Jarnail Singh: Difference between revisions

Jarnail Singh

Jarnail Singh is a journalist from the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran. He hurled a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram at a press conference on 7th of April 2009 over his responses to the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) clean chit to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Singh had repeatedly tried to bring up some discussion on the clean chit given to Jagdish Tytler in the matter of his involvement in the violent pogrom against Sikhs after the assasiation of Indira Gandhi by two of her personal Sikh bodyguards, shortly after the invasion of the Harmandir Sahib in 1984. After several attempts at ending Singh's questions, Mr. Chidambaram said that the GBI report would now go to the Court which would decide to accept or reject it. Then he raised his palm to Mr. Singh saying there would be no more talk on the matter of Tytler, when Jarnail Singh , almost politely, grasped his right shoe and bowled it underhanded in an arc to the side of Mr. Chitabaram's head, who even smiled as the shoe passed by. No doubt he immediately knew that the formerly un-noteworthy meeting would now be a part of history. Long after Chidambaram's name has gone to the history pages of wikipedia, Jarnail Singh's minute of frustration, over the lack of justice, for the victims of the 84's riots will still be playing on television screens and telephone's around the world.

Several men then moved to take hold of both of the Sikh Journalist's arms and rushed him out of the meeting, with Chidambaram telling them, "Gently, Gently". Interestingly enough Mr. Singh seemed to be just as shocked at his action, as were the rest of the people in attendance. Those who knew Singh were quick to express their surprise, describing him as a clam person of deeply held religious beliefs. Mr. Singh was quick to say, “I admit my method was wrong, but the sentiment was right. I do not wish that any journalist should behave in this manner.”

Film of the incident on youtube [1].

No doubt the scene brought to mind the recent 'shoe toss' that was 'heard 'round the world', when an Iraqi journalist tossed both his shoes at Pres. George Bush while he was on a State visit to Iran in his last few days as the US President.

However the brief bit of astonished anger, resounded with many Sikhs and others around the world who have waited through many years for some of the 'king pins' of those days of bloody murders to be brought to justice. One group even offered a princely sum for the shoe.

News reports on the subject:

• Jarnail Singh, a journalist of the daily Dainik Jagran flung a shoe at Home Minister of India Mr P Chidambaram and made the Indian nation sit up in alarm.

Jarnail Singh, a Sikh himself says that his act may have been wrong but the cause remains real. Singh was upset like many in his community that the Congress Party had given a poll ticket to the accused of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The CBI had given a clean chit to Congressman Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, and this was followed by the court’s acquittal of the two.

• That makes many people ask: Who is Jarnail Singh? Is he a firebrand journalist, a staunch Sikh or the new poster boy of the Sikh community's campaign for justice? Just who is Jarnail Singh? Long before he made headlines as the man who hurled a shoe at the Home Minister, Jarnail Singh has cracked many stories on his beat - defence.

Award Pledged to Journalist

• Several Sikh organisations pledged a Rs 2 lakh "reward" for Jarnail Singh for his "heroism". "He has represented the agony and resentment of the community. For this, Sikh organisations have decided to honour him with Rs 2 lakh," said Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Akali Dal leader and municipal councillor. The Delhi unit of Shiromani Akali Dal, which initially said it would give Rs one lakh to the scribe as legal aid, later said it would "felicitate" him for the act. .

The Damdami Taksal Amritsar has also announced the reward and the 1984 riots affected people has put an amount of 5 lac on the shoe which was thrown.

Who is Jarnail Singh

Singh started off as a reporter in Amar Ujala after a diploma in journalism from the YMCA. The 35-year-old has been a correspondent with Dainik Jagran for over a decade. Friends and family say the agression Jarnail showed is unlike him.

“He is a very calm person and a very religious one too. He goes to Gurdwara every day. Must have been something that happened that place and time, that he was angered,” said Aman, a friend of the journalist, now mired in controversy. Jarnail Singh too felt he could have reacted differently. “I admit my method was wrong, but the sentiment was right. I do not wish that any journalist should behave in this manner,” said the journalist by his own admission.

Jarnail Singh was sacked on Thursday, July 2, 2009 Wednesday, about three months after he threw a shoe at Union home minister P Chidambaram. Singh said the newspaper was under pressure from the United Progressive Alliance government and the Congress. "Why is Jagran terminating my services now? The incident is three months old. They should have fired me then," said Singh. "They were waiting for the election results. Now, after the Congress came back to power, they have terminated me," he said.^[1].