| Date:4th June, 2018 |
| UNITED SIKHS Providing Humanitarian Aid to Shillong Locals | The Global United Nations-Affiliated Organization is the Only NGO Resource at Ground Zero |
| SHILLONG, MEGHALYA, INDIA - UNITED SIKHS today released an assessment at Ground Zero as the only NGO providing humanitarian aid amidst the ongoing conflict. As described by local news reports and UNITED SIKHS first-responder personnel, a mob of 200-300 individuals gathered at Punjabi Lane and attacked Sikh homes and businesses near Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara and police officers on the evening of May 31. |
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| Left:The Shillong Community remains on watch at Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara. Right:Damage caused by petrol bombs hurled near Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Shillong |
| The mob activity was reportedly due to retribution against Sikh leaders for helping a Sikh woman who had been harassed by a Shillong Transport Public Service driver earlier that same day and assisting her with filing a police report. Unable to pacify the mob, a curfew was imposed by the state government of Meghalya on June 1, which continues to date. The government has yet to restore phone and internet access, and the neighborhood has been on lock down for days. |
| "UNITED SIKHS have provided fire extinguishers to the local community, as they continue to face threats of petrol bomb attacks," said Mohinderjit Singh, UNITED SIKHS Sikh Aid Project Coordinator leading efforts in Shillong. "We have reached out to local officials requesting additional security. Conflicting news reports are claiming the Sikh community has not been attacked, and this is completely contrary to what we are seeing on the ground. The community had to rescue themselves from fires using buckets of water, as the fire brigade was not available." |
| Women and minorities across India persistently face a high level of devastating human rights violations, such as this one. In an effort to reach a peaceful resolution to the alarming violence in Shillong, the NGO's International Civil & Human Rights Advocacy (ICHRA) legal team has alerted its government partners in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. UNITED SIKHS are calling for support to help mediate the situation and bring all affected parties together. |
| As an affiliate of the United Nations, the organization is urging local members of the community to refrain from engaging in violence while remaining steadfast in its mission to advocate for minority communities in need around the world. Follow @UNITEDSIKHS on Twitter and @UNITEDSIKHS.org on Facebook for continuing updates. To help support relief efforts during this ongoing crisis, please donate here: https://unitedsikhs.org/donate/. |
| Issued by: Gurvinder Singh Director, UNITED SIKHS E:sikhaid@unitedsikhs.org |
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| ABOUT UNITED SIKHS UNITED SIKHS is a United Nations-affiliated, international charity that advocates for civil and human rights globally. Our International Civil & Human Rights Advocacy helps advance the economic, social and spiritual empowerment of minorities and other marginalized groups and individuals in need, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social status, age or ability. We achieve this by protecting and enforcing the civil and human rights of minorities and marginalized groups in the Americas, Europe and Asia. |
