नवीनतम
Diljit faces backlash after touching Big B's feet
MUMBAI [Maha Media]: Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh's gesture of touching the feet of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan during a recent event has drawn strong criticism from the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a Pro-Khalistan group, which termed it an "insult" to 1984 riot victims and announced to "shut down" Dosanjh's upcoming concert in Australia on November 1.
Notably, Akal Takht Sahib observes November 1 as Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day, protesting the 1984 Sikh riot. "Dosanjh insulted every victim, widow and orphan of the 1984 genocide by paying respect to Bachchan," said SFJ general council Gurpatwant Singh Pannon in a statement.
The group claims that on October 31, 1984, Amitabh Bachchan publicly incited "Hindustani mobs" with the genocidal slogan "khoon ka badla khoon" (blood for blood), a call that unleashed a death squad that committed genocidal violence in which more than 30,000 people from the Sikh community, including women and children, were killed across the country.
Terming Dosanjh's scheduled show in Australia as a "mockery of remembrance", SFJ urged Sikh groups and artists worldwide to boycott the concert. During November, the Punjabi singer is likely to attend several concerts across Australia. Dosanjh has already performed in Sydney, Brisbane in the last few days.
SFJ claimed that it will stage a Panthic Shutdown Rally outside the venue on November 1. It has also been written to the Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and asked him to summon the singer to explain his actions.
The highest temporal seat of Sikh authority, the Akal Takht, had in 2010 officially declared the 1984 killing as a genocide and designated November 1 as Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day. "Remembrance is not for sale and genocide cannot be normalised for applause," the SFJ said, vehemently criticising Dosanjh.
Till the filling of this report, there was no reaction from the singer over SFJ's statement.
