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Indian-origin Sikh leader arrested for plotting to burn down prominent Gurdwara in California

kem haris 2 years ago 3 min read

Rajvir Raj Singh Gill

A 60-year-vintage Indian-beginning Sikh guy has been arrested withinside the U.S. for allegedly trying to lease human beings to shoot a couple of human beings and burn down a distinguished Gurdwara in California, in keeping with media reports.

Rajvir Raj Singh Gill, a former Bakersfield City Council candidate, turned into arrested on March four for allegedly concentrated on one in all Bakersfield`s biggest Sikh locations of worship, Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji Khalsa Darbar, and burning down the belongings, bakersfield.com portal reported.

Mr. Gill turned into arrested in reference to six counts of crook threats after officials done a seek warrant at his residence, the file stated.

The Bakersfield Police Department stated further to imparting a person cash in trade for burning down the gurdwara, Mr. Gill attempted to pay human beings to shoot others who he had an ongoing dispute with, 23abc.com portal reported.

Mr. Gill had tried to run for City Council Ward 7 in opposition to Manpreet Kaur in 2022. Ms. Kaur gained the election and turned into the primary Sikh Punjabi girl elected to the Bakersfield City Council, the file added.

Ms. Kaur, who gained the seat for Ward 7, issued the subsequent statement: “I am privy to the alleged allegations. I am assured the Bakersfield Police branch is operating diligently to hold our network secure and could deal with the problem accordingly. Hearing this information is distressing and frightening. This is one in all our maximum pretty attended Sikh temples locally. To pay attention of an alleged try to wreck an area of worship is heartbreaking and unfathomable.”

“He employed the human beings. Those human beings, whoever he employed, got here and advised us and that they made a file to the police. So, the police referred to as us and that they were given our facts and the entirety and requested questions and we advised them what`s going on, and that`s while the entirety happened,” stated Amrik Singh Athwal, a temple board member.

A Bakersfield Police Department spokesman declined Tuesday to deal with what may also have caused Mr. Gill to take the moves he’s accused of, and he could now no longer complicated at the case.

A temple elder stated Tuesday that Mr. Gill has in latest months proven up on the belongings disrupting prayers and dangerous participants of the congregation and wearing a gun earlier than being arrested at one point. There aren’t anyt any facts of his arrest previous to Saturday.

The elder, Sukhwinder Singh Ranghi, attributed the repeated confrontations to a dispute over extra than $800,000, contributed via way of means of participants of the congregation, that turned into imagined to reimburse a company entity installation to shop for the temple out of foreclosures in July 2020.

“It`s the greed that maximum in all likelihood were given to him,” Mr. Ranghi turned into quoted as pronouncing via way of means of bakersfield.com.

Mr. Ranghi stated the temple found out Mr. Gill offered $10,000 to 2 Hispanic guys to kill positive leaders of the congregation who’re worried withinside the courtroom docket cases, consisting of Mr. Ranghi. He stated Mr. Gill drove the guys across the town declaring the houses of the temple leaders he desired to be killed. This facts got here to temple management from an accomplice of the supposed hitmen.

With extra than 500 participants, Shaheed is one in all Bakersfield`s best-attended Sikh temples. It hosts an annual birthday party in past due October that attracts thousands.