Sincere 'kar sevaks' to get certificates

NEW DELHI: Granting bail to 15 bikers who had run amok at Connaught Place recently, the court said the order to undergo 'kar seva' was "to teach the children that they should not take law into their hands in the name of religion as it does not serve any religion and no religion teaches so".
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has hailed the ruling."I feel it is a historic order, a milestone. This order while reminding the youth their duty brings with it a touch of religion," said DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna. "We will take the order seriously. The youths will have to tell us a particular time when they would be performing the 'kar seva' so that we can depute the 'head granthi' to monitor them. Certificates will be given to those who who have performed 'kar seva'," Sarna added.
The families of the accused have also welcomed the order though many of them said their children had been falsely implicated. "My nephew has been put behind bars for no reason. But I think it is a great order. The boys will learn a lot from the 'kar seva'," said Jasbeer Singh, the uncle of one of the accused. "It is the right thing to do," said Sarabjeet Singh a relative of another accused.
However, not everybody was equally happy. "We will be happy to see our son back, but he is innocent. The police picked him up without reason," said a parent who did not want to be named. Twenty-nine youths were arrested from the Mandir Marg area, while 16 were picked up from Connaught Place. They were later remanded to judicial custody till August 5 by metropolitan magistrate Vikas Dhull.
They have been booked under various sections of the IPC including 147 (rioting), 149 (offence committed by a member of unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of duty) and 333 (causing grievous hurt).
toireporter@timesgroup.com