A CELEBRATION of Indian independence was forced to change venues due to protests from the Sikh community, which felt it inappropriate to hold the celebration in a Gurdwara.

One protester, Jasveer Singh, of Slough, said it was like “trying to hold a celebration of Nazism in a synagogue – that’s the gravitas of it”.

There were almost fifty protesters at the Singh Sabha Sports Centre on Saturday, August 19.

Shamsher Singh, a member of the National Youth Sikh Federation, said: “The committee of the Gurdwara was not aware of the nature of this event.

“It was originally presented to them as a cultural celebration. We had no problem with that. It was only later that they revealed it was actually about Indian independence.”

He said: “We’re Sikhs, but we’re not Indians. India is an artificial creation. Sikhs suffered so much in the partition – over a million people died, and many more were displaced or kidnapped."

“We don’t mind if they hold their celebration elsewhere, but inside a Gurdwara is not appropriate. This building is named after the Singh Sabha – they were a Sikh group that pushed for Sikh autonomy and independence.” 

Councillor Joginder S Bal, who is chairman of the Gurdwara management committee, said: “Many members of the committee did not have any knowledge of this event until the last minute. We found out about it on Friday, due to complaints from some Sikhs, who were angry about the event due to the way Sikhs are persecuted in India.

“We spoke to the organisers, and they understood and agreed to move the venue.

“The protesters didn’t need to be there. I don’t know why they came. We are quite responsible, and handled the situation. There was no need for them to come.”

The organisers of the independence event hurriedly moved the venue for the event to St Bernard’s Catholic Grammar School, on Langley Road, with just a few hours notice. Project co-ordinator Bobbi Johal said: “I would disagree with the claims that we misrepresented the event. It was advertised fully for three to four weeks, I don’t understand any confusion.

“We met with a couple of members of the Gurdwara, and we respected their wishes and understood where they were coming from. We did not intend any disrespect to anyone. The Sikhs we spoke to understood it was an event for the community, and no problems with us holding it somewhere else.”