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| Yo Does anyone know any more detail about this? If this is true, this is an all-time low of the people involved, and hopefully more than just heads will roll. I heard about this when Khem Singh initially passed away, and it said he was guilty of a horrible crime (no need to mention at this time) that he swore he didnt committ before his death. And if it is true that some fatcats are controlling the politics and direction of a local community, does it matter? We can complain that these insiders are controlling what is going on in India, but they are doing the same here. ============================== http://www.indiapost.com/members/story.php?story_id=5120 Was Khem Singh framed? J S Bedi A widow cries for justice India Post News Service Modesto: It has been rightly said that human memory is very short. Almost two years ago, mid February 2004, 72-year-old Khem Singh passed away at the Substance Abuse Facility at the notorious Corcoran State prison. The elderly man who was crippled and bound to a wheelchair died due to lung failure caused by extreme starvation. Khem Singh refused to leave his cell out of fear of a particular guard who took great pleasure in brutalizing the old man. Fellow inmates alerted the authorities to his condition but allegedly no action was taken. One inmate even wrote Sen. Gloria Romero but it was too late. At the time of his death on February 16, 2004, Singh weighed less than eighty pounds. The sordid saga came out in the open when the Los Angeles Times did a story on his death. Other Indian weeklies also did their respective stories but it was only India Post that did a comprehensive report after talking to Khem Singh’s wife Baljit Kaur and other near and dear ones. One cannot help but notice the indifferent silence after the initial uproar. Khem Singh has faded from public memory…well, not quite. There are a lot of unanswered questions. Was Khem Singh really guilty of what he was accused and convicted for? There are allegations that he was framed; set up so that he could be put away. Allegations that suggest he was a victim of Gurudwara politics. India Post traveled extensively in the Modesto Ceres area and met a number of people including Khem Singh’s widow Baljit Kaur.There were some startling revelations. There are two or three very wealthy and influential individuals in that area who have a stranglehold on that region’s Sikh community. People spoke of an elderly man, extremely gentle and dignified and, above all, not capable of committing such a crime. People did come up and speak but requested anonymity out of fear of these particular individuals. “Jaan waley tey challey gaye lekin assi tey halley ethay hi rehna hai. Maggarmach nal vair pa ke assi ossey chhappar wich kiddan reh sakdey han” said one resident. Khem Singh came to the Modesto Ceres area as the granthi of the Modesto gurudwara about ten years ago. Due to internal politics, he was removed from his post but he continued to impart religious education to local kids. Affectionately known as Baba Ji, he was a respected senior of the community. But how did this all end up in such a monumental tragedy? “He knew something that was making some individuals very unhappy and uncomfortable and they wanted him out of the way” said a man pumping gas at a local gas station. Like others he declined to identify himself. “Just call me Singh,” he said. Baljit Kaur, Khem Singh’s wife also made similar allegations. “He was threatened by certain Gurudwara committee members. He also received death threats. We would get obscene phone calls all the time and especially at odd hours,” she said. Khem Singh did not go to the police because he was afraid that it would bring a bad name to the Gurudwara and the Sikh community. It is alleged by many in that area that some individuals were compensated up to $ 20,000 for their role in framing the elderly priest. “They were really desperate to have him put away. After his arrest Khem Singh was bailed out and then very conveniently another accusation was made at him and that cancelled his bail,” said a lady who also requested anonymity. There are other factors that also point to his innocence. He refused a plea bargain saying that why should he agree to something that he has not done. “It was due to his faith in God and his clear conscience that he insisted on conducting his own defense. Had he been guilty he would have definitely opted for a lawyer,” said a close family friend. Khem Singh being a pious man was also naпve and simple, unfamiliar with the manipulations of the legal system. Another factor that probably went against him was the term “priest” It is likely that the jury was swayed by this term in view of the sex scandals involving Roman Catholic priests. Khem Singh was well respected was evident on the day of his funeral where a large crowd showed up to pay homage to him. Avtar Singh Dosanjh, owner of Valley Trucking on the spot raised almost seven thousand dollars to cover funeral costs. Understandably the family is bitter and it is to their credit that they are coping with the situation in a very brave manner. Baljit Kaur, in an exclusive interview to India Post spoke of the social stigma that her family has to put up with. “All that we had is gone…our house, our cars, our trucks…there is nothing left. My son is bed ridden and we are under debt…almost a hundred thousand.” She believes material wealth comes and goes. “I want justice…social and legal, social first. I want my husband’s name cleared and his and our family’s honor and respect restored in the biradari,” she says. “As far as legal justice is concerned there is nothing that will bring him back to me but I want this entire case to be investigated in depth and those who framed my husband and destroyed our family be punished…by God and by the laws of this land” she added. Some relatives did talk of hiring a private investigator to unravel the entire matter so that the guilty are brought to justice and punished. Justice delayed is justice denied and the Modesto-Ceres-Turlock community owes it to Baljit Kaur that justice is done to Khem Singh and her and their family and their good name restored. Only then will Khem Singh’s soul find rest and peace in the world beyond. |
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