Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan pleads innocence in '1984 Massacre of Sikhs’

In a letter to jathedar (chief) Gurcharan Singh of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who is half Sikh from his mother’s side, has pleaded his innocence in the 1984 massacre of Sikhs in various parts of the India in which thousands of Sikhs were murdered. Along with the letter, the megastar has enclosed some photographs to highlight his family’s Sikh background.

AMRITSAR, December 1 – Taking a note of allegations of provoking massacre of Sikhs in 1984 levelled against him, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has written a letter to the Akal Takht Jathedar, pleading his innocence in the matter.

Thousands of Sikhs were murdered across India by Congress party led Hindu mobs following  the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi.

In a letter to jathedar (chief) Gurcharan Singh of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion, Bachchan stated that he had no role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The letter was delivered to the Akal Takht head by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member from Mumbai, Gurinder Singh Bawa.

Talking to reporters on Thursday, the Akal Takht jathedar said that he had received the letter from Bachchan, who said that he had not instigated anyone to indulge in violence against Sikhs.

The Jathedar said Amitabh’s letter will come up for discussion at a meeting of Sikh high priests on December 5. Bachchan had handed over his letter, addressed to the Jathedar, to Bawa who is an SGPC member from Mumbai at the latter’s residence on November 28.

Along with the letter, the megastar has enclosed some photographs to highlight his family’s Sikh background. Sharing the contents of the letter, the Jathedar said Bachchan had written that he too was associated with Sikhism as his mother, Teji Bachchan, belonged to a Sikh family.

To corroborate his point, the actor has also attached the photograph of his mother Teji Bachchan and maternal grandfather Saudagar Singh, who was a “keshdhari” Sikh.

Bachchan said his family also believed in Sikhism. He dubbed the allegations against him of provoking violence as “baseless”, adding that such charges have hurt his sentiments. He admitted he had been close to the Gandhi family and had been sharing their joys and sorrows. He, however, clarified that he was in no way involved in any activity like inciting violence against the Sikhs.

The issue regarding Bachchan’s alleged role in provoking violence had come to the fore prior to the recent inauguration of “Virasat-e-Khalsa” at Anandpur Sahib. Various Sikh organisations had lodged a protest against the state government’s plan to invite the superstar to the event. Later, the Akal Takht Jathedar doused the protests by stating that no film star had been invited to the inaugural ceremony.

Meanwhile, in view of these developments, the Jathedar said they would also give a chance to the Sikh organisations, which were levelling charges against Bachchan, to present their case before reaching a decision in that regard.

Nearly 7,000 Sikhs were killed in the 1984 massacre in various parts of the country following the assassination of the then prime minister India Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards in New Delhi Oct 31, 1984.

Bachchan was very close to the Gandhi family at time and particularly to Indira Gandhi’s son, Rajiv Gandhi, who had recruited the then top Bollywood star to join politics. Bachchan later had a falling out with the Gandhi family.

Ignoring protests, Badal given top honour

Amritsar, December 5
Ignoring voices of dissent from various Sikh organisations, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was today bestowed upon the title of “Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum” by the Akal Takht in recognition of his outstanding contribution and glorious services rendered by him during his long Panthic and political career.

At a ceremony organised at the Akal Takht, the five Sikh high priests, including Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, Badal was felicitated with “siropa” (robe of honour), a sword and a silver plaque with inscription of the citation of “Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum” amidst slogans of “Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal”. Badal, who sat on a stool, got a helping hand from his Deputy CM son Sukhbir Badal to receive the awardfrom the Sikh high priests who were standing atop the front portion of the Akal Takht.

In his address, the Akal Takht Jathedar lauded the glorious services rendered by Badal for the preservation of Sikh heritage by erecting memorials of Sikh martyrs, besides being imprisoned for long time and having faced atrocities during various Akali movements (morchas). Giani Gurbachan Singh underlined that the responsibilities of any person who had been honoured by Sri Akal Takht Sahib were increased manifold.

In his brief address after receiving the award, Badal said, “I had never expected that I would get such a huge honour from the Sikh community.” He said he would uphold the trust with which the award had been bestowed on him and would make more efforts to offer his services to the Panth. He thanked Sikh high priests and the Sikh Sangat for the honour.

Later, in an apparent bid to clear the air on the controversy surrounding the award, the Sikh high priests held a press conference at the Akal Takht secretariat. The Akal Takht Jathedar said, “Whosoever will work in the interests of the Sikh Panth he will be awarded by the Akal Takht, irrespective of his political affiliations.” He said Badal had made immense contribution to the Sikh Panth by making a series of memorials which would continue to inspire future generations.

“Our history was restricted to books prior to his great initiative,” he added. According to him, the award was bestowed on the CM following a recommendation from the SGPC in that regard.

He clarified that neither Badal had sought this award nor had it been given to him in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections. Replying to a query, he said the Sikh high priests were also mulling to honour Marathon man Fauja Singh, Baba Sewa Singh Khadursahibwale and Baba Balbeer Singh Seechewal.

On the tradition of giving “Panth Rattan” award posthumously, he said Master Tara Singh got the award in his lifetime. On protests over the issue, he said those protesting against the award should adopt a constructive mindset and come together to deal with the challenges being faced by the community.

Meanwhile, various Sikh organisations have flayed the move to give Badal the title of “Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum”. Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh said, “The Akal Takht Jathedar has written a black chapter in the history of supreme temporal seat by honouring a person with “Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum’ title who is neither dutiful nor faithful to the Panth. SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar and Gurbachan Singh have surpassed all records of sycophancy to appease their political master.”

AISSF chief Karnail Singh Peermohammed also urged the Akal Takht to reconsider bestowing of the award on the CM and call Sarbat Khalsa to determine if Badal, a political personality, was a deserving candidate for the award. “Throughout his political career Badal has continuously defied principles of Sikhism for political gains. So much so that to fulfil his political ambitions, Badal had unceremoniously removed last two Jathedars of Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh and Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti.”

Prominent among those who attended the award ceremony included Cabinet ministers Dr Upinderjit Kaur, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Hira Singh Gabria, Sucha Singh Langah, Ajit Singh Kohar, Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, SGPC president Avtar Singh, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Rattan Singh Ajnala (all MPs), Youth Akali Dal chief Bikram Singh Majithia, former SGPC chief Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar, SAD general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra, adviser to Chief Minister Daljeet Singh Cheema and media adviser Harcharan Bains. 

Silver City Housing and Infrastructure Ltd. told to refund Rs 15.72 lakh

Chandigarh, December 5
The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum-I has directed Silver City Housing and Infrastructure Ltd to refund Rs 15,72,000 along with 18 per cent interest per annum from respective dates of deposit till realisation.

Forum president PD Goel and members Rajinder Singh Gill and Madanjit Kaur Sahota also directed the respondents to pay Rs 10,000 as cost of litigation to the complainant, Onkar Chand, a resident of Sector 7 in Panchkula. The complainant submitted that he had purchased a flat in Silver City Themes in Bankarpur near Dera Bassi from Anuradha Sahni, who also deposited a transfer fee of Rs 17,270 with the opposite party. The party also issued mortgage permission for the purpose of availing loan from a bank. The complainant said Rs 15.72 lakh was deposited with the party, which promised to give the possession of the apartment after the receipt of the full payment and the construction would be completed by July 31, 2007.

The complainant said the payment plan was revised and he was directed to pay an outstanding amount of Rs 13,52,500. As there was uncertainty regarding the completion of the flats, he paid only one instalment of Rs 3,04,500 on November 15, 2009.

Dev Anand’s village has hazy memories of the star

The last time Bollywood actor Dev Anand visited his hometown was to attend the last rites of his brother in October 1971

Gharota (Gurdaspur), December 5
Not many in Gharota, where Dev Anand was born as Dharam Dev Pishori Anand on September 26, 1923, remember the legend. The village elders have but hazy memories of the actor. However, septuagenarian Sadhu Ram, who remained in touch with the film icon till a decade ago, was a picture of melancholy.

“Dev Sahib, like a falling star, has disappeared into the darkness forever,” he said, his voice quivering.

Locals said the ancestral house of the Anand family in this hamlet, 22 km from Gurdaspur, was sold for a pittance by the film icon’s father, the affluent advocate Pishori Lal, several decades ago.

The family then moved to nearby Gurdaspur where they lived on rent at the busy Amaamvara Chowk in the heart of the city. Senior Advocate Balraj Mohan, a close friends of Dev Anand’s father, said: “Dev was a reticent person. He studied at the government boys’ school near the old bus stand. His mother was a dignified and deeply religious lady. His father was a leading lawyer of Gurdaspur, whose sole endeavour in life was to provide first-grade education to his children. “I started my practice in 1968 and it was then when I first met Pishori Lal. He was fond of cigarettes and had a good command over Persian and Arabic. He was fond of reciting Urdu poetry to his sons Manmohan Anand, Chetan Anand, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand. Barring the eldest Manmohan, who became an advocate, the other three went on to make a name for themselves in tinsel town.”

Said lawyer Pushkar Nand, Dev Anand’s distant kin: “During the summer vacations, Pishori Lal would rent a small cottage owned by an Englishman (Robinson) in Dalhousie and the family would stay there.”

Dev Anand did his FSc from Government College, Dharamsala, and his graduation from Government College, Lahore, with English Honours.

The actor was very close to his mother, recalled a Gharota resident. “Once she developed TB and Dev, accompanied by a friend, would daily travel to Amritsar, 40 km away, on a bus to buy medicines for her till she finally recovered.”

Local residents said the last time Dev Anand visited Gurdaspur was to attend the last rites of Manmohan, then chairman of the Punjab Khadi Board, in October 1971. After that the actor severed all ties with his native town.

One of the actor’s best friends, 90-year-old advocate Sukhdev Aggarwal, tried to speak about him but was overcome by emotion.

Traffic violators still pay fines in district court

Fatehgarh Sahib, December 5
The district traffic police is still directing the offenders to pay their fines in the district court instead of the District Transport Office (DTO), in violation of the government’s orders.

Prem Singh Saini, DTO, expressed his helplessness over the issue and said he had written to the police several times, but it had yet to respond.

RS Khatra, SSP, said he had not received any communication from the DTO in this regard. He said he would look into the matter and sorted it out at the earliest. 

Doonites mourn Dev Anand’s death

Dehradun, December 4
Doonites joined the country in mourning the demise of legendary Bollywood actor Dev Anand. The star’s frequent visits to The Doon School in the early forties left an indelible impression on his characteristic style of acting.

Chetan Anand, his brother, was a teacher of English and history in The Doon School from 1940 to 1944. It was during those years that Dev Anand frequently came to meet him in Dehradun and spent a considerable amount of time here. It was during his sojourn at The Doon School that he learnt his trademark mannerism which made him a star.

He, in his autobiography, wrote that his trademark mannerisms, which made him a star, were picked up from the students of The Doon School.

Manoj Panjani, a Doon-based film researcher and documentary maker, had an opportunity to meet Dev Anand on a number of occasions. Referring to his first meeting with the star, Panjani said, “Dev Anand was curious to meet me as he came to know of my friendship with Babu Sheikh, Dabolkar and Surat, some of Dev Anand’s key team members at Navketan. And this was how I got an audience with him for the first time.”

“He was excited when he came to know that I was from Dehradun, and recalled the immemorable days he had spent here, courtesy Chetan Anand,” he reembered.

Panjani said it was Dev Anand who always gave opportunities to newcomers. Shatrughan Sinha got his first break in “Prem Pujari”, where Dev Anand created a role of a Pakistani fauji for him. His contribution towards giving breaks to Sahir Ludhianvi as a lyricist and Zohra Seghal as a choreographer is well known.

Panjani also recalled his last meeting with the Bollywood actor in 2000 in Mumbai on the occasion of Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Navketan studios. “The Navketan banner gave to the Indian Cinema some legendary directors like Guru Dutt and Vijay Anand,” Panjani said, describing Dev Anand’s demise as an irreparable loss to the Indian cinema.