Marriage Fraud Lands Innocent Sikh In Prison

Tuesday, 07.15.2008, 06:48am (GMT-7)
India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: Guru Sant Singh Khalsa set out in search of a wife and ended up accused of fraud, convicted in a kangaroo court, and thrown in an Indian prison. An American-born Caucasian residing in New Mexico, Sant converted from Christianity to Sikhism some 30 years ago and has been deeply involved in spiritual practices ever since.In keeping with the beliefs of his sect, he places high value on traditional marriage roles, so at the age of 50 he concluded that an arranged marriage with an Indian-born Sikh would provide him with the traditional lifestyle for which he longed.

In October of 2007, Sant traveled to Amritsar, India and met a popular marriage broker. Known as Dadaji, the respected businessman had a 16-year-long reputation as one of the best marriage brokers in the Punjab. Sant paid a fee, Dadaji advertised the American "catch," and eligible Sikh women proceeded to pour in from every corner of the region. Although Sant asked Dadaji to screen out the women who could not speak English, they insisted on coming anyway, so Sant met with each and every applicant.

Most did not fit his criteria or simply seemed incompatible, but he politely wished them well. Many begged and pleaded with him to marry them. Others tried to use coercion or logic to convince him to sign the papers on the spot.Each woman expressed eagerness to travel to America and obtain a green card, but none mentioned any affinity for Sant or a desire to marry him for any reason other than convenience. Sant kept meeting women, hoping for more. Over the course of a month, he met a total of around fifty women.

Finally, Sant found a compatible match, and the woman, though she spoke very little English, was eager to arrange it. Dadaji said that things must not move so quickly. He insisted that she take English lessons first, and that Sant meet a few more women just to make sure he had made the right choice. Sant acquiesced, and the next day, January 12, he sat down in yet another interview with a woman who, oddly, spoke excellent English.

But as the two of them spoke, policemen and a camera crew began to pour in through the doors of the office. Soon Sant and Dadaji were informed that the woman was not really a potential bride, but a television reporter, and that this was a "sting" operation, being televised live. Sant and Dadaji were taken to police headquarters.

After Dadaji was interrogated for hours, the two were locked inside an eight- by ten-foot concrete holding cell. Within, excrement and blood were smeared on the walls, and a barred Iron Gate left the prisoners open to the elements and to the large rats that wandered in from the police yard. Sant had no idea of the charges against him or how long he would be detained.

The next day, Sant and Dadaji were taken into a courtroom, where policemen whom Sant had never seen before stood up and swore vaguely that they had seen Sant and Dadaji "commit fraud." Based on this testimony, the pair were taken to the Amritsar Central Jail and kept there for two weeks. Now Sant is unable to legally leave India, he is unable to return to the US to conduct his business affairs, and he fears that it may be years before his case will be tried.

He has called the US Embassy, but received no help. By continuing to communicate with the police, Sant has pieced together the true nature of the accusation against him. It seems that, just as Dadaji charged Sant Rs1, 100 (the equivalent of around US$25) as a membership fee to his marriage brokerage, he also charged the same membership fee to each woman who came to meet Sant. But when women heard about this "rich American" who was up for grabs, many became determined to hook him.

When they failed to do so, about twenty of the women called the police, alleging that Sant and Dadaji were splitting the profits of their "scam" and that Sant had promised to marry each of them. Sant has sent written statements to the police, stating that it would be quite improbable for him to engage in such a fraud. His bank statements show that Sant has plenty of money and the pittance that could be gained from such a scam would certainly not be worth it to him.

He has cited his many years as a devoted Sikh as evidence that his search for a Sikh bride was genuine, and his refusal of any dowry as further evidence that he is an honest man. The courts have not responded in any way to his protestations of innocence. Sant has been well known within the American Sikh community ever since 1982, when he famously sued the US Army for refusing to allow him to enlist due to the long hair, beard, and turban that are the trappings of his faith.

He was represented by the ACLU. Sant was a long-time devotee of the late Yogi Bhajan and is active within the 3-HO, or "Happy, Healthy, Holy Organization" led by his spiritual teacher. Determined to foil those who would persecute him, he has successfully sued many dishonest businessmen in America, and appeared twice on television's "The People's Court."

But this time, he has found no recourse against false accusations and a law that can imprison him without evidence. Said he, "I dreamed that a lady from a traditional Sikh background would be perfect for me, but now I see that not only would there be too many cultural conflicts, but many Indian Sikh women-or their parents-only want to live in the US. They are willing to do or say anything to get what they want."