Gurdwara conflict | American Turban

"No injuries were reported and no arrests made when unrest between hundreds brewed Sunday afternoon at the Glen Rock [New Jersey] temple. " (Source: Ridgewood-Glen Rock Patch)

Conflicts at Gurdwaras in NJ and CA last Sunday

June 5, 2013 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

It happens with disgusting frequency in our Gurdwaras when conflicts develop into physical acts of violence in and around our sacred spaces. Last November, an especially violent riot took place at a Gurdwara in Yuba City, California, and just this past weekend, Sikh communities in Glen Rock, New Jersey, and in Turlock, California, bore witness to the condemnable acts of the demented. It is unclear what the reasons of the conflict were in either case. At the Siri Guru Singh […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Glen Rock, Gurdwara, Gurdwara conflict, New Jersey, Turlock

Second man arrested in Yuba City, CA, Gurdwara riot

November 20, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After the violence ten days ago at a Gurdwara in Yuba City, California, in which a director of the Gurdwara was arrested, Sutter County police have announced that a second man has been arrested : Parminder Kooner, 47, turned himself in to the Sutter County Sheriff’s Department for having stabbed Ajaib Malhi, 30, in the back during the fight. Kooner will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, according to Capt. Lewis McElfresh. Reports indicate that up to 100 […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: American Red Cross, California, Gurdwara conflict, Mangal Singh Sanghera, Parminder Kooner, Yuba City

Director arrested after violence at Yuba City, CA, Gurdwara

November 15, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

After last weekend’s violence at a Gurdwara in Yuba City, California, Sutter County Police have arrested a director of the Gurdwara who is accused of stabbing another individual during the brawl: Mangal Singh Sanghera of Yuba City was booked into the Sutter County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Sanghera is being held without bail on a probation violation, Sheriff J. Paul Parker said in a press release. “The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Gurdwara, Gurdwara conflict, Mangal Singh Sanghera, Sutter County, Yuba City

"Karm Bains, left, looks on Saturday night as law enforcement personnel investigate two stabbings following a meeting at a Sikh temple in Yuba City." (Nate Chute/Appeal-Democrat)

Violence erupts at Yuba City, CA, Gurdwara

November 12, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On Saturday night, news broke about a brawl that occurred outside the Gurdwara in Yuba City, California — the same that hosted the Sikh Parade in Yuba City last week — that required police action: Two men were stabbed, a third was assaulted, more than a dozen were pepper-sprayed and several others were hurt Saturday night during a brawl outside the Tierra Buena Sikh Temple in Yuba City. “It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened here,” said Dave Chima, a […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, Gurdwara, Gurdwara conflict, Yuba City

Conflict at CA Gurdwara results in violence, police action

July 24, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Sikh24 presents news about a conflict over the management of the Sikh house of worship in El Sobrante, California (officially called the Sikh Center of San Francisco Bay Area) that turned into a physical altercation and required police intervention: One individual was hurt during the altercation, he later told the police that Darshan Singh had allegedly cut him on the forehead with his small kirpan. The victim had a two inch gash and was bleeding. This is a gross violation […]

Categories: News Bits • Tags: California, El Sobrante, Gurdwara, Gurdwara conflict, Sikh Center of San Francisco Bay Area

Gurdwara conflicts: When Sikhs live down to the stereotype

April 26, 2011 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

The internet is abuzz today with the reports and video of the violence at the Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Center, a Gurdwara in Queens, New York. The reports of this incident paint a disgusting picture. When Sikhs are dealing with an ignorant public (and I mean “ignorant” in its literal definition and not in a condescending way), these all-too-common conflicts only reinforce the stereotypes that are promoted in the media. However, while there are those who legitimately object to how the violence […]

Categories: News Bits, Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Center, Gurdwara, Gurdwara conflict, Guru Gobind Singh, Guru Ram Das, New York, New York Post, Queens