Dear Editor A list has been said and written on this matter in the past two years. In May 1993 issue of Sikh News and views a letter was published under the title “a different perspective regarding Pashaura Singh’s Thesis” by ProfJ.7.0’ Connell, who was an associate supervisor of this thesis. In his letter the professor apologetically tried to defend his student’s work, saying that “the reputation of the SGPC as competent to address sensitive matters of religion and scholarship with fairness and discernment could be adversely affected, if a dedicated young scholar were to be victimized by SGPC procedures.” After receiving complaints from the Sikhs, the Akal Takhat must investigate and take appropriate action, No lawyers or institutions are supposed to advocate in any case on any side.

 Friends of Pashaura Singh are telling him that he must not appear before the Akal Takhat that someone may kill him when he visits’s India. Such nonsense information is spread by the touted friends of Indian government.

 In the history of Sikhs no one ever received corporal punishment, except the case of our humble Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Unlike othee religions and tyrants, the Khalsa Nation considers torture and capital punishment as a hideous crime against humanity. The orders from the Akal Takhat to the guilty are in the form of service and meditation for the benefit of the individual, very rarely a person is excommunicated and then only for gross misconduct.

On June 9, 1993, Pashaura Singh came to Ottawa University to shore up support for his case to deal with the Akal Takhat Authority. He told some of his friends in Ottawa, that he is prepared to make required corrections in his upcoming publication of his thesis. He is also prepared to accept any punishment that he may receive from Akal Takhat, provided he is spared from being encommunicated. Bhai Pashaura Singh’s case is unique perhaps he is the first and only Amrit dhari Sikh who undertook studies of Sikh religion under non Sikh advisors who were biased. Secondly, research was not on anything ordinary, but on the Sikh Gurus, where special conduct and extraordinary knowledge was required. Furthermore professor Singh’s writing skill in English was not that strong and he had to depend on his advisers, who were selected and approved by the Hindu government of India that wants to manipulate all against the Sikhs. This was the conference where McLeod (sick at that time) and his followers Harjittned their best to put down the Sikhs.

At this critical juncture if Pashaura Singh would stop listening to his advisors and explain allegations against him to the Jathedars at Akal Takhat and obey the authority of the Khalsa Panth, no harm will come to him.

Sikhs are a fair, justice loving, humble people and their Jathedars at Akal Takhat will not be affected by any pressure groups to do any injustice, they will deal with this case very objectively and compassionately.

Ajit Singh Sahota Ottawa Canada

Article extracted from this publication >>  June 25, 1993