Another story from the PM's India trip
Here's how the Tribune in India is reporting the story of our Prime Minister's trip to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
A familiar tale to some of us, but apparently this paper is unaccustomed to the trademark Harper style. I am told that refusing prasad and langar is somewhat like shoving a communion wafer in one's pocket, but that's another story.
Here's the Tribune story.
Amritsar, November 18
Controversy and chaos marked Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Golden Temple visit.
Harper refused to partake of prasad at Darshani Deodi after being dissuaded by his aide, Alisa Mohammed. He also declined langar.
SGPC officials said she also made them vacate their information office prior to the premier’s arrival. “When we objected, she said she had already spoken to the SGPC secretary on the matter. It is for the first time that we have suffered such humiliation at hands of a foreigner in our own office,” said a senior SGPC official, expressing resentment over the behaviour of the Canadian PM’s staff.
Multi-tier security provided by officials of intelligence, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Punjab Police, CID and the overzealous Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee task force converted the complex into a fortress. Perhaps for the first time, movement of devotees came to a halt during a VVIP’s visit.
Members of SGPC’s task force allegedly snatched cameras of photojournalists and misbehaved with them. Even Canadian journalists were jostled around and manhandled. The video camera of a CBC journalist fell during the melee. “It seemed that everyone was policing and there were more securitymen in the complex,” a Canadian journalist told this correspondent.
Though Indian photojournalists were restricted to three pre-determined points in the Parkarma, their Canadian counterparts were allowed to perch on veranda roofs along the Parkarma. SGPC chief Avtar Singh assured action against erring task force officials.

A familiar tale to some of us, but apparently this paper is unaccustomed to the trademark Harper style. I am told that refusing prasad and langar is somewhat like shoving a communion wafer in one's pocket, but that's another story.
Here's the Tribune story.
Amritsar, November 18
Controversy and chaos marked Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Golden Temple visit.
Harper refused to partake of prasad at Darshani Deodi after being dissuaded by his aide, Alisa Mohammed. He also declined langar.
SGPC officials said she also made them vacate their information office prior to the premier’s arrival. “When we objected, she said she had already spoken to the SGPC secretary on the matter. It is for the first time that we have suffered such humiliation at hands of a foreigner in our own office,” said a senior SGPC official, expressing resentment over the behaviour of the Canadian PM’s staff.
Multi-tier security provided by officials of intelligence, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Punjab Police, CID and the overzealous Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee task force converted the complex into a fortress. Perhaps for the first time, movement of devotees came to a halt during a VVIP’s visit.
Members of SGPC’s task force allegedly snatched cameras of photojournalists and misbehaved with them. Even Canadian journalists were jostled around and manhandled. The video camera of a CBC journalist fell during the melee. “It seemed that everyone was policing and there were more securitymen in the complex,” a Canadian journalist told this correspondent.
Though Indian photojournalists were restricted to three pre-determined points in the Parkarma, their Canadian counterparts were allowed to perch on veranda roofs along the Parkarma. SGPC chief Avtar Singh assured action against erring task force officials.

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