Twelve students sang and played traditional Indian instruments at Meyerhoff Park Thursday afternoon to protest police brutality against Sikhs who peacefully protested in Punjab, India, on Oct. 14.
Simran Bohgunh, president of the Sikh Student Association, or SSA, said the organization arranged the protest in an attempt to educate students about what he called unrest and discrimination against Sikhs in Punjab. Students played the tabla, a set of small hand drums, and the harmonium, a reed organ, at the event.
Harmeet Mann, an event organizer, said SSA’s goal is to make more people aware of human rights violations through social media. Protesters sat with signs that said “Take a Pic, Save a Sikh,” to spread the news on social media.
Bohgunh, a fourth-year political science and global studies student, said he thinks the escalation of current events, including the desecration of the holy scripture, the “Guru Granth Sahib,” in various places in Punjab, caused an outbreak of protests across the state.
Sikhism emerged in northern India more than 500 years ago. Most Sikhs are from Punjab, a state in northern India.
Bohgunh added he thinks recent attacks demonstrate what he calls Sikhs’ inability to protest peacefully or have police protection for their place of worship.
“If we were doing this in India now, we would be killed,” said Mann, a third-year biochemistry student.
Mann said she thinks the lack of acknowledgement from the media and the Indian government of the violence against Sikhs escalated the issue. Cell phone videos taken in Punjab are the only way news about the protests has spread, she said.
Brian Hertz, a fourth-year psychobiology student who attended the event, signed the White House petition that the SSA is circulating. The petition, which needs 100,000 signatures, asks President Barack Obama to respond to the police violence in Punjab by publicly condemning the incident.
Hertz said he did not know much about the events in Punjab before coming to the protest, but decided to sign the petition because he thinks the events are an injustice and people should be more aware of the issues.
Dani Glouberman, a third-year civil engineering student who attended the protest, said she decided to sign the petition to show her support for the Sikh community. Glouberman said she thinks the Indian government should allow Sikhs to peacefully protest.
“It doesn’t seem right to silence people’s voices,” she said.
Contributing reports by Andrea Henthorn and Mila Abushmaies, Bruin contributors.
I oppose any type of brutality against Sikhs, as Sikhism is a peace-loving religion. I’m proud of all the Sikh friends I have.
Nonetheless, I’m disappointed by the quote “If we were doing this in India now, we would be killed.”
India is the largest democracy in the world. Minority religions are well treated by the government. For 10 years, until very recently, India had a Sikh Prime Minister (Dr. Manmohan Singh).
The Punjab government is ruled by a Sikh-based Party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, in coalition with the ruling national party. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, is a Sikh. The police is under his government’s watch.
I support this movement, but I urge such people not to make such baseless and inflammatory comments against the Indian government.
@milanchatterjee:disqus
“People started peaceful protests consisting of prayers in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, a small village near Korkpura, to show solidarity amongst Sikhs and to call upon the government to take necessary action via police. The protests led by Panth Preet Singh and Ranjeet Singh Dhadrian, demanded police action against the thieves of the desecrated scripture. However, the next morning the police resorted to lathi-charge and use of tear gas grenades to disperse the crowd. The pictures that are emerging from there shows police brutality and how the common citizens are brutally being beaten. The Sangat (general public) was even fired upon. Two people died while around 80 got wounded in the clashes.”
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/hindus-least-likely-to-be-jailed-sikhs-christians-most-likely/story-Og4PhnhYsPlVLJglKyeOKL.html
If you think that the government is “treating the Sikhs well”, then I’ll have to disagree with you. It might not be the government as a whole, but there certainly is some unfairness going on here.
@jagjitbhatia:disqus, as mentioned below, the Punjab state government is managed by a Sikh-centric party called the “Shiromani Akali Dal.” This is a fact that’s easily verifiable. So, maybe this government led by a Sikh-centric party, headed by a Sikh Chief Minister, is being unfair to these protesters?
Secondly, the student who mentioned that “If we were doing this India now, we would be killed” was totally out of line. It’s inappropriate that she said that, especially when India elected a Sikh Prime Minister for 10 years. Moreover, the Punjab government–led by a Sikh-centric party–is receiving the support of the national ruling party.
Sikhs have been revered in India, whether in sports, politics, music, and defense. Insinuating that the Indian government is after their lives is totally inappropriate. If I were this student, I would apologize for making such an irresponsible statement.
As I mentioned, I have the utmost respect for Sikhs and oppose any brutality towards them. Making irresponsible statements–however–is not a productive way to protest.