Agrahari Sikhs In Kolkata; Sikligar Sikhs in Hyderabad

The Calcutta High Court (Kolkata) recently set aside a notice whereby a member of the Agrahari Sikh community (name withheld) was excommunicated by the office bearers of Gurdwara Chhota Sikh Sangat on 19 Sep 2023. The excommunication was related to a matrimonial dispute between the petitioner’s son and daughter-in-law. Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya on 22 Jan restrained the respondents from excommunicating the petitioners and directed three of the respondents to individually pay $600 each to the petitioner (total $1,800) for the ‘severe harassment and trauma’ suffered by the petitioner. The Court further observed that the reasons cited for excommunication had nothing to do with religion. Meanwhile, in Hyderabad, during the COVID-19 years, the Sikligar Sikhs could not go out to sell their wares and were reduced to penury. That is when the Telangana Sikh Society (TSS), formed in 2018, stepped in. From community kitchens and supplying grains to financial support during the lockdown, the TSS took care of the overall long-term health and housing needs of Sikligar Sikhs and equipped them with better skills and education. So far, TSS has met the hospitalization needs of over 1,500 patients, and held 18 health camps, which helped identify 5,000 patients afflicted with chronic illnesses. ‘Duty towards the downtrodden is integral to Sikhs,’ says Tejdeep Kaur Menon, a retired IPS officer, who was elected the TSS president for a second time in September 2023. TSS is also helping Sikligar Sikhs get permanent housing and title rights for land.