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In The
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO
S. PREMKA KAUR KHALSA, :
:
Plaintiff, :
:
vs. :
: Civ. 86-0838 M
:
HARBHAJAN SINGH KHALSA :
YOGIJI, et al., :
:
Defendants.
:
:
____________________________________/
AFFIDAVIT OF SWARAN SINGH
I, Swaran Singh, the
undersigned, hereby depose and state:
1. I am an adult citizen of the State of Punjab, India. I have been visiting
in the United States for the last three months and I make this affidavit while still in the United States.
2. I have
been shown copies of documents which I am told have been filed in this lawsuit, and which are entitled Affidavit of Gurujot
Singh Khalsa~ and Affidavit of Wilfredo Mella.
3. I have personal knowledge of some of the matters referred to in
those affidavits, and I make this affidavit based upon that personal knowledge.
4. On July 16, 1986 I attended a meeting
at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, New York. Present at the meeting were Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, his
wife, Inderjit Kaur Khalsa, Manmohn Singh, Sardar Pritham Singh and myself. Also present in the hotel suite, but not in the
room in which the meetings actually occurred, were Gurujot Singh Khalsa, Kulbir Singh Khalsa, and three or four others I do
not know. I believe one of the others was Wilfredo Mella.
5. The actual meetings took place in a bedroom of the suite.
The suite was rented by Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji. Gurujot Singh Khalsa was specifically excluded from the substantive
parts of the meeting.
6. The meeting was arranged by myself, Sadar Manmohn Singh, and Sardar Trilochan Singh, at the
behest of Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji. Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji telephoned each of us repeatedly over
a period of several weeks, each time urgently asking us to arrange a meeting between he and Pritham Singh.
7. In the
meeting Pritham Singh stated that he opposed Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogijis claim to be Siri Singh Sahib. Pritham Singh
stated that no such position exists. Pritham Singh also said he had opposed Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogijis claims for
many years, and would continue to oppose those claims as long as Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji continued to make them.
8. At no time did Pritham Singh say that he controlled the lawsuits of Katherine Felt or S. Premka Kaur Khalsa. He
did state that he was assisting these two women with loans and advice.
9. Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji stated
that he believed that if these lawsuits were filed by these two women, it would be harmful to the Sikh religion, and he asked
Pritham Singh to prevent the suits from being filed. In response, Pritham Singh stated that if Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa
Yogiji would offer a reasonable settlement, Pritham Singh would use his best efforts to try and settle the disputes without
a lawsuit.
10. I noticed that Gurujot states in paragraph 8 of his affidavit that Pritham Singh made a demand that
Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji recognize Khalistan. During the whole of the meeting the word Khalistan was never even
uttered. Guru jot Singhs statement that Sardar Pritham Singh demanded that Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji recognize
Khalistan, as a condition of settlement is false. Pritham Singh did say that Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji should stop
claiming to be Siri
Singh Sahib, and that he should resign from the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation.
11. Pritham
Singh also said that all funds received by Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji acting as Siri Singh Sahib, or received by
the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation, should be returned to those they were received from, and that any funds remaining should
be given to the Sikh temples. Sardar Pritham Singh did not say at any time that any funds should be turned over to him.
12.
Pritham Singh did state that Katherine Felt and S. Premka Kaur Khalsa should be compensated by Sardar Harbhajan Singh Khalsa
Yogiji for their injuries.
Signed
Swaran Singh
Juriat
I hereby certify, under penalty
of perjury, that the foregoing statements of fact are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief.
Executed on September 5, 1986 Signed
Swaran Singh
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