Akali Dal Leaders Face Strong Opposition Across North America

NEW YORK—Delegations of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) have faced strong opposition in the United States and Canada.  A number of Akali conferences were scheduled across both countries, however witnessing growing protests, these events were either cancelled or held privately.

Yesterday, at an event in Richmond Hill, New York, Punjab Cabinet Minister Tota Singh and his delegation faced strong opposition as they faced protests by hundreds of local Sikhs.  Protesters raised slogan against the Akali Dal for more than three hours.  The protest turned violent as two youths were taken into custody but later released.  

Tota Singh is a senior member of the Akali Dal and he is currently also serving as the minister for NRI Affairs in the Punjab Government.

Similarly, an Akali conference in Abbotsford was also cancelled as large number of Canadian Sikhs across the British Columbia arrived there to express their distress.  As the protesters were standing outside the hall shouting slogans against Akalis, the organizers started challenging the protesters by casting violent threats.  One of them picked up a chair and threatened to hit the protesters, however police intervened and allowed the Sikhs to protest peacefully.

Sikhs complained that the program was advertised by the Akalis as an “open discussion”, however when hundreds of Sikhs arrived there, the doors were shut and no one but family members and relatives of organizers were allowed inside.

This past week, a conference was also organized in Fresno, California, however the organizers changed the venue last minute without informing anyone.  About 30-35 people took part in the event organized by the local Akali leaders.  Similar protests also took place in Toronto and Seattle.