New York, NY (KP) - Hoping to avoid another public embarrassment at the airport, the internationally known fraud, saadh Maan Pehowa, this time discretely landed in New York last week only to find out he was still a persona non grata in public Gurdwara Sahibs in the East Coast.
Unanimous Decision by Public Gurdwaras
At a widely participated meeting of most tri-state Gurdwaras, held at Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Cultural Society in New York, a unanimous resolution was passed by all the Gurdwara representatives stating that the rapist saadh would not be allowed to hold any programs in any Gurdwara in the tri-state area. Representatives from the Pennsylvania area, who could not attend the meeting, gave their verbal approval of the Sangat’s decision via telephone.
Next Trip : California ?
Interestingly, the only places he is allowed to perform is at private residences and deras such as Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Dera in New York. Embarrassed by this unwelcome, he is considering to head towards California, where he met with even more resistance during his 2006 visit.
The shameless saadh who is accused of sexually molesting and raping a number of his women followers, had been in hiding for the last several months. This has been his first trip back to the United States since his last visting in 2006 when he was greeted with ‘garlanded’ shoes and ‘rapist baba go home’ signs at the San Francisco Airport by protesting Sangat. He was not allowed hold a program at a single Gurdwara during his last trip to California, which was continually dogged by protests.
Favors from Badal and Police
Using his well established alliance with the Punjab Police and anti-Panthic leader Parkash Badal, he has had his Punjab detractors and their relatives arrested - others have been consistently harassed and intimidated by the local police. His most vocal opponent, Dr. Gurvinderpal Singh Samra stated he was recently attacked in jail by local gangsters hired by the saadh.
Realizing the lack of justice at local a level, Dr. Samra is moving the multiple rape cases and the attempt on his life to the High Courts of Punjab. In a press release, Dr. Samra alleged that the Haryana based saadh’s current trip to America is ploy to escape from the legal and criminal cases building up against him in Punjab.
