Criminal court case begins in Turlock Sikh Temple fight

A power struggle between two factions of a local church made its way into a Stanislaus County courtroom this week. The case involves six defendants criminally charged in a large fight that occurred last month at the Sikh Temple in Turlock.

The court has to decide how to ensure the safety of those who say they were attacked while considering the constitutional rights of the defendants to worship in the place of their choosing.

On Wednesday afternoon, Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Ruben Villalobos postponed an arraignment hearing until Friday afternoon for defendants Balwinder Kaur Bagri and Gurdev Singh.

The arraignment was delayed after an attorney, who said the defendants were in the process of retaining his legal services, failed to show up in court for the second time in two days. Villalobos appointed two local attorneys to represent the defendants.

Bagri and Singh each face two counts of assault with a deadly weapon that’s not a gun, and Singh faces an additional count of elder abuse. The charges are all felonies.

Authorities have said Bagri assaulted two people outside the temple’s restrooms. Both required medical treatment. Singh allegedly swung a musical instrument called a chimta at a group of men, hitting one on the head and another on the arm.

Deputy District Attorney Meghan Anderson told the judge that the men she described as victims wanted the court to issue an order for the defendants to stay away while free on bail. The prosecutor suggested that the court could order the defendants to conduct themselves peacefully while at the temple and to stay away from the other men at all other times.

Villalobos said he is inclined to issue such an order, but he wants to wait until the defense attorneys are in court with their clients before proceeding. He said he is reluctant to issue an order that would keep someone from his or place of worship, but he has to balance that with ensuring safety.

On Wednesday afternoon, Villalobos ordered another defendant, Sandeep Singh, not to brandish a weapon or disturb the peace while attending services at the Sikh Temple in Turlock. Sandeep Singh is accused of swinging a ceremonial sword at a group of people during the Jan. 10 brawl at the temple.

The attorneys at Wednesday’s hearing agreed.

Authorities say the fight was precipitated by a power struggle between two factions of the church that have been involved in a legal dispute over leadership of the temple on Fifth Street. Turlock Police Chief Robert Jackson has said the legal dispute has played out in court and meetings with law enforcement over the past two years but escalated to violence during services.

Sandeep Singh has been charged with one misdemeanor count of brandishing a deadly weapon other than a gun. He had posted $50,000 bail bond, but the judge on Wednesday released the defendant on his own recognizance.

Attorney Jak Sodhi, who said he is representing the temple, asked the judge to issue a restraining order against Sandeep Singh, keeping him away from the temple. The attorney argued that the defendant doesn’t deny brandishing the sword and is claiming self-defense.

Mary Lynn Belsher, Sandeep Singh’s attorney, argued that her client cannot be restricted from his place of worship. She said there’s nothing in the allegations that warrant a protective order against her client, and he is a peaceful man.

About 20 people were in the courtroom Wednesday prepared to speak about witnessing the fight. Villalobos allowed two of the witnesses to speak.

Balihar Singh said he was about 5 feet away from Sandeep Singh when the defendant picked up the ceremonial sword and threatened him and others. He told the judge that he wouldn’t feel safe if the defendant returned to the temple, and he is surprised nobody was hurt by the sword. “I don’t know how I survived,” he said.

Guljinder Singh saw Sandeep Singh in the back of the temple. He told the judge that the defendant got really angry and ran to the front of the temple, picking up the ceremonial sword. He asked, “With a person like this in the temple, how can we be safe?”

Three other defendants charged in the case are expected to make their first courtroom appearances later this month.

Manjit Kaur Johal, Anjit Kaur Bagri, Jaspreet Kaur Johal are each charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon that’s not a gun. Turlock police have said that Manjit Johal and Anjit Bagri also assaulted two people outside the temple’s restrooms.

Anjit Bagri is accused if taking property from one of the alleged victims during the assault. It’s unclear what alleged role Jaspreet Johal had in the fight at the temple.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Criminal court case begins in Turlock Sikh Temple fight."