Gurudwara fire deliberately lit

A fire that broke out in a partially-built Gurudwara in the south eastern suburb of Lynbrook in Melbourne, is believed to have been deliberately lit.

Surinder Singh of the Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar gurudwara, claims that some people were spotted entering the Gurudwara site around midnight on the night of Tuesday 12/10/01. Mr. Singh had just finished his turn in offering prayers as part of a Sikh ritual called the Akhand Path which involves reading the holy book Granth Sahib from beginning to end without any break. He went to change his clothes and heard some noises coming from the empty site.

department and the Police. It took the Fire department nearly three hours to control the fire, according to Gurudwara officials.

The Lynbrook Gurudwara in Evans Road has been under construction for quite some time now and is about 8-9 months from completion. The fire caused considerable damage to the shrine, mainly the insulation on the walls and the foam panels that were being used in the building process. The structure of the building is still sound as it is built of poured concrete; however, it will take a few weeks to fix the damage to the interior.

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According to Surinder he saw two people inside the fence that was set up to secure the building site. As it was very dark he couldn’t see their faces or identify who they were. He called out to them and when they ran in his direction, he ran towards the makeshift premises next to the building site to avoid any trouble. He saw what looked like torch lights inside the partially built gurudwara building and decided to contact the manager of the gurudwara.

By this time people who reside in the temporary gurudwara saw flames coming out of the building and they called the fire

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Police are investigating the cause of fire. Initially they were quick to rule out the possibility that the Gurudwara was targeted by arsonists. They suspected that a bonfire, on the site, may have started the blaze. However, on further investigation it was confirmed that this was a case of arson.

“The arsonists managed to lever a section of the fence, at the rear of the site, and used that to enter and exit the gurudwara site,” said Detective Senior Constable Paul Stowe, who is in charge of the investigation.

“Evidence suggests that the fire was lit at three separate areas of the temple with crudely put together glass bottles/ containers filled with petrol.” he added.

A piece of red plastic that appears to be part of a jerry can could also have been used to light the fire. A cigarette lighter was also found at the building site, confirmed Detective Stowe.

Joey Herrech, multicultural liaison officer who is handling this case, said the fire is suspicious and not a bonfire as outlined earlier.

“We cannot elaborate where the investigation is at, however this case is being taken very seriously by the Police and they are making every effort to find those responsible,” he said.

When asked if security has been stepped up in that area, both Detective Stowe and Joey Herrech replied that the Gurudwara officials have appointed their own security measures and Police have also stepped up their patrol in that area.

The Gurudwara officials are understandably very upset with this incident and very vocal in their condemnation of the arsonists who indulged in this senseless crime against a sacred site. The total value of the damage done is yet to be established.

Preeti Jabbal

In December, India’s National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) visited Sydney and Melbourne to meet with the Federal and State Government, ICT industry associations and attend the 2009 Asia Pacific Digital Innovation Summit held in Melbourne.

Each year, the Asia Pacific Digital Innovation Summit is held in different cities across the region and organised by respective members of the AsianOceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO). This year Australia hosted the event, organised by the peak industry body Australian Information Industries Association (AIIA) with the support of the Australian and Victorian Governments.

NASSCOM brought a delegation of companies to Australia including: Mr Srinivas Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Aujas Networks Pvt Ltd; Mr Sanjay Balrama, Country Head, Espire Infolabs; Mr Pushkar Misra, President & CEO, Philippines Operations, Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd. (HGSL); Mr Sadasivan Narayanan, AVP Sales, Icreon Communications; Mr Gulab Sharma, President US Operations, Pratham Software; Mr Nitin Shimpi, Director, Talentica Software (India); Mr Sachin Samson, Manager- Australia and New

Zealand, Zenith Software.

The visit by the NASSCOM delegation, led by its Vice President–Global Trade Development Mr Ameet Nivsarkar, offered an opportunity to take stock of the fast developing ICT relationship between Australia and India.

At a panel discussion organised by