Mr. Singh, I cannot
discuss the details," Mellon said on Monday.

Singh's supporters claimed
victory after a massive protest at the entrance to international departures shut
down traffic in and out of the area for four hours on Monday, preventing his
scheduled deportation.

In accordance with the terms of the $50,000 bond,
Singh's supporters brought him to the airport at about 11 a.m. PT but more than
1,000 (Mai: I have read reports of up to 3000)
supporters surrounded his taxi, preventing CBSA officials from putting him on a
flight to India.

CBSA officials eventually decided to defuse the
situation by postponing Singh's deportation.

Singh came to Canada in
2003 on a forged passport and sought refugee status claiming he would be
persecuted by police in Punjab, where officials have accused him of links to
separatist militants. His refugee claim was denied that year.

He
suffered a massive stroke three years later that left him a quadriplegic and
unable to care for himself. He has since argued that he would die if deported to
India because he wouldn't be able to get proper medical treatment.

The
federal government granted Singh a 60-day stay of his deportation order on Aug.
19, the day before he was expected to be deported .

Lest anyone believe I present only one side and don't give the opposition a voice, here is a blog I came across, Dust My Broom. This author does not like Laibar Singh, in fact refers to him as a 'piece of sh*t' in an article entitled:

Canada - A Haven for Villians: Laibar Singh

(Evidently his spellcheck is out of order.) No doubt, as believers in Khalistan, I and most - not all, of course - of our readers, are also 'villians.' Also from this story, it appears that the 1000 2000 3000 supporters at the Vancouver International Airport yesterday were all 'his fellow extremists and apologists.' I have a suggestion. Why not go to this blog and let the author, Darcey, know who we, Laibar Ji's supporters are, civilised, compassionate, but very determined people who will not permit our country to become hard-hearted and merciless, like our good friends and neighbours to the south. I have left a comment myself, mostly to make sure that you don't have to register to be able to comment. I also listed this blog as my website, so you can be sure, they'll be coming here.