CHANDIGARH: For the second time in less than a month, a local right-wing religious group has disrupted a Nagar Kirtan organised by the Sikh community in New Zealand to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.
Members of Destiny Church, linked to Pentecostal leader Brian Tamaki, attempted to disrupt the religious procession in Tauranga on Sunday. Carrying banners that read “This is New Zealand not India”, they performed a traditional Māori haka in front of the procession.
Sources said the Nagar Kirtan began in the morning from Gurdwara Sikh Sanga in Tauranga and was proceeding towards Tauranga Boys’ College via Cameron Road when it was disrupted. The local police had strengthened security arrangements, and no major untoward incident took place due to effective coordination between the police and volunteers.
A video of the incident was shared by Tamaki, which read, “Today in Tauranga, our True Patriots answered the Sikh Parade with a haka…not violence, not silence, but peaceful defiance. Our chant rang out across our streets: ‘Whose streets? OUR streets. Whose streets? KIWI streets.’”
Appealing to both the Indian and New Zealand governments to take serious note of the matter and take strict action against those responsible, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami said such an incident occurring for the second time in New Zealand had deeply disappointed the Sikh community. “Viewing the religious traditions of the Sikh community which has always made an exemplary contribution to strengthening global brotherhood with a hateful mindset is completely unacceptable.”
“Nagar Kirtan is a sacred religious tradition of Sikhism, and opposing it is not only an attack on the humanitarian values of the Sikh faith but also a challenge to social harmony and mutual coexistence. The Sikh community living in every country has always coexisted peacefully with local people and has consistently respected the laws and culture of the host nations. Despite this, deliberately preventing Sikhs from practising their religion is highly disappointing.”
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal described the repeated disruptions of peaceful Sikh Nagar Kirtans in New Zealand as “deeply concerning” and urged the Central Government to take up the issue with New Zealand authorities. In a post on X, Badal wrote, “The repeated disruptions of peaceful Sikh nagar kirtans in New Zealand, including the latest incident today in Tauranga, are deeply concerning.”
“Nagar kirtans are sacred religious processions that promote peace, unity, and community service. The Sikh community, which always prays for ‘Sarbat Da Bhala’ (the welfare of all), has shown exemplary restraint at such sensitive moments. Anguished by these repeated incidents, I urge the Hon’ble External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar to immediately take up this matter diplomatically with the New Zealand government to protect Sikh religious freedom abroad. Religious expression must be safe for all. Shiromani Akali Dal stands with our diaspora,” he said.
Earlier, referring to a similar disruption of a Nagar Kirtan procession in south Auckland, Badal had said such intimidation threatens religious freedom and the spirit of universal brotherhood.