February Is Punjabi Language Month In Illinois

EDISON ,NJ- An investigation into a bulldozer that appeared at the annual India Day Parade in Edison in August has determined there is not enough evidence to support a bias intimidation charge, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office announced. The incident was “properly reported and classified as a bias incident,” but the investigation did not reach the threshold for criminal charges, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department said. The bulldozer was adorned with signs and slogans expressing support for the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath. Both politicians are members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India, which has deployed bulldozers as weapons of intimidation and destruction against Muslim homes. The New Jersey Council on AmericanIslamic Relations thanked the prosecutor’s office for investigating the incident during the Aug. 14 parade and welcomed their decision to classify it as a “bias incident,” in a statement on Friday.

Springfield, IL: In recognition of the contributions of Punjabi speaking residents to the communities in Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker proclaimed the month of February in 2023 as “PUNJABI LANGUAGE MONTH” in Illinois.

Punjabi is the 9th most widely spoken language in the world and is spoken by more than 113 million people worldwide mainly by the Hindus, Sikhs, Muslim, and Christians with roots from the region. It is recognized as one of the official languages in India, Pakistan, United Kingdom, and Canada. There are more than 750,000 Punjabi speaking Americans and more than fifty thousand Punjabi speaking Illinoisans.

“Several activities and events to celebrate the Punjabi Language Month have been planned for the Metro Chicago area,” said Bhupinder Singh Dhaliwal, president of Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago, “RANGLA PUNJAB event on March 25, 2023 at College of DuPage is one of them.