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The Print
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
A gurdwara, a madrasa, a Catholic school pick up the pieces. Every alley in Poonch bears scars of loss
It was the morning of 7 May. Devotees had just left the gurdwara after morning prayers. This was the first incident of cross-border shelling in Poonch that captured national attention. Even during Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefings, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri mentioned the attack on the gurdwara and the Sikh community at least twice. Splinters flew from all directions into the praying room, yet the spot where the Guru Granth Sahib rested was untouched. 'It was all smoke. The shell first hit the edge of the small temple nearby, and then it struck our gurdwara. But by the grace of God, our Guru Granth Sahib was untouched,' said 55-year-old Singh, pointing to the damage. Poonch: Sabar Singh, head of the Gurdwara Sahib in Poonch, was locking the doors when a shell tore through the back wall. But before he ran, he grabbed the holy book. The door came off, the windows were shattered, and the back wall turned into rubble. But it wasn't just the gurdwara. A madrasa, a catholic school, and over three dozen homes and vehicles were also damaged in intense shelling by Pakistan. On 6/7 May, Pakistan launched multiple attacks using drones, shells and other munitions along the LoC following the precision strikes carried out by Indian armed forces under Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. With a ceasefire announced on 11 May, Poonch city stands battered. Many residents—along with visitors and migrant workers who had come to the town—fled to safer locations and have yet to return. Singh and his wife too moved their children and grandchildren to Jammu. But the couple didn't leave. 'Had we left, who would have taken care of the Guru Granth Sahib?' he says, standing with folded hands. Also Read: 'Not afraid to die'—in 2 Ferozepur border villages, elders stood guard all night, youth dug bunkers by day 'Our time hadn't come yet' Balbir Singh and his family of 13—including his mother, three brothers, and their children—were sleeping on the ground floor when they were jolted awake by three loud explosions targeting their home. In the early hours of 9 May, at least three shells struck their three-storey house. One tore through the ceilings of the upper two floors before hitting the ground. But, no one was injured. Singh attributes their survival to fate, saying, 'Our time hadn't come yet.' Now, a portion of his house lies in rubble. The few residents who stayed back in Poonch to guard their homes described the intervening night of 8 and 9 May as terrifying. Shelling from the Pakistani side was intense and relentless, damaging over two dozen houses in a single night. For Singh, the cost of repairing his home will be steep. The workers have left. The town is empty. Most people are biding their time—to be sure that peace has truly prevailed, that there will be no more shelling. 'Who will pay for the renovation now, in this India-Pakistan escalation? Whether through their lives, limbs, or property — it's civilians who bear the cost. Especially those who live by the border,' Singh says, as his grandmother sits in a corner of the courtyard, mumbling prayers. A madrasa, a catholic school Hakim Deen, a chef at the Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom madrasa in Poonch, was cooking lunch for students when he heard a loud explosion. He rushed upstairs and saw a deep crater in the ceiling and ustaad (teacher) Mohammed Qari lying in the debris. He was hit by a splinter. Five children lay unconscious on the desk, few fell on the ground, bleeding. Everyone at the madrasa quickly gathered and rushed the injured to the hospital. Qari did not survive. The five children are currently under treatment. 'The shell came from there,' Deen says, pointing toward the lush green vale that overlooks the madrasa. Two kilometres away, a portion of Christ School lies in rubble. The neighbourhood is wrapped in silence. The death of 13-year-old twin siblings on their way to school, and injuries suffered by several students, has driven the entire community to flee. Another kilometre down, a shop has been reduced to debris. Just metres away, a rooftop has collapsed. Every street, lane, and alley in Poonch carries the scars of conflict. The city is replete with stories of damage to lives, limbs, and property. Though a temporary understanding has been reached to pause hostilities, residents say it will take years to recover from the trauma this conflict has inflicted. The only sounds piercing the heavy silence wrapping the city is the Poonch river, its violent flow smashing the lull that follows a calamity. A tributary of the Jhelum, the river enters Pakistan through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The once-picturesque vale, anointed as 'Mini Kashmir', now stands as a silent marker of bloodshed and loss. 'Iss pahadiyon ke peeche se aate hain gole,' someone mutters. The shells, they say, come from behind those hills. The hills, the silent spectator of the town's suffering. 'Inn wadiyon ne sab dekha hai (These hills have seen all),' says Mohammad Imran, as he leaves for Doda to get his wife and kids back. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: In Bhuj, clouds of war brought back 1971 memories. When hundreds of women rebuilt IAF runway by hand
NBC News
15-02-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Sikh communities fear immigration raids at temples as Trump ends sanctuary for houses of worship
After the Trump administration said it would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in houses of worship, hundreds of members of a Sikh temple in New York have stopped attending services regularly. Another gurdwara, or temple, in West Sacramento, California, has been fielding a half dozen calls daily from members fearful of immigration raids. And others are concerned that community members will begin to forgo essential services often offered in these sacred spaces. Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento is among the dozens of religious groups that have sued the Trump administration over the past few weeks after the removal of restrictions that prevented ICE from conducting raids in places considered 'sensitive' locations. Across the U.S., members of the Sikh community, who are largely of Indian descent, said they have already seen how anxieties around being caught up in the ongoing immigration crackdown have impeded the way in which some, including naturalized citizens, practice their faith. 'People will stop going to the temple and the mosque and different places, because they're going to feel threatened,' said Narinder Singh Thandi, president of Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento. 'This is only a holy place that people come for help. People come to pray. They should be able to enjoy the freedom of the United States of America.' The policy that prevented ICE agents from entering so-called sensitive locations, including playgrounds, schools and hospitals, without approval from supervisors had remained intact through several administrations, including during President Donald Trump's first term. But the president rescinded the rule in January, prompting widespread criticism from religious groups and civil rights organizations. The White House did not respond to NBC News' questions about fears around attending worship services or the ongoing lawsuits. The suit that the West Sacramento gurdwara joined as a plaintiff last week, which was first filed by a group of Quaker congregations at the end of January, argued that 'the very threat of that [immigration] enforcement deters congregants from attending services, especially members of immigrant communities.' And this week, another two dozen Christian and Jewish groups filed a separate suit, arguing that the new policy infringes on religious freedom. Thandi said that his gurdwara, which serves between 1,500 and 5,000 people during gatherings, has not been visited by immigration agents so far. But reports of sweeps in the Bay Area, a less than two-hour drive from Sacramento, have had many on edge, Thandi said. And the removal last week of some 100 Indian undocumented immigrants using a military plane has further amplified concerns among worshippers. He said he's had to field several calls each day from concerned worshippers who often inquire about the possibility of ICE raids at the temple, along with other questions about how to keep themselves safe. Thandi also said while the gurdwara provides food throughout the day, he's noticed that around 100 or so people have shifted their meal times, opting to eat during less crowded hours, rather than join in the typical post-service lunch. He thinks the shift may be in order to avoid any potential encounters with ICE. Though attendance is holding so far, he said he's '100% sure' that won't be the case for long if protections over houses of worship aren't reinstated. That's why his temple joined the lawsuit. Thandi added that in addition to mounting concerns among worshippers, the looming potential of ICE raids invites the possibility that the sanctity of their space will not be respected. 'We follow protocol. When we go inside, we sit on the floor and we take the shoes off. We cover our heads,' Thandi said. 'We don't want to have anything like an immigration officer come with the shoes on. … We don't know what he has in his pocket. We definitely do not allow weapons.' (While Sikhs are required to carry a kirpan, or article of faith that resembles a knife or sword, it's worn as a symbol of compassion, not violence, and remains sheathed.) There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs and more than 350 gurdwaras across the country, according to the Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights nonprofit. The group, who first arrived in the U.S. in the 1800s, have largely made homes in New York and California. But other areas have also become major cultural hubs, including Chicago, Oklahoma City and Dallas. While there's no specific data on undocumented Sikhs, there are roughly 725,000 Indian undocumented immigrants in the U.S., according to 2021 Pew Research Center estimates. A Queens, New York-based gurdwara, the Sikh Cultural Society, has experienced a roughly 10% dip in attendance, translating to around 200 fewer worshippers, its president, Jatinder Boparai, said. Those without documents, he said, likely 'do not want to take a chance.' Boparai said that given the purpose of holy spaces, he agrees with those who have waged the lawsuits. 'Worship places are not supposed to become any ICE raids because people want to pray. We pray, especially the Sikh religion, for the whole world,' Boparai said. Still, Boparai said that he believes the government has 'every right' to conduct immigration sweeps, and that the crackdown isn't necessarily a surprise given Trump's campaign promises. The majority of the worshippers have remained committed to going, he said, and there haven't been any raids at the temple. 'I'm a good citizen,' he said. 'I agree with my government.' Harpreet Singh Toor, a Sikh and longtime community leader in Queens, New York, said the tense environment has even caused distress for some green card holders and naturalized citizens. Toor said he's spoken to several people who have long had U.S. citizenship, but are fearful that any minor brushes with the law decades ago could land them in hot water with immigration officials. And families have been canceling their international travel plans out of concerns that they won't be allowed back in the country, he said. Trump's immigration raids have indeed snagged citizens, including one military veteran in Newark, New Jersey, who was detained and questioned by ICE. Toor said that at this point, anxiety around immigration has leached into numerous aspects of life outside the temple as well. 'Traffic is down in businesses,' Toor said. 'Businesses are complaining about it. Traffic is down in places of worship, whether it is mosque or gurdwara.' Sikh gurdwaras are integral spaces for many community members, particularly Indian immigrants, serving as a center of social and commercial life. That makes the current immigration environment all the more distressing, said Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition. Singh said that he's heard from gurdwaras across the country that attendance has been dropping, which could mean that some worshippers are forgoing critical care. 'That's really heartbreaking, because obviously our houses of worship are places people go not just for worship, but also for community, for essential services that they need,' Singh said. 'That includes everything from mental health care to physical health to a sense of belonging.' Singh also mentioned that Sikhs, a minority in India, have long experienced persecution in their homeland. But concerns around their safety in the U.S. are now heightened, particularly after an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York City was uncovered in 2023. The issue of immigration has added yet another layer of tension, he said. 'Folks experiencing religious persecution in India may be coming here to the United States to seek asylum,' Singh said. 'Now those very same people are worried about their safety on U.S. soil, and also now are worried about this added risk to their immigration status.'
