Country Advice India India – IND39635 – Jathedar Jagtar Singh 2 December 2011 1. Is there information on a religious group called the Jathedar Jagtar Singh Group carrying out attacks and issuing threats in Haryana? No information was located regarding the Jathedar Jagtar Singh Group. The term „jathedar‟ means „captain‟. According to the website of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, also known as the Parliament of the Sikh Nation, jathedar refers to “a Chief of a band of Sikh volunteers who have enrolled themselves into a unit for whole time service in the cause of the Panth, or Sikh objectives”. In the present day, “a jathedar remains a local political boss in Sikh politics owing his allegiance to the Shiromani Akali Dal which might be one or more than one organisation, each claiming itself as the true and genuine spokesman for the Sikh causes”.1 A number of sources refer to individuals belonging with names similar to Jathedar Jagtar Singh. In 2007, Jathedar Jagtar Singh Hawara was convicted and sentenced to death for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.2 3 Hawara escaped from Burail jail in January 2004, although was re-arrested in Delhi.4 5 A blog website reported in October 2007 that “Jathedar Jagtar Singh Hawara [o]f Sikh Freedom Group Babbar Khalsa” had also been falsely accused of carrying out “the Delhi Cinema bombings”.6 In 2008, Sirsa News reported that a Jathedar Jagtar Singh Akali from Gurmat Gian Missionary College in Ludhiana, Punjab, attended a Sikh training camp in Haryana, where he “played the active role of bringing the learned Sikhs from the College to this remote part of Haryana for the benefits of the Sikhs”.7 1 „Jathedar‟ (undated), Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee website http://www.sgpc.net/glossary/Jathedar.asp – Accessed 1 December 2011 2 „Bhai Hawara and Bhai Balwant challenge solitary confinement‟ 2007, World Sikh News, 3 October http://worldsikhnews.com/3%20October%202007/Bhai%20Hawara%20and%20Bhai%20Balwant%20challenge.htm – Accessed 23 November 2011 3 „Burail jailbreak case on Aug 4‟ 2011, Indian Express, 9 June http://www.indianexpress.com/news/burail-jailbreak- case-on-aug-4/801261/ – Accessed 1 December 2011 4 „Burail jailbreak case on Aug 4‟ 2011, Indian Express, 9 June http://www.indianexpress.com/news/burail-jailbreak- case-on-aug-4/801261/ – Accessed 1 December 2011 5 „Hawara Counsel Accuses Police of Unnecessary Delay‟ 2011, Sikh24.com website, August http://www.sikh24.com/2011/08/hawara-counsel-accuses-police-of-unnecessary-delay/ – Accessed 1 December 2011 6 „Fanatic Hindu organizations Blast Of The Sangh Parivar „RSS‟ maybe involved in Ludhiana Cinema Bomb‟ 2007, Ban The RSS blog website, 30 October http://bantherss.blogspot.com/2007/10/fanatic-hindu-organizations-blast- of.html – Accessed 1 December 2011 7 „Gurmat Camp at Gurdwara Sahib, Chormaar Khera‟ 2008, Sirsa News, 31 August http://sirsanews.blogspot.com/2008/09/gurmat-camp-at-gurdwara-sahib-chormaar.html – Accessed 1 December 2011 Page 1 of 3 Furthermore, a 2002 article names a “jathedar Jagtar Singh Gonsal” as a senior leader of the Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal.8 2. Deleted. 3. Deleted. 4. Deleted. 8 „Badal‟s arrest to trigger chakka jams, jail bharo‟ 2002, The Times of India, 17 October Page 2 of 3 References „Badal‟s arrest to trigger chakka jams, jail bharo‟ 2002, The Times of India, 17 October. (FACTIVA) „Bhai Hawara and Bhai Balwant challenge solitary confinement‟ 2007, World Sikh News, 3 October http://worldsikhnews.com/3%20October%202007/Bhai%20Hawara%20and%20Bhai%20Balwan t%20challenge.htm – Accessed 23 November 2011. „Burail jailbreak case on Aug 4‟ 2011, Indian Express, 9 June http://www.indianexpress.com/news/burail-jailbreak-case-on-aug-4/801261/ – Accessed 1 December 2011. „Fanatic Hindu organizations Blast Of The Sangh Parivar „RSS‟ maybe involved in Ludhiana Cinema Bomb‟ 2007, Ban The RSS blog website, 30 October http://bantherss.blogspot.com/2007/10/fanatic-hindu-organizations-blast-of.html – Accessed 1 December 2011. „Gurmat Camp at Gurdwara Sahib, Chormaar Khera‟ 2008, Sirsa News, 31 August http://sirsanews.blogspot.com/2008/09/gurmat-camp-at-gurdwara-sahib-chormaar.html – Accessed 1 December 2011. „Hawara Counsel Accuses Police of Unnecessary Delay‟ 2011, Sikh24.com website, August http://www.sikh24.com/2011/08/hawara-counsel-accuses-police-of-unnecessary-delay/ – Accessed 1 December 2011. „Jathedar‟ (undated), Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee website http://www.sgpc.net/glossary/Jathedar.asp – Accessed 1 December 2011. Page 3 of 3 .