New Zealand: Right wing group disrupts Sikh procession in Tauranga

Wellington: In New Zealand, a right-wing group has once again disrupted a religious event of the Sikhs. The Sikh community had organized its annual Nagar Kirtan (religious procession) there. This is the second such incident in a short span of time. 

What did Sikh bodies say?
 

Sikh bodies, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in Amritsar, have expressed deep concern over the incident. This time, the incident took place in Tauranga City, 225 km from Auckland. The procession started at 11 am on Sunday from the Gurdwara Sikh Sangat temple. It was then supposed to proceed along Cameron Road towards Tauranga Boys' College.

What was the incident?

In anticipation of possible disruption by a Christian group, the police department had already made enhanced security arrangements. Despite this, members of a group associated with Pentecostal leader Brian Tamaki and his Destiny Church attempted to disrupt the procession. These individuals performed a traditional Maori haka (tribal dance) in protest in front of the parade. They also held banners that read, "This is New Zealand, not India." 

However, due to coordination between the police and volunteers, the event concluded without any major disruption.

What was the earlier incident?

Earlier, three weeks ago, right-wing protesters had opposed a Sikh procession in Auckland. This procession was held to commemorate the martyrdom of the sons of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. This incident had created tension within the local Sikh community. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had strongly reacted to it.

The president of the Sikh religious-political parliament SGPC, Harjinder Singh Dhami, strongly condemned the protest by some locals against the Nagar Kirtan in New Zealand and said that it was organized peacefully by the Sikhs according to their religious traditions. Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Sunday that the alleged repeated disruptions to peaceful Sikh Nagar Kirtans in New Zealand are a matter of grave concern. He urged the central government to take up the matter with New Zealand. In a post on the social media platform 'X', Badal said that the repeated disruptions to peaceful Sikh Nagar Kirtans in New Zealand (including the latest incident in Tauranga today) are extremely worrying.