A 60-year-old Indian-origin Sikh man has been arrested within the U.S. for allegedly trying to rent individuals to shoot a number of individuals and burn down a distinguished Gurdwara in California, based on media experiences.
Rajvir Raj Singh Gill, a former Bakersfield Metropolis Council candidate, was arrested on March 4 for allegedly focusing on one in all Bakersfield’s largest Sikh locations of worship, Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji Khalsa Darbar, and burning down the property, bakersfield.com portal reported.
Mr. Gill was arrested in reference to six counts of legal threats after officers executed a search warrant at his residence, the report mentioned.
The Bakersfield Police Division mentioned along with providing somebody cash in change for burning down the gurdwara, Mr. Gill tried to pay individuals to shoot others who he had an ongoing dispute with, 23abc.com portal reported.
Mr. Gill had tried to run for Metropolis Council Ward 7 towards Manpreet Kaur in 2022. Ms. Kaur gained the election and was the primary Sikh Punjabi lady elected to the Bakersfield Metropolis Council, the report added.
Ms. Kaur, who gained the seat for Ward 7, issued the next assertion: “I’m conscious of the alleged allegations. I’m assured the Bakersfield Police division is working diligently to maintain our neighborhood secure and can deal with the matter accordingly. Listening to this information is distressing and horrifying. That is one in all our most extremely attended Sikh temples regionally. To listen to of an alleged try and destroy a spot of worship is heartbreaking and unfathomable.”
“He employed the individuals. These individuals, whoever he employed, got here and advised us they usually made a report back to the police. So, the police known as us they usually acquired our info and every thing and requested questions and we advised them what is going on on, and that’s when every thing occurred,” mentioned Amrik Singh Athwal, a temple board member.
A Bakersfield Police Division spokesman declined Tuesday to handle what could have prompted Mr. Gill to take the actions he’s accused of, and he wouldn’t elaborate on the case.
A temple elder mentioned Tuesday that Mr. Gill has in latest months proven up on the property disrupting prayers and threatening members of the congregation and carrying a gun earlier than being arrested at one level. There are not any data of his arrest previous to Saturday.
The elder, Sukhwinder Singh Ranghi, attributed the repeated confrontations to a dispute over greater than $800,000, contributed by members of the congregation, that was imagined to reimburse a company entity set as much as purchase the temple out of foreclosures in July 2020.
“It’s the greed that more than likely acquired to him,” Mr. Ranghi was quoted as saying by bakersfield.com.
Mr. Ranghi mentioned the temple discovered Mr. Gill supplied $10,000 to 2 Hispanic males to kill sure leaders of the congregation who’re concerned within the court docket circumstances, together with Mr. Ranghi. He mentioned Mr. Gill drove the lads across the metropolis mentioning the houses of the temple leaders he wished to be killed. This info got here to temple management from an affiliate of the supposed hitmen.
With greater than 500 members, Shaheed is one in all Bakersfield’s best-attended Sikh temples. It hosts an annual celebration in late October that attracts hundreds.