UK Immigration arrests Garry Sandhu

Award winning, Bhangra singer, Garry Sandhu was taken into custody on 27th October 2011 by the UK Border Agency for not fulfilling his right to stay in the UK. Implying that the singer was here on an illegal basis.

"if someone says are you a freshie, I say yes I'm freshie, so what?"

Garry Sandhu, the Brit-Asia award winning singer has been arrested by the UK Border Agency for violating UK immigrations laws. It is revealed that he has not honoured his status to leave the country on a voluntary basis after not having the right to stay in the UK.

Gurmukh Singh Sandhu (Garry Sandhu), the winner of the Best Newcomer and Best Male Act at the recent Brit Asia Awards 2011, was arrested and taken into custody on 27th October 2011.

Ironically, his latest song and video called ‘Fresh’ was based on being a ‘Freshie’ and ‘foji’ which relates to a person who is ‘fresh of the boat’ from India, Punjab. The news of him being an illegal immigrant indicates how close he to the subject matter of the song.

This news will be a shock to the Asian music industry and his fans who saw Garry Sandhu as a new rising star on the scene.

DESIblitz.com can fully confirm the arrest after receiving an email statement from the UK Border Agency. Toby Allanson from the UK Border Agency in the statement said:

“We can confirm an Indian national was detained yesterday in the West Midlands area. When someone is found not to have a right to remain in the UK, we expect them to leave voluntarily. If they fail to do so, we will seek to enforce their removal.”

The singer recently performed live at the Brit Asia Awards 2011 at Hammersmith Apollo and at many melas in the UK, including the London Mela. His songs like ‘Sahan To Pyariya’ and ‘Tohar’ recieved a tremendous response. In a recent interview, he said he worked as a brick layer and builder, and decided to pursue a singing career because of the response of his fans and huge ethnic media support such as from Raaj FM, BBC Asian Network and Brit Asia.

It’s evident from the arrest that Garry was not here in the UK on legitimate terms and if proven, the chances are he will be deported back to India. Gary was living and working in Handsworth, a very ethnically rich area of Birmingham.

Garry started his music career in the UK after he was given support by Jas Sandhu who gave him work in catering initially and and then subsequently, became his manager. Garry was introduced to Pamma Sohal by Jas who helped him record and release his first song and music video with music producer Kam Frantic, called ‘Main Ni Peenda’ which brought him attention as a Punjabi singer.

Prior to ‘Main Ni Peenda’ he did attempt a track with music producer Jeeti which was a version of ‘Dil De Deh’ which was not released but was subsequently, re-produced in collaboration with Roachkilla. DJH produced ‘Sahan To Pyariya’ which was a huge hit for Sandhu.

Garry an avid user of Facebook with over 14,000 fans of his page, appeared on many television shows, on numerous interviews and features on a dedicated YouTube channel. Therefore, he was very much in the public eye and performed at many events and functions up and down the country.

Garry openly proud of being a ‘freshie’ himself said:”Proud to be freshie. Okay I’m a freshie but if some one says it behind my back then it hurts me, if someone says are you a freshie, I say yes I’m freshie, so what?”

Therefore, many people will wonder how can an artist like this present himself openly in the manner but also be an illegal immigrant at the same time? This is a question amongst many others that will need answers from Garry, especially for fans of his music who have given him trust, love and support for him as a person and a singer.

Soaring rate of British Asian Divorce

Divorce was once taboo in British Asian communities. Today, it is one of the most highly growing social problems affecting these communities and seems to be taking place very early in Brit-Asian marriages, completely changing the landscape of Brit-Asian life compared to older generations.
By Priya Chandra

marriages today, are more the unity of the couple rather than the families

On a Sunday afternoon, a British Asian man waits in a car and you see two young children in the back seats. A few moments later a British Asian woman walks up and stands a distance away from the car. It completely appears that the woman has nothing to do with the people in the car and that she is waiting for someone. Both adults look in their late 20s or early 30s.

Sometime later, one child, a boy, comes out of the car and runs up to the woman. She greets the child hugging and kissing him. Then, the man gets out and releases the second child, a girl, out of its child-seat. He passes her belongings to her. The little girl hugs the man tightly and then walks up to the woman. The man gets back into his car and drives off. There is coldness, bitterness and absolutely no communication between the adults.

This scene is from Birmingham city centre in the UK with real people. This scene is the visualisation of a divorced British Asian couple with young children. This scene is a reflection of British Asian parenting and society today.

Divorce amongst British Asian couples is soaring. And there does not seem to be a fix to the problem in sight.

Has it become too easy for British Asian couples to divorce? Have British Asians in particular given up on making relationships work? Has tolerance in couples and expectations overridden cultural values and impact on future generations? What is the real cause of British Asian divorce? These are questions being asked of today’s British Asian society.

Divorce in South Asian society was once a very taboo subject and very seldom heard of, even in the UK. Older Asian generations that migrated to the UK, got married at a young age, usually in the form of arranged marriages and had children very soon after. The nucleus of the home was the family and subsequently, the extended family. Mothers usually stayed at home looking after and bringing up children and the father was seen as the head of the household and usually the income provider. A framework that defined roles, responsibilities and the foundation to the relationship of a migrant couple.

As generations developed and got educated, British Asian society began to take advantage of what British life, work and leisure had to offer. In the early 1970′s to 80′s more first generation Brit-Asian men went to University and Polytechnics compared to women. Young women were still seen as home-makers, and education was not an option for many due to family suppression. However, in the 1980′s to 90′s this began to change, more young Brit-Asian women attended higher education and pursued professional careers like the men.

Some cultures within ethnic communities were still not happy about women getting educated. So, you saw more Indian students than Pakistani students for example. However, this shift in education also introduced more freedom and liberalisation in the next generations of British Asians.

No longer were many Brit-Asian men and women thinking in the same way as their grandparents or parents. They felt part of mainstream British society much more comfortably than previous generations. This led to marriage not becoming the priority in their lives because careers, business and status took centre stage. The era of professional Brit-Asians was upon us.

The trend in arranged marriages declined and the concept of meeting your own partners began to grow. Bringing us to the point where British Asian marriages are a mix of love, arranged and even speed dating encounters. Brit-Asian women have evolved to being financially and professionally secure, whilst British Asian men have thrived in all kinds of business and professional life, no longer stereo-typed as corner-shop owners.

Young Brit-Asian married couples are more commonly living independently from family. The notion of the extended family is eroding. Educated daughter-in-laws find it difficult to adapt to the traditional demands by in-laws and in return in-laws find it hard to understand new ways and accept change causing conflict and differences in opinion.

These changes have impacted family life, breaking the nucleus that was once prominent in Asian households. Brit-Asian marriages were primarily seen as the uniting of families rather than just two people and were strongly held together through guidance and support from families. However, marriages today, are more the unity of the couple rather than the families.

Marriage is always seen as a key milestone in Brit-Asian life. A UK National Statistics report says the highest proportions of married couples under pension age, with or without children, are were in Asian households. Over half of Bangladeshi (54%), Indian (53%) and Pakistani (51%) households contained a married couple, compared with 37% of those headed by a White British person. Demonstrating the importance of marriage for the Brit-Asian communities.

Lifestyle choices of British Asians have led to marriages happening later in life. Implying that you are more prepared for marriage when you feel you are ready compared to when your parents and family think you are ready. Giving more time and choice towards finding the ‘right’ person. Hence, the popularity of dating is now more common in British Asians compared to the past.

This shift in the British Asian marital process has definitely provided more choice and less pressure for many but at the same time it has led to divorce happening more frequently too. Elder generations say it is due to the dating and more choice, that young British Asian couples find it harder to stay together, because some may compare partners to previous relationships, other have high expectations of their partners, many are too selfish in the relationship and lots are not prepared to work at the marriage because they know they can divorce easily.

British Asian marriages are collapsing at an alarming rate. Many within the first year of marriage and often include couples that have dated for a long period prior to marriage too.

Reasons for marriage break-up include boredom, lack of interest in a partner, in-law pressures, limited time for each other, imbalance in giving and taking, intolerance of each other, money and work pressures, arranged marriages and extra-marital affairs.

Affairs and adultery incidents have risen dramatically amongst British Asians which include not only high rates in men but women too.

Many blame the advent of mobile phone culture, social networking, Internet dating and chat, making it very easy to meet new people. For many exposure to members of the opposite sex using these methods introduces thrill, excitement and attention missing in their marriages. Also, giving them secrecy and anonymity as required.

Brit-Asian divorces are generally breaking families into an ethnic society of single parent mothers and isolated fathers. Children are growing up with disjointed parenting and atmospheres of bitterness and hatred amongst their parents. Which raises the question of the emotional stability and respect within future relationships of the children too.

Family divorce lawyer, Irpreet Khoil reveals that changes in parental attitudes towards divorce are also changing, and that parents are more prepared to accept their successful son or daughter wishing to divorce, who otherwise would’ve been told to stay in the marriage for the sake of ‘izzat’ (family honour).

Baldish Khatkar, another lawyer with Brit-Asian divorce expertise, says that it’s not only younger couples that are divorcing. She comes across some older couples who have been married 20 or 30 years who no longer want to continue with their relationships.

Many would therefore argue that much has been lost and very little has been gained by the new British Asian culture. And question, whether divorce is the ideal solution for Brit-Asian couples who after dating, courting and living together still cannot achieve harmony in a marriage compared to older generations who kept it together through tougher times and getting married in some cases after only meeting once.

And yes, its not only happening here in the UK. In India divorce is rising significantly amongst the urban middle class in city areas. Dr Geetanjali Sharma, a marriage counsellor from Delhi told the BBC: “There’s been a 100% increase in divorce rates in the past five years alone.”

What would you say are the reasons for Brit-Asians divorcing? Do you agree it is too easy to divorce nowadays? Is divorce the best answer to a marriage that may need more time?

Courtesy: Desi Blitz

Are Freshies a problem for the UK?

'Freshies' is the term given to individuals coming to the UK from the Subcontinent usually on a specific stay status. Most of the men live and earn money to support families back home and have very little cultural or language knowledge about the UK. The fact that many here come with good intentions, there are others that stay here illegally and learn the survival game. We debate the view on these people who are labelled 'freshies' and are they a problem to the UK?

"I feel for these people but unfortunately it is illegal"

With the recent news regarding Garry Sandhu, the Bhangra singer being arrested for out-staying his legal right to remain in the UK, the whole issue of ‘freshies’ has landed in the limelight.

The term ‘freshy’ ‘freshie’ or ‘freshies’ has made its way into British Asian language with reference to individuals coming to the United Kingdom ‘fresh of the boat’ from countries such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, either legally or in many cases, illegally due to them not having legal documents or overstaying their visas. The term applies both to men and women but is commonly applied to the men.

Majority of them are men with very limited English language skills but with a strong determination to work hard whichever way they can to keep themselves afloat in the UK. However, this work ethic is not recognised as one which endorses their stay in the UK beyond their original stay status, which in turn makes them illegal immigrants. The rules are very clear from the UK Border Agency on this issue and many try to flout these rules.

Most of these men end up working in restaurants, garment factories, the building trade and any other area which needs manual labour workers. They tend to work in ‘back street’ environments where they are hiding their identities or keeping out of the public eye, especially, if they are here illegally.

Usually, their employers are of the same or similar nationality and there are stories of many ‘freshies’ being treated badly and paid very little by such employers. Primarily, because it is ‘cheap labour’ and the employers know that these guys need work to survive.

It is common for so called ‘freshies’ to live closely or in the same houses on rent. A typical dwelling will be supporting up to 8-10 men, if not more, who work in varied kinds of employment. Most of them learn to survive very quickly. Learning to cook, wash clothes, iron and become domesticated to help themselves. Usually, it is a matter of teamwork within such households. They are also known to move addresses frequently, especially, if they are staying here illegally.

Many of these men end up being indebted to relatives and friends who have given them support during very difficult times, and even agree to arranged marriages just to stay in the country.

However, more and more of these marriages are breaking down due to British born Asian girls not having much in common with many of these men who still have very backward ‘Indian’ mentalities or the men end-up becoming the sub-ordinate in the relationship and are literally forced to provide income and support the woman in every which way she wants without having much say in the relationship, especially, if the man has legality issues from the past.

Many question the reason for them coming to the UK, if they are going to suffer such hardship? Well, in poor areas of India, where going to another country like the UK is a golden dream, these men will go through anything to make their journey.

In India, especially the Punjab, there is a common practice of consulting ‘agents’ who organise their trips to the UK by taking large sums of money from them in return. Often, producing travel and stay documents, including fraudulent passports as part of their service.

One of the common reasons for ‘freshies’ coming to the UK is to earn money and send back to their families in South Asia, who are usually from a very poor background.

Naturally, doing this legally is of no consequence but those doing it illegally do tend to think they will not be caught.

Many older generations of South Asians living in the UK would say that this is nothing new and a lot of them came into the country by the ‘black’ (terms used to enter the country illegally) way and have worked hard to settle here without relying on the Government. However, this does not stack up when it comes to the law many would argue, especially related to today’s ‘freshies’ and working hard does not give them a right to stay illegally.

Reaction to the Garry Sandhu arrest definitely fired up the debate amongst British Asians. Especially, because he recorded as song called ‘Fresh’ which is about a ‘freshie’ leaving his wife and kids stranded and the fact that he is a proud of being a ‘freshie’ himself. Here are some of the comments DESIblitz.com recieved from readers of our coverage of the Garry Sandhu story.

Miss Kaur said: “There’s a hell of a lot of freshies in this country, thing is a lot of them work really hard and are only trying to better their family lives. I feel for these people but unfortunately it is illegal. It’s just a shame that there’s so many useless people born in this country that just sponge off the government with their council houses n jobseekers. These poor freshies go through hell, live in appalling conditions just to try and give their family a better life in India.”

Jas wrote: “no we dont worry that freshies will come here and take over our country as it will never happen, our government hates them and doesnt even give freshies visa’s to come here so them taking over our country is highly unlikely! Freshies love UK they just cant stay away, even come here illegally when they arent wanted here. ALL freshies should be sent back to whatever pind they come from, we dont want them here. DEPORT ALL THE FRESHIES.”

Veer Singh said: “I understand Gary broke the law, and justice should always be served in spite of how sad it is.. that’s what keeps the country going. However, no reason to hate on freshies, or people here illegally.. all this hatred for what or for who? People trying to make a pound or two for their poor family back home? Shame on you.”

B Kaur commented: “He is a good singer and i agree,the law is the law however i HATE UK immigration agency as i have an offy and am born n bred in the Uk but immigration came to my business thinking i was employing illegal immigrants. My husband is from india but is now a british citizen but UK border were so harsh the way they initially spoke to me. It was obvious how they felt about non white ppl.”

Baljit Sodhi wrote: “The law is the law and is there for all to abide. Yes he’s a good singer, yes he’s talented, yes it’s a shame.. But those 3 facts if you like to call them do not make you above the law. It was going to happen sooner or later, guess it’s his own fault he flouted the law, just because he’s a singer doesn’t make him any better than the illegal Pakistani/Bengali/chinese working in restaurants all hours under the sun and in hiding from the public eye all to send a few bucks home.”

The comments show that there is quite a divide amongst opinions and feeling about ‘freshies’ and their status in the UK. Clearly, some feel they are a problem to the UK and should not be here and deported, whilst others are in support of the despite their illegal status – something which makes them above the law?

There are no specific statistics on how many ‘freshies’ are here in the country and for that matter how many are illegal. But it’s becoming more evident that the law is getting tougher on them and with immigration being a major subject for the British Government, more tougher penalties and rules are bound to follow, including for employers of illegal immigrants. The UK Border Agency are clear on this and say: “It is the legal responsibility of all businesses to check their employees have the right to work in the UK.”

So, should ‘freshies’ be allowed to be part of the British Asian society without any prejudice or are they a problem for the UK?

Action against cops initiated, HC told

Chandigarh, November 9
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today heard that the Punjab Police has initiated action against Punjab Police officers, who took a U-turn in the fake currency case involving retired Senior Superintendent of Police Gurcharan Singh Pherurai.

In an affidavit, Punjab Principal Secretary, Department of Home Affairs and Justice, D S Bains, said: “Every efforts will be made to finalise the action expeditiously within four months”. The affidavit added: “Jarnail Singh, ASI, is on intermediate course at Phillaur. A departmental inquiry against him is pending and same will be pronounced further on his joining after completion of the said course.”

A case against Pherurai was registered on September 23, 2002, on charges of corruption. He, however, was acquitted after witnesses turned hostile. The principal secretary added a charge-sheet has also been issued to the DSP Harjit Singh on November 2.

Show-cause notices for dismissal from service have been issued to Sub Inspector Mohammad Jameel, and constable Jasvir Singh. A departmental inquiry which was ordered against Inspector Mahinder Kumar and is being conducted by Bathinda SSP.

Female infanticide: Gallows for father

Chandigarh, November 9

It’s gallows for a father who scripted the obituary of his daughter much before she was born. Less than a year after Mukesh Kumar killed his four-day-old daughter, a Sangrur court today ordered he “be hanged by his neck till he is dead”.

The capital punishment order, perhaps the first-of-its-kind in a female infanticide case, was pronounced in an open court this morning by Sangrur District and Sessions Judge M.S. Chauhan.

In his order reflecting the need for putting to an end the menace of eliminating babies, Judge Chauhan asserted: “At the centre of this case is a new-born. She was a baby girl. Her arrival was a calamity. She was a source of anxiety to her father, the accused, for, in her, he saw a difficult problem of her marriage.

“She was seen as a compulsion, a burden. Very thought of her marriage was enough to ruin him. She was a poor little thing and the blocking of a puff of wind was enough to put her out. “The accused, it seems, had scripted her obituary much before she was born. This is the story of an unnamed infant; probably this is the first decision which cannot even refer to the victim by her name. She was eliminated before she could have one!

“Her brief existence in the world was reduced to a piece of mere statistics - A number stood added to the population of the world, a number stood added to the female population of the world, a number stood subtracted from the population of the world, a number stood subtracted from the female population of the world, the male-female ratio got further imbalanced in India, a credit entry was made in the Register of Births, and a debit entry was made in the Register of Deaths.

“A smile was lost forever. The moral regression of the people of India has not been crippled by the penal laws. The policy of persuasion has failed”.

During the trial, Judge Chauhan heard the accused on January 21, at or around 8 am, intentionally caused the death of his daughter, born on January 18

Judge Chauhan was told that the accused was not happy with the girl child’s birth. Having found the four-day-old alone, he gagged her.

Bringing alive the deadly facts on female infanticide and foeticide, Judge Chauhan referred to a recent study to assert: “Son preference has become daughter hatred in India in the recent decades…. In rural areas where a lot of people do not have access to sex determination facilities, female infanticide is shockingly common.

“The parents wait until the mother gives birth, and when they find out that a daughter is born, they go ahead and kill the baby by adopting various means such as strangling the baby, giving her poison, dumping her in a garbage bin, drowning her, burying her alive, starving her, stuffing her mouth with salt, or leaving her outdoors overnight so that she dies of exposure”.

Before parting with the order, Judge Chauhan asserted: “The only punishment that can be awarded to the convict is the extreme penalty of death, as the society needs to be insulated against persons of the ilk of the convict”.