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Date: February 25^th, 2010

To: Independent Candidates for 2010 (SRS Chicago, IL) - Sukhwant Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Kamaljit Kaur, Amarjit Singh, Mat Singh and Mahanbir Singh

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

I would first humbly request that you help me in my attempts to sever myself from caste associations by addressing me as simply Himmat Singh.   

I will address your concerns to the best of my ability in hopes to guide you towards the right process in obtaining your goal, if in accordance to the SRS Constitution.  Your letter to the Punjab Times states, “We were originally promised by you to provide us a membership list. . .” It was specifically stated that you will have to obtain any documentation from the SRS Board Members.  I am simply a member of the Election Committee which has no authority or power of execution, nor does it hold any information or lists pertaining to memberships.  My responsibility is shared by four other members of the Election Committee in “ensuring there are fair elections conducted” and not in providing documents or lists that the Committee has no authority over nor has in its possession.  I will direct you to the Board Members of the Sikh Religious Society of Chicago, to whom you may make a request to view the documents you would like to view them.

As for the process of conducting elections; all processes will follow the Sikh Religious Society Constitution to its fullest. To which you may reference at any time at www.srschicago.com or by approaching a board member who may provide you with a copy of the Constitution.

It is my humble request as a member of the Sangat, that any candidate that wishes to take the Seva as a board member do so with the best interest of Sikhi and with love and humility in their hearts.  I also request that before a candidate even decides to become a nominee, they take the time out to read the SRS Constitution from cover to cover so that they are familiarized with the process and the procedures.

It is greatly discouraged to contact members of the Election Committee or any Sangat member, as I was contacted by Sukhwant Singh on February 22^nd 2010,

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harassing them to comply to demands or be taken to court.  I humbly request Sukhwant Singh, that threatening members of the sangat with legal action is not the way to create harmony in the Gurdwara Sahib. 

I have personally contacted the current SRS Board who have stated that they are willing to release the membership list provided that all candidates (12 total) sign an affidavit under oath stating t`hat the above stated document will be used only for purposes regarding the April 2010 election and not for solicitation purposes of any sort nor are the documents to be handled by the affidavit signing members.  This is to prevent sensitive information from being used by third parties.  The SRS Board is very concerned about privacy of the sensitive material (names, addresses, phone numbers etc) that may and have been (as complaints by sangat members have been made) used for non-SRS related activities such as the use of the membership forms for personal business solicitation. 

It has also been brought to my attention that Sukhwant Singh has requested on his membership form (receipt #13284) the following: “This information is confidential and provided for membership only.  Any unauthorized disclosure will be prosecuted under the law.”  To release the membership list, S. Sukhwant Singh must submit a separate affidavit stating that the release of his information, as written on his membership form, to the rest of the eleven (11) candidates.  The Board cannot release any information without a written authorization in the form of a signed affidavit under oath so that there are no legal ramifications in the future for the information being handed to the 12 candidates. As soon as both affidavits are submitted, the requested document will be handed over by the SRS Board to the 12 candidates for their use only.  Keep in mind, all members of the Sangat are free to view the membership list at anytime.

If there are any further questions and/or issues, please address them in the presence of the Guru Sahib (Guru Granth Sahib) and the SRS of Chicago Sangat and I will be glad to answer all of your questions.  Sending letters to newspapers to tarnish someone’s character is not how we behave in a civilized society.  It pains me to send this letter in defense and response to your inquiries for which I am still

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willing to address in the presence of the Sangat and the Guru.  Let us not make a mockery of the Sikh Nation by playing meaningless games, and try to work with each other to achieve great heights in the name of our Panth.

I will be addressing your concerns on February 28^th, 2010 in the presence of the Guru and the Sangat.

May Akal Purakh give you the strength and the understanding to do great things for the Panth.

Daas,

Himmat Singh (Schaumburg, IL)

CC: Sangat, Constitution Implementation Committee and Board of SRS of Chicago