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Raid effect: Belgian king
visits Gurdwara Bangla Sahib
WSN Network
NEW DELHI: Belgium's King Albert II and Queen Paola made a
symbolic visit to Gurdwara Bangla Sahib here during their
three-day to India, probably to silence criticism over a raid on
two gurdwaras in Brussels that triggering outrage among the Sikh
community.
A fortnight before the Belgian monarch arrived in
India on a
10-day visit on Monday, the Belgian police carried out raids on
19 properties, including two gurdwaras, in the Brussels suburbs
of Vilvorde and Tubize in connection with an investigation into
an illegal immigration racket.
The Sikh community in
Belgium was
outraged and alleged that the police went in with their shoes on
and forced a priest to stop the continual recitation of the Guru
Granth Sahib held to mark 300 years of the Sikh holy book.
Sikh organisations have written to the Belgian Prime Minister
seeking a full investigation of the incident and demanded an
apology from Belgian police. They have also sought changes to
the police procedures when handling places of worship of all
communities.
"The same
result could have been reached in a different way by respecting
the feelings and dignity of the Sikh community," said Ines
Wouters, a Brussels-based lawyer who is investigating the matter
on behalf of United Sikhs, a coalition of Sikh organisations.
12 November
2008
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