Justice for Jassi? A Pyrrhic Consolation?
Many of us either saw or heard of CBC’s broadcast (for those of us here in the US, it was on Dateline NBC) of “Forbidden Love” chronicling the death of a Sikh Canadian, Jaswinder “Jassi” Kaur Sidhu.
The basics of the story are as follows:
Jaswinder, or Jassi, was 25-years-old when she was kidnapped, tortured and killed in the spring of 2000 after going against her family’s wishes and marrying Mithu.
Mithu, a poor auto-rickshaw driver, was hacked by swords and left for dead after his wife was whisked away.
After several weeks in a coma, he awoke to be told that Jassi, whom he had secretly married, had been brutally slain. [link]
Punjab Police later revealed that Jassi’s family had paid up to $50,000 for the hit on their daughter. (I have commented a few times on the rise in contract killings in Punjab here and here) However, even after the death of his beloved Sukhwinder Singh “Mithu” still could not find peace. Jassi’s family was able to find a false witness, a former employee of theirs from their village, to lodge a false case against Mithu claiming that he had raped her.
It was largely the efforts of friends, family members, supporters, and Vancouver-based newspaper publisher,
Harbinder Singh Sewak that came together and started a website (JusticeforJassi.com) as well as hired the Punjabi lawyers that helped get Mithu acquitted after almost four years of incarceration, all based on the testimony of a bribed witness.
In a strange twist, yesterday Mithu was elected Panch of his village Kaunke Khosa, near Jagraon. The newspaper reports that he gained much sympathy from the villagers due to the tragedy that he had to face. While it is hardly justice, I did think it is a fascinating twist to a story that many of us are following.
[Sort of as an aside, I did want to make another comment. I remember when Dateline played this story back in 2002. A number of Sikh groups were angered at the portrayal of Sikhs in the story. And from what I remember there were problems with how the Canadian media wanted to frame the story as 'traditionalism' v. 'modernity.' However, the knee-jerk reactions from most Sikh groups was to condemn the story and ask Dateline not to rebroadcast it. However, a much better reaction was that of editor Harbinder Singh Sewak. Instead of crying about 'portrayal' and 'image,' he decided to actually work for Jassi's justice by helping Mithu get out of jail and win his case against the false charges brought upon him. How much greater were his efforts in helping the 'Sikh image'? I hope there is a lesson here for Sikhs in the future as well.]
13 Responses to “Justice for Jassi? A Pyrrhic Consolation?”
By Suki on May 26, 2008 at 11:16 pm | Quote
I live only a 15 minute drive from Jesse uncle farm just outside of Maple Ridge BC.
The broadcast that was on CBC and Dateline NBC was very fair. And the people who complained are the same people that everytime there a problem in the punjabi sikh community spend 90% of the time blaming the media and very little time talking about the actual problem.
Unless I’m mistaken I think Jesse uncle is still one of the leaders of the Richmond Gurdwara.
By Suki on May 26, 2008 at 11:23 pm | Quote
I had a chance to talk to a girl that went to school with Jesse. From what she told me that, Jesse had no freedom at all in high school. She was not allowed to have any friends after school, and could go nowhere without her family. She just had no social life at all. Also the dateline NBC report they said that her boss at the place where she worked gave her the talk about the birds and bees.
So when she want to India, she had freedom for the 1st time, she fell in love with the 1st guy she get to spend any time with. It a joke at how much difference at the freedom that boys and girls in the punjabi community get in the west.
By baingandabhartha on May 26, 2008 at 11:50 pm | Quote
Most Sikh ‘groups’ are a bunch of backward-ass child-killing jackasses who are living in the stone age. Sorry, I know, I got carried away there, but I am a dad and the thought of a father wanting his child torture d and killed just hits me extra hard. But I beleieve there is large grain of truth in that statement…
By SV on May 27, 2008 at 7:55 am | Quote
CBC did nothing to help but butt in to stir hatred against turbaned Sikhs and sad to see some apney becoming victim of their profit making docu-drama.
By Camille on May 27, 2008 at 10:56 am | Quote
Ok, that makes NO sense. Which groups are you talking about?
I think Jodha’s reflection is really right on. For many, it’s difficult to figure out how to criticize media portrayals that they may feel are reductionist, inaccurate, etc., while still addressing very real and serious issues that should not be swept under the rug. I think this is a great example of how we can deal with those issues through our actions more than anything else.
By Suki on May 27, 2008 at 11:28 am | Quote
CBC did nothing to help but butt in to stir hatred against turbaned Sikhs and sad to see some apney becoming victim of their profit making docu-drama.
Give me a break, the blame the CBC thing is getting old.
By baingandabhartha on May 27, 2008 at 1:52 pm | Quote
By Harbeer on May 28, 2008 at 12:54 pm | Quote
Whoa! Where’d that guy get the rainbow fifty? Really stands out in the otherwise all-black outfit.
By Prabhu Singh Khalsa on Jun 2, 2008 at 12:33 pm | Quote
“How much greater were his efforts in helping the ‘Sikh image’?”
Dateline reaches millions, this is the first time I’ve heard of Harbinder Singh Ji. His efforts in helping a few Sikhs may be a million times greater, but as far as the Sikh image, his efforts are minuscule in comparison.
As Sikhs are rarely portrayed on American television and only negatively on Dateline, I think we should complain. From my memory turbanned Sikhs were shown as old-fashioned. There was not one Sikh with a turban who was shown in a positive light any where in the presentation. I think that’s reason enough to complain.
I agree though that blaming the media when there are a bunch of backward wannabe Sikhs committing crimes is a total cop-out as well.
By Jodha on Jun 2, 2008 at 12:59 pm | Quote
But Prabhu, when they return to the story, which they always do every two years, they will have something new to add. Harbinder WILL be featured in their next update.
Regardless, I am less concerned with ‘image’ and far more concerned with justice. If more in our community were concerned with ‘justice,’ I believe that we would have the greatest ‘image.’
By Anu on Jun 21, 2008 at 8:43 pm | Quote
To those that think this portrays ALL Sikhs or Indians in a negative light, GIVE ME A BREAK. Anyone w/half intellect can differentiate between a psycho uncle and mother who had their daughter brutally murdered and the attempted murder and false imprisonment of their son in law. The problem does NOT lie in the telling of this story, which needs to be heard as much as possible. The problem lies in the general LACK OF OUTRAGE by the Sikh community, turning a blind eye, blaming, excusing.. and that the Canadian govt doesn’t either give a crap about Jassi’s murder or doesn’t have the balls to DO SOMETHING TO BRING JUSTICE TO THIS CASE.
There are NO OTHER VICTIMS HERE besides Jassi & Mithu.
By Margo Baptiste on Jun 22, 2008 at 4:39 am | Quote
This is so sad that two people lives can be so tragically afected by
family honor,that this preceedes everthing even to the point of murder,attempted murder and ruining a young man’s life.Crime is a crime no matter country,race,reglion.When you commit murder and break the law you need to take the punishment that the law dishes out. Her family need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Shame on the RCMP of Canada. I willsign the petition.It is a shame that so many years have gone by. There is punishment ultimately,they will go to hell and pay for this.
By Tami Green on Jun 22, 2008 at 12:12 pm | Quote
Canada should be ashamed!Jazzi was a Canadian citizen that has been brutaliy murdered in another country. Where is her justice? Why was she abandoned and thrown away,not only by her own flesh and blood, but her own country?
What about Mithu,who still suffers today by the hands of Jazzis’ family? Where is HIS justice? When will he finally find peace?
NO ONE deserves what these two people went through all in the name of Love….
Canada-step up and do what you should have done years ago… Extrodite the uncle and mother back to India…Justice cries out for it and there’s a young man desperate for peace still waiting out there.