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WSN Readers’
Tribute to Ishmeet Singh
World Sikh News joins all its readers in posthumously wishing
greetings to Ishmeet Singh on his 21st birthday. We thank
all our readers who chose the medium of the WSN to express their
feelings for the departed soul.
We thank Jasvir Kaur, Ekta Mehta, Taranjit Kaur from Spain, Lakhvir
Kaur – a student studying Accounting and Financial Management in
Leicester, UK, Kim Dhillon –an accountant from Hong Kong, Bhupinder
Kaur Preety, a merchandising student from Hong Kong, Phavanjeet Kaur
from Malaysia, Manjeet Kaur from Singapore, Gurjot Keerat, Paramjit
Singh Cherra, Sarabjit Kaur -a freelance event management
professional from Delhi, Pavandeep Singh, a student from London,
Abineet Kaur, Maninder Sanghera from Surrey, Canada, Kiran Kaur
Dhillon from Ilford, Soni Kumar -a mass communication student from
US Soni Kumar from US, Amrita Arneja –a homemaker from Luxembourg,
Mahanjot Singh Sodhi –a Consultant from Toronto, Canada, Jasmeet
Singh Bhogal –a senior software engineer with IBM from New Delhi,
the husband-wife team of Ravinder Pal Singh and Sumeet Kaur, Zahida
Virjee –an artist and an ardent fan, Vaneet Singh -Mechanical
engineer from Utah, USA, Manpreet Singh from UK and our fabulous
actor from Mumbai –Manmeet Singh, who wrote in their replies in
response to our questionnaire.
Here are replies to your questions –one by one, which will be
presented to the family of Ishmeet Singh soon. The replies have
been edited for reasons of clarity.
Do you think that
the company promoting his singing was careless in handling the trip
to Maldives?
 Manjot Kaur:
Yes, I do feel they were careless. When you take such great singers
with you, the organizers have to concentrate on the show and
everyone goes together, not few at a time. If everyone was together,
this tragic accident could have been prevented. And even if the
board said, lifeguards were not on duty, they should have informed
them because sometimes you just miss out things when you have so
much to think about. They should have been strict. Also, swimming
before the show can result in a bad performance. I'm sure he knew
that too, so there was no reason to go to the deep end.
Taranjeet Kaur:
Yes, I do. Sorry for those people who don't like my comments, but I
think that the company did not provide him safety. He was a big
star, and if already they tried to kill him with a car accident...
that was predictable! Even I believe that they took him even there
to kill him... I think that they had it quite planned and it worked.
The strangest thing is that his death has taken place in water,
because water is the only thing that erases forensic proofs!
Lakhvir Kaur:
I think they should have provided him and the crew with more
security and guidance than just leaving them on their own, as
Maldives was a new city for them. There should have been more safety
at the Hotel where they stayed.
Kim Dhillon:
Yes, somewhere the company is also responsible. It was the duty of
the event manager, who accompanied the trip, to keep an eye on
individuals. He should have known what all the contestants were
doing. This mishap has proved that how slapdash they acted.
Bhupinder Kaur:
Yes, they acted very hastily. They should have been aware of each
contestant. Nevertheless, we lost him and no one can bring him back.
They could have acted strictly. There are many things to mention but
now of no use. We can only talk and talk but can't do anything. We
can only pray for his soul so let’s get together and pray.
Phavanjeet Kaur:
YES! -
The managing director or whoever accompanied them should have stayed
alert at all times. They are getting paid to accompany these kids on
the show, so I personally feel that these managing directors should
be on guard 24/7.
 Manjeet Kaur:
Well, this is something, I feel ...you cannot blame anyone...GOD has
destined Ishmeet to come to him at this tender age..it is very
difficult to accept such tragic loss, especially for his family but
we can only say that GOD loves him and wants him to spend his days
with him in heaven.
Manmeet Singh:
Yeah it is quite weird that there were no security arrangements
around the swimming pool which even in normal times is also quiet
efficiently managed in such resorts or hotels.
Ravinder Pal Singh/Sumeet
Kaur: Yes
its true that company is very much accountable for Ishmeet's death.
They were 100% responsible for Ishmeet's security and they have not
even bothered to pay tribute to our hero.
Jasmeet Singh
Bhogal:
Absolutely! Any professional while on duty (especially overseas) is
the company's responsibility. I am an IT professional and we also go
for overseas trip. While in a foreign land, we are fully taken care
of by our employers.
First of all STAR group should have ensured 24x7 attendant(s)
for all of the participants (which includes Ishmeet).
Secondly, rather than brushing aside their own and hotels'
mistakes under the carpet, they should have accepted it and should
have been pro-active in the post-mortem.
Mahanjot S. Sodhi:
The Company handling his trip was utterly careless indeed. What we
know from the sources is that the resort Ishmeet was taken to, was a
20 minute boat ride from the capital city of Male. Why wasn’t a
hotel within Male booked for their stay although the
competition/carnival was slated to be held in Male on Aug 1st!?
Were the hotels in Male too expensive for a star like Ishmeet we
wonder!? Besides why wasn’t proper security provided to someone who
had attained a star status. Let’s be realistic; in places like
India where even a mediocre person can afford maids, security guards
etc. how come a star like Ishmeet was left without a guard that too
in a remote location like a forlorn island in the middle of nowhere
in Maldives. We demand answers!
 Amrita Arneja:
Looks
like they were not careful in handling his trip as a big star who
does not know how to swim is allowed to go to the pool without
lifeguards being there. Their carelessness has resulted in the loss
of a great person like him. Their agenda should have been planned
properly.
Soni Kumar:
Yes, the
company handling the trip to Maldives was very careless, I cannot
believe they would let such a thing happen. This would never happen
in the U.S.
Kiran Kaur Dhillon:
No I don't think so anything could happen so I don't think they
were careless but they should have kept body guards with Ishmeet
Singh Paaji 24/7.
Maninder Sanghera:
Cannot really comment on this; what I have read so far in the
newspaper or seen TV, I only sense his friends being careless when
he went in the swimming pool. If I'm trying to stop someone from
going in the water (as they stated they did try to stop him), I
wouldn't just ignore him/her once in the water. Not blaming anyone
but I do feel those people acted careless. If there were no life
guards then why swimming pool area was even open to the public.
Accidents can happen any time with anyone therefore life guards
should be present at all time; else the area should closed off
completely.
Abhineet Kaur: Yes,
of course they were careless and because of their carelessness every
one is suffering such a big loss.
Pavandeep Singh:
The company was careless, but I feel that the death was too strange
to be blamed on the company. How could there have been nobody near a
swimming pool in the month of July. I feel it was simply a
conspiracy by the other contestants.
Paramjit S. Cherra:
I would
have to say no to that one.... I think he was smart enough to handle
himself and the company cannot be blamed for what has happened to
him.
Sarabjeet Kaur:
Yes Of course. He was a celebrity. And then too no security was
around to help him when he died because of drowning. And the worst
part is that no investigation has taken place so far.
Harjinder Singh:
Definitely ! I think the company which had taken him to Maldives is
totally responsible for his not being with us today. They should've
taken proper care. It is totally their carelessness. They should be
held responsible. There are so many questions which lie unanswered.
The company must be booked. We won't get our Ishmeet back but
definitely we would want to see some action taken against those
careless crooks.
Gurpreet Singh Rana
Most
definitely. Where were the life guards that are meant to be around
the swimming pool?
What is unfortunate in the way that the trip was handled is
that Ishmeet Singh's parents will have questions that may haunt them
for the rest of their lives. This is the biggest injustice in this
tragedy.
Gurjot Keerat:
No
Jasvir Kaur:
Yes off course
they were careless..............They take away a precious diamond of
ours away from us............. If they had been careful then this
would have never happened.
 Vaneet Singh:
Absolutely! I don’t have any doubt that the company needed to be
more responsible and accountable in handling the trip to Maldives.
The Event Management Company and the STAR GROUP should have stood up
to its reputation and should have been more professional in their
approach. I think they were not only careless in handling the trip
but were also feckless by not admitting this blunder on their part.
I was hurt to see a callous attitude from such a big media group. I
strongly urge Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Government
of India) to take note of this accident and to put restrain on the
misdoings of such profit oriented companies. An online petition has
been initiated to demand an inquiry into Ishmeet’s death. This
inquiry is a must to expose the possibility of “deliberate" errors
on the part of event management company and/or the STAR GROUP.
Manpreet Singh
Be it
tragedy or conspiracy, the truth is that Ishmeet had to leave us
according to the will of Almighty. Granted, accidents never give
any warnings of their occurrence, but one does wonder about the
abnormal coincidences leading to Ishmeet's demise. In this matter I
believe that the company promoting his singing should certainly have
taken better measures to ensure the safety and security of these
young celebrities. Surely there should have been a mature person
present at all times who is not only representing the company but
also governing the actions of the singers who they have contracted.
Surely there should have been policies and procedures in place for
singers to abide by and someone there to ensure this. Such is the
thought process of our community. A result of which, we have lost a
being beyond comparison.
Zahida Virjee YES! - The managing director or whoever accompanied them
should have stayed alert at all times. They are getting paid to
accompany these kids on the show, so I personally feel that these
managing directors should be on guard 24/7.
10 September 2008
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