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Swiss gurdwara donor drug dealer?
Yudhvir Rana, TNN, Feb 10, 2011, 01.57am IST
AMRITSAR: Activities in the only gurdwara with classical Sikh
architecture in Switzerland have come to a standstill with the police of the
European country booking the main donor for allegedly indulging in drug-
trafficking and money laundering.
The Sikh NRI Ranjit Singh Masuta on Wednesday blamed the Swiss police for
allegedly implicating him in false cases and causing him huge financial losses,
due to which, he was not in a position to support the activities in the gurdwara
built on land donated by him.
Sikh Foundation of Switzerland that manages the Gurdwara Sahib and a
representative body of Sikhs there have decided to defend Masuta in the 2005
case, in which he was later given a clean chit, foundation chairman Karan Singh
said on Wednesday. The foundation hired two lawyers to contest the case and
called a meeting of Sikhs of Europe to muster support for the donor.
Masuta, who hails from Bhungarni village near Hoshiarpur, told The Times of
India over phone on Wednesday that he had a flourishing telecom business.
He alleged that the police framed him in 2005 but the case was closed as cops
failed to prove charges against him. 'But by then, I had lost not only my
business, but reputation also,' he said, adding he would file a lawsuit,
demanding 130 million Swiss Franks as compensation.
Karan Singh alleged Masuta was targeted as he was a non-white and Sikh. 'Masuta
had not only donated the land but also funded the construction of the religious
place. Our social projects and those of propagation of Sikhism have suffered,'
he said.
Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Swiss-gurdwara-donor-drug-dealer/articleshow/7464303.cms
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