YUBA CITY, Calif. — One of the largest gatherings of Sikhs in the world, the Nagar Kirtan festival, begins Friday in Yuba City.
Puneet Sandhu, senior state policy manager at the Sikh Coalition, told ABC10 between 100,000 and 200,000 people are estimated to attend the 45th annual Nagar Kirtan festival.
It starts around 11 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Sikh Temple of Yuba City. Attendees are mostly Sikhs and followers of the Sikh faith, she said.
The coalition, which will promote Sikh advocacy and education at the festival, is reportedly the nation’s largest Sikh civil rights organization. It was founded in the aftermath of 9/11 in response to the rise in hate crimes, discrimination and bias-motivated rhetoric against the Sikh community, Sandhu said.
“Our role at the Yuba City Nagar Kirtan is we fly stuff in from all over the country to show up and engage with the community,” she said. “We're there all three days, morning until evening, to distribute free resources related to our legal and advocacy work.”
Sandhu said she’s attended the festival for the last 20 years, and it’s grown larger each year.
“When I was young, especially as a young kid to immigrant parents who came here from Punjab like so many other American Sikhs my age, with busy immigrant parents who are always working, we didn't always necessarily have time to learn about the religion or even the culture sometimes,” Sandhu said. “So, to be in a space full of people who grew up similarly to you, who worship similarly to you, and to see some of (these) religious and cultural displays, it's really encouraging.”
To kick off the event, there’s always a fireworks show Friday, she said.
On Wednesday, authorities said rumors about a possible shooting involving rival gangs at the Yuba City festival are just that — rumors. The Sutter County Sheriff's Office said there is no credible evidence suggesting a shooting during the parade and it's a sentiment echoed by the FBI, too.
“I think with any large crowd or large gathering of so many people, there is always a little bit of worry,” Sandhu said. “I'm somebody who's been attending since I've been 10 years old, and I've never felt reason to feel unsafe at the Nagar Kirtan.”
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