Candidate for 12th District Assembly seat entangled in Sikh temple dispute

Harinder Grewal, a Democratic candidate for the 12th District Assembly seat, is embroiled in one of the more passionate religious disputes in the region.

It remains to be seen whether his involvement with the Turlock Sikh Temple dispute helps or hurts his chances in the June primary.

Grewal, a former Turlock school board member, and former Riverbank mayor Virginia Madueño are seeking the Democratic nomination in District 12. Republicans Cindy Marks and Ken Vogel are running to succeed Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Riverbank, who is terming out.

Grewal is set for hearings this month on two restraining order petitions that claim he threatened people and was involved in the brawl at the Sikh Temple on Jan. 10.

Grewal said he leads a moderate faction whose elected board has the legal right to manage the temple’s affairs. The group alleged in a July 2013 lawsuit the elected board was forced out by nonelected board members who took control of the temple, changed the door locks and seized records.

The temporary restraining orders against Grewal were filed last month by two defendants in that lawsuit. Grewal said the allegations are totally false.

Grewal said he was a peacemaker during the melee at the temple.

“I was trying to calm everyone,” he said. “I was telling everyone to sit down, walk away, get out of the temple.”

Grewal said he guided congregation members out of the building and onto the front lawn. He said a video shows him trying to defuse the violence.

A cellphone video of the fight was played on numerous websites and news stations, casting the temple and Sikh community in a negative light, Grewal said.

“It is not what our community is about,” said Grewal, who claims the board that’s in control is not supported by the majority of members. “It is very painful that 95 percent of the Sikh community have to suffer. They are worried for their safety going to the temple.”

Restraining order petitions

Zorawar Sandhu of Turlock and Harvinder Kullar of Ballico are seeking stay-away orders against Grewal and six other temple members. The temporary orders were granted until the Stanislaus Superior Court hearings are held Tuesday and Feb. 19.

Grewal apparently is barred for now from the Turlock temple if Sandhu and Kullar are there, though an attorney for Grewal’s side doubted whether legal papers were served.

Sandhu claims the temple fight started about 12:30 p.m. when a woman opposed to the current board took over the stage while priests were speaking. Sandhu states that he stood and asked congregation members to not disturb the service. He claims that Grewal and three other men approached him in “attacking mode,” and one of the men pushed him to the floor.

Sandhu stated that one of the men with Grewal shot pepper spray in his face and “then all four men attacked me and beat me.” According to Sandhu’s petition, he was later treated at the Emanuel Medical Center emergency room, where he claims two of the same men threatened him.

Kullar claims that during the temple fight, Grewal and three associates came toward him screaming. (The three men supposedly with Grewal in Kullar’s complaint are not the same Grewal associates identified in Sandhu’s petition.) According to Kullar’s petition, Grewal pushed him, causing him to fall, and then one of the men with Grewal kicked his legs.

Kullar stated that some congregation members stopped the attackers and he fled the temple to the parking lot. He claimed the four men including Grewal caught up with him. In the most serious allegation, Kullar claims that Grewal told the men to hold him there until he fetched a gun from his car.

Kullar said he got into his car, locked the doors and drove away.

Attorney Jak Sodhi, who represents the faction aligned with Grewal, said a video shows that Kullar’s and Sandhu’s allegations can’t be true. The evidence shows Grewal stayed inside the building during the confrontation, he said.

“I am shocked that anyone would sign their name to these declarations, swearing under penalty of perjury that they are true,” Sodhi said. He suspects the restraining order petitions are an attempt to keep Grewal away from the temple so the nonelected board can stay in power.

Turlock police Sgt. Steve Webb said Kullar and Sandhu did not bring their allegations to police investigators following the incident. He said he believes that Sandhu, who was allegedly pepper-sprayed, was a person interviewed by investigators.

Webb said people on both sides continue to make passionate allegations, and the incident remains under investigation.

Court ruling debated

Grewal’s group has sought the Police Department’s assistance in enforcing Superior Court Judge John Freeland’s ruling in October, which said the board illegally seized control of the temple. The board members remain in place as the case is appealed.

Fremont Attorney Mark Cohen, who represents the board, countered there was a second part of Freeland’s ruling – that temple bylaws were not followed when Grewal’s allies were elected. The ruling called for another vote in April to elect board members.

“The other side has no more legitimacy than my clients,” Cohen said, adding that he told Turlock police there’s nothing legally enforceable in the court decision. “Grewal seems to be engaged in acts of civil disobedience, which is unfortunate.”

Cohen said it appears from a surveillance video that opponents of his clients had planned to disrupt the temple services Jan. 10. He noted that temple members stood up in unison and a woman tried to grab the microphone from the speaker. He added that pepper spray was used during the brawl.

Turlock police made five arrests in the days following the incident. Sandeep Singh, 38, faces an assault with a deadly weapon charge on evidence he swung a ceremonial sword at people. Others arrested included Gurdev Singh, 47, who allegedly swung a musical instrument at a group of men, hitting one in the head; and Balwinder Kaur Bagri, 51, suspected of assault and conspiracy.

Manjit Kaur Johal, 47, and Anjit Kaur Bagri, 45, also were arrested on suspicion of assault, and Bagri faces a robbery charge.

Sodhi said all of those arrested are associated with the nonelected board.

At a Jan. 26 hearing on the lawsuit, Freeland suggested the parties negotiate a settlement; otherwise, the defendants’ appeal will likely take two years.

Attorneys for both sides said their clients want to have an election in April. They disagree, however, on who should participate in the vote.

Grewal said the current board wants an election that’s wide open to potential voters. He said his group has offered to include Sikhs in Stanislaus and Merced counties, and has proposed other election boundaries rejected by the defendants.

Sodhi said the nonelected board members didn’t give an inch in the recent settlement talks.

“They are just trying to delay in order to maintain control of a temple they have no business running,” the attorney said. “The court judgment was against them and so you would think they would give something.”

Madueno, Grewal’s opponent in the 12th District primary, declined to comment for this story.

Grewal said he believes he’s involved in a fight for justice, regardless of whether it’s appealing to his fellow Democrats.

“This is about not letting someone take over your church or temple by force,” Grewal said. “We need to show the legal way is the right way to deal with any of these disputes.”

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Candidate for 12th District Assembly seat entangled in Sikh temple dispute."