India in New York
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INDIA IN NEW YORK is published every Friday by India Abroad Publications, Inc. 42 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10004.
INDIA IN NEW YORK JULY 25, 2014
Ajit Balakrishnan Chairman and Publisher Nikhil Lakshman Editor-in-Chief Rajeev Bhambri Chief Operating Officer-US Media THE EDITORIAL TEAM NEW YORK Aziz Haniffa, Editor, News Arthur J Pais, Editor, Features Suman Guha Mozumder, Associate Managing Editor George Joseph, P Rajendran, Deputy Managing Editors Paresh Gandhi, Chief Photographer Ritu Jha, Special Correspondent Parimal Mehta, System Manager Production: Dharmesh Chotalia, Production Supervisor. Harish Kathrani David Richter, Production Controller, Editorial CONTACT EDITORIAL Call: 212-929-1727 Fax: 212-727-9730 E-mail: editorial@indiaabroad.com MUMBAI Vaihayasi Pande Daniel, Editorial Director, Features Dominic Xavier, Creative Head Uttam Ghosh, Joint Creative Head Sumit Bhattacharya, Associate Managing Editor Monali Sarkar, News Editor Sanjay Sawant, Satish Bodas, Creative Directors Shailaja Nand Mishra, Senior Production Coordinator THE BUSINESS TEAM DISPLAY ADVERTISING CONTACT THE DISPLAY ADVERTISING TEAM Toll free: 1-866-702-1950 Fax: 212-627-9503 E-mail:displayads@indiaabroad.com Geeta Singh Sales Executive Jitender Sharma Associate Sales Manager CLASSIFIEDS WANT TO INSERT A CLASSIFIED/MATRIMONIAL AD? Call: 1-800-822-3532 Fax: 212-691-0873 E-mail: classified@indiaabroad.com Shahnaz Sheikh Classified Manager Sujatha Jilla Classified Assistant Manager Jim Gallentine Classified Representative
Sikh Coalition seeks NSA, FBI documents with racial slurs GEORGE JOSEPH
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he Sikh Coalition has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for employee emails sent from September 11, 2001, that contain the slurs ‘raghead’ or ‘towelhead.’ The move is in response to a new Edward Snowden leak that revealed the NSA and the FBI have spied on the e-mails of five high-profile Muslim-Americans who are not publicly known to be guilty of any terrorist activity. In the same leak, one dis-
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Sikhs for Justice continues fight against Manmohan Singh
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JOHN GRESS/REUTERS
The Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, August 7, 2012, days after a shootout. The Sikh Coalition invoked the repeated violence and bigotry faced by the community post 9/11 in its request.
ment leaves office, however, that individual generally retains residual immunity only for acts taken in an official capacity while in that he Sikhs for Justice filed a motion askposition. ing a Washington federal court to The SFJ argued that the Foreign Sovereign reject the Department of State’s ‘sugImmunity Act did not cover acts committed gestion of immunity’ to former Indian prime by foreign officials in their official capacity minister Manmohan Singh in a pending and also pointed out that defendant was not human rights violation case. prime minister of India anymore and thereLast year, the New York-based organizafore did not enjoy immunity as head of a fortion filed a civil case against Dr Singh ‘for eign government. his role in crimes against humanity perpeThe new motion noted that the suggestion trated upon the Sikh community in India.’ of immunity contravened the laws of the It accused Dr Singh of funding counter United States; violated jus congen, a norm of insurgency operations in Punjab during international law; and violated the funda1990s, as then finance minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh mental policy principle of the US, which is resulting in more than 100,000 Sikhs being protecting and promoting human rights. killed extra judicially by Indian security TOMOHIRO OHSUMI/REUTERS Pointing to a Department of State’s country forces. condition report from the 1990s, which documented human Before Dr Singh left office, the Department of Justice had rights violations, extra judicial killings and torture in Punjab told the court that he was ‘immune in this action.’ in the name of counter insurgency operations, the motion After a new government took over in India, the DoJ submitargued that instead of suggesting immunity for Dr Singh, the ted that ‘Singh’s departure from the office of prime minister US government should investigate and prosecute him for his during the pendency of this litigation does not render ineffecrole in sponsoring and funding ‘cash for bullet’ policy. tive the Executive Branch’s assertion of immunity.’ ‘Under 509 (b)(1) of HREA of 2009 the US government is The Supreme Court had held that US courts were bound by bound to take appropriate legal action even if someone is suggestions of immunity submitted by the Executive Branch. merely suspected of human rights violations. The Obama Under the customary international law principles accepted administration’s suggestion of immunity to Manmohan Singh by the Executive Branch, head of state immunity attaches to a is blatant use of the executive power,’ said Gurpatwant Singh head of state or head of government’s status as the current Pannun, legal advisor, SFJ. holder of the office. After a head of state or head of govern-
GEORGE JOSPEH
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