AOB is Not Qualified to Conduct an Investigation

About AOB

Here’s what the CRT said in their April 21, 2020 update about the experience of AOB:

“An Olive Branch has extensive experience with responding to allegations of misconduct on the part of spiritual leaders. As a neutral third-party, we are able to relate to reporters of harm, witnesses, and those refuting claims of misconduct. Our goal is a fair and balanced investigation.

The three consultants from An Olive Branch who are working on this project… together, they have advised and counseled [not investigated] 25 organizations experiencing allegations of ethical misconduct by a spiritual leader.

AOB has performed five projects for Buddhist organizations. Of the five projects, [ONLY] two were independent investigations, including interviewing students who reported harm and receiving testimony from supporters of their teacher and rebuttal witnesses.”

On the home page of the AOB website, it says the following about their background:

“An Olive Branch was formed in 2011 as a project of the Zen Center of Pittsburgh. Growing out of the need for greater understanding and reduction of ethical misconduct on the part of religious leaders, the work of the organization is centered on providing services to organizations in conflict.

We have expertise, knowledge of best practices, and standards of excellence for our services. Our consultants have complementary skills related to training, facilitation, governance and intervention.  The services they offer on their website are:

  • Responding to ethical misconduct
  • Training Services
  • Mediation Services”

Notice there is no mention of conducting investigations.

Questions about Education and Training

Guru Terath Singh, who as a NM State Prosecutor for 25 years, conducted thousands of investigations and was a judge for 20 years for the State Public Education Department, shared this email communication he had with Barbara Gray from AOB on May 8, 2020:

“One of the questions that you have not yet answered is the education and training of each investigator to do investigations. For some idea of what I was looking for, Google “Investigations Best Practices.” There are many examples of the education and training involved in becoming an investigator. See for example the Horton and Jones Day sites. While they refer to workplace investigations, the same universal principles apply.

It is my opinion that your approach and methodology here is more consistent with your “Listening Post” experience. And if your work with the Shambhala community is any indication of that work, it is very, very good. I believe that you are highly qualified and perform a very valuable service when you do that work.

But this is not a “Listening Post” assignment. It is supposed to be an independent, thorough and competent investigation.

Consider what is at stake. If AOB creates and the SSSC Board publishes a Report that states that YB did any of these monstrous and evil acts, his family will suffer extreme emotional distress, the more than 7,000 worldwide certified teachers and trainers of “Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan” and the hundreds of SDI ministers will all lose the respect of their students and parishioners and his worldwide reputation will be destroyed.

If Yogi Bhajan did any of these things, then these things will be the expected consequences of that behavior. But if he did not do these things, then this untold suffering would be truly reprehensible and irreversible. All of this depends on the completion of a competent, thorough and independent investigation.

It is my opinion that, for the reasons I have stated, this investigation by AOB is not competent, thorough or independent.

I regret that we are where we are. It could have been different if investigative Best Practices had been used from the outset.”

This can be fixed

AOB has only done 2 investigations.  That cannot be changed. Because of the importance of the anticipated consequences of this process, there may need to be new investigators hired who have the education, training and experience to do this work.

These allegations concern events which may have happened 20-50 years ago.  Spending a few more months to do this right and in a fair way should not be asking too much.

The CRT Interfered with the Olive Branch “Independent” Investigation

In a fair investigation, investigators review not only what accusers tell them verbally, but also what accusers have written (i.e. in their emails or on social media).

In an April 2, 2020 email from Katheryn Wiedman from An Olive Branch, she said:

“The SSSC and the Collaborative Response Team have stated that An Olive Branch is completing a totally independent investigation, free from their direction or control. They committed in writing that they would not attempt to influence or direct the investigation or the report.”

Contrary to this best practice for a fair investigation, the CRT directed the investigators not to look on social media. 

In an email dated 5/7/2020 from Barbara Gray, one of the AOB investigators, she provided the following response to questions raised by Guru Terath Singh:

“Our mandate from the CRT exempts us from searching for social media conversations. First of all, we do not have subpoena power to access such messages. Secondly, it is not customary for privately commissioned investigations of sexual misconduct of religious leaders to search social media especially because it is impossible to ask probing questions in response to such posts. Although we have seen some social media provided to us by others, we are relying on interviews in which we can ask such questions and some historical documents as the basis for our report.”

In Guru Terath Singh’s February 28, 2020 online statement, he wrote about the critical importance of reviewing accuser’s writings:

“In the typical “he said-she said” sex cases where both people could be believed, investigations would look at other things and interview other people regarding what the parties did, said and wrote in the context of the sex claim to try to determine who was credible.”

Here is Guru Terath Singh’s May 8, 2020 response to Ms. Gray:

“You wrote that you do not have subpoena power, and you do not. But you have significant leverage. If in trying to get to the bottom of an allegation (let’s say Premka’s with the history of the “back story” of the 1986 lawsuit), you could and probably should ask her to provide those of her emails over the past 2 years that in any way refer to YB or her claims. If she did, you would know if there is a back story to what is going on now. If she refused, after conferring with your attorneys, you could let her know that if she does not produce the emails, your Report will state that she made a claim, refused to cooperate with the investigation, and for that reason her claim was not pursued.

And why would you ever accept a “mandate from the CRT (that) exempts you from searching for social media conversations?” Either you are conducting an independent investigation, or you are not. Of course you should be able to ask “probing questions” about something one of the accusers wrote on social media, especially if it is inconsistent with what she told you in an interview. As you know, some the very most important things that investigators use to determine the credibility of people making accusations are their other consistent or inconsistent writings. And there is no such thing as “it is not customary for privately commissioned investigations of sexual misconduct of religious leaders to search social media…” Customary? How many have there been since the advent of social media – 2, 3?”

In addition to this, in at least one interview, Ms. Gray told the interviewee that the investigation team had not seen the ‘first person’ written list of statements by the accusers, which has been circulating on social media, through both a Next Gen Facebook group and as a Google Doc on Pamela Dyson’s Facebook group.  This list was sent to the CRT on February 28, 2020. Ms. Gray also said that social media conversations are hearsay and that they were only getting the stories from the accusers from verbal conversations with them directly.

As part of the “best practice” of a fair investigation, comparing both the written and verbal communications by an accuser is very valuable when determining the credibility of anyone giving information.  And that very important information is being kept from the investigators by the CRT.

Because there is no representative of the Siri Singh Sahib, the only way for our Sangat members who believe they may be in a position to refute “supposed” allegations, is to review information shared in a public forum, which the investigators themselves do not have and cannot access, and these Sangat members who may be in a position to refute information about the allegations, do not know what has actually been brought to the investigators.  So both sides are at a disadvantage.

This can be fixed

The Olive Branch should be told that they can request and review from anyone making an allegation and any witness their writings and responses received on the subject, including their social media contact messages, emails, letters, etc. in assessing their credibility.

Misrepresentation of “Best Practices”

The CRT Claim of “Best Practices”

When justifying how this investigation has been conducted, the CRT states in their FAQ that they are following “Best Practices”. Unfortunately, they are conflating best practices for controlling damage to an organization facing reputational harm with best practices for conducting an investigation.  From the way this investigation has actually been conducted, the CRT is clearly following best practices for controlling damage to an organization, and they are NOT following best practices for investigating specific allegations against an individual.

What follows from this confusion is the CRT is going right to repairing damage to our organizations before they have done a fair investigation of the allegations.

Example of a Proper Investigation

When looking online for an example of a proper investigation, we found an example of a process involving AOB that was properly done. In that investigation, the organization, Shambhala, stated clearly that you cannot have a fair investigation without having someone representing the accused.

Shambhala hired AOB to perform a “Listening Post” report, but first they hired a law firm (Wickwire Holm) to perform the actual investigation.

Here is a link to the AOB Listening Post Report

Here is a link to the Investigative Report performed by the law firm

In the cover letter, which was added to the Investigative Report, the Shambhala Board said this to their Sangat:

“One of the most important principles we expressed to Ms. Bath (investigator) was that all Claimants’ and Witnesses’ identities would be kept confidential. However, for an individual’s report to become a claim, the individual had to be willing to identify themselves to Wickwire Holm and to have Wickwire Holm identify them to the respondent. Otherwise, there would be no way for Wickwire Holm to investigate and to interview the respondent and any witnesses to the claim.”

In the Shambhala Investigative Report that was done by a law firm that was very experienced in doing investigations, when describing the process that was used, they stated in part :

“Similarly, the investigator meets with the (accused) about the allegation. Prior to this interview, the investigator provides the (accused) with sufficient information and detail to allow the (accused) to know the names and extent of  the Claim against them. The interview is (the accused’s) opportunity to provide a full response to the allegation.”

This process is commonly referred to as investigative Best Practices.

This can be fixed

If a representative of the SSS was included in the investigation process, with the information needed to determine whether the allegations are true, investigative Best Practices would actually be used.

Anonymous Allegations

How can anyone respond to allegations when you don’t know what the allegations are?

Because there is no one representing the Siri Singh Sahib, there is no one who is told who the accusers are and what they are accusing him of.  In the best practices used for a fair investigation, much can be done to keep allegations from the public eye and avoid shaming and bullying the people making accusations.  What is required (and what happens in all fair investigations) is that once the investigators begin their work, they find out who the representative of the accused is (even if they are deceased) and once they receive the allegations from the accusers, they tell the representative of the accused who is making allegations and what the allegations are.

If the accused is no longer alive, their representative is told by the investigators what the allegations are and who is making them.  The representative of the accused then can understand what they are being accused of and tell the investigators to speak with “so and so” who may have knowledge of the relationship of the accuser to the accused, what the condition of the accused was at the time, where they were at the time, the schedule of whether the accuser was employed, had access to the accused, etc.  In this way, both the credibility of the claims and the credibility of the accuser’s story can be validated.  The individual representing the accused should have the interests of the accused in mind; typically the representative would be a family member, or an attorney familiar with the facts at the time.

During the April 2020 Khalsa Council meetings, Chrys Martin, the attorney for the SSSC was asked how any of us could address any accusations, say from a former staff member, if we did not know who was making the accusation and what the accusation was?  She replied that we all know who his staff were over the years and that we should just contact the investigators with ANY stories about ANY of the staff.  (REALLY???)  That’s the answer?  Contact the investigators and give character references (good or bad)—give them the dirt on everyone, since we don’t know who specifically to share information about??!!

Chrys even stated at the meeting that she does not know the complete list of accusations that AOB is investigating. And if she does not even know, how is anyone supposed to know? Are there accusations that have never been anywhere on the internet being investigated that no one will respond to because they don’t know they exist? And is what is on the internet consistent with what was told to AOB?

This can be fixed

This investigation should include a representative of SSS, who would be informed of the information needed to determine whether the allegations are true.

No Representation of the Accused

For an investigation to be fair, both sides – the accuser and the accused (even if the accused is deceased) need to be represented.  In fact, one of the first things an investigator does when they are hired is to ask who is representing the accused.

In a communication to AOB on April 3, 2020, Guru Terath Singh asked the following question:

“If he was still alive, would you present him with the specific allegations including the names of his accusers and the what, when, and where the alleged offenses occurred? If not, why not? Since he has been dead for 15 years, who are you sending that information to so that he, his legacy, his family and staff can actively defend themselves?”

Barbara Gray (AOB Investigator) responded on May 7, 2020:

“The first question is moot. As to the second, again, it is not customary for someone to stand in place of the deceased, in fact, how could they? Additionally, the investigation has been open to anyone who wants to come forward to provide specific information to refute the allegations including his family and staff. His family, however, is not being investigated.”

Guru Terath Singh responded on May 8, 2020:

“The basic problem now is that the protocols that have been established for this investigation are contrary to universally accepted investigative Best Practices. In short, investigations always want to hear “the other side.” Since YB is deceased, I would have expected that when you were contacted to do this investigation, one of the first things that you would have asked would have been who is YB’s representative? His family? As the Shambhala community wrote in its Report: “for a Report to become a Claim, the individual had to be willing to identify themselves to (the investigator) and have the (investigator) identify them to the (accused). Otherwise, there would be no way for (the investigator) to investigate the (accused) and any witnesses to the claim.The Shambhala investigative Report that was done by a law firm, when describing the process that was used, stated in part : “Similarly, the investigator meets with the (accused) about the allegation. Prior to this interview, the investigator provides the (accused) with sufficient information and detail to allow the (accused) to know the names and extent of  the Claim against them. The interview is (the accused’s) opportunity to provide a full response to the allegation.” This process is commonly referred to as investigative Best Practices.

So here we are. You and the CRT have repeatedly said that you want anyone with relevant information either in support of the women making accusations or in defense of YB to contact you. The women making the accusations know who they are and what they say happened. They can provide you with contact information of anyone who has helpful corroborating information that is available to them. But since YB does not have a designated representative to whom you would disclose the names of the accusers and the specifics of the allegations, no one knows for sure any of these details. They can only speculate about the allegations that have been made to you based on whatever is out there on social media and others that have never been stated on social media.
So while your invitation for information looks good on its face, it is simply not real. If, as an example, one or more of the women tells you that she had sex with YB in his dome at night when she was on night duty, it would certainly be important for you to know if she was EVER on night duty. But that information is not available to you because no one knows who she is and when and where things supposedly happened. Was YB even in the same state or country at the time? Examples could go on and on. That’s why a representative with detailed information about each allegation is an essential part of every independent investigation. And it may be that you would learn that essential witnesses and documents are no longer available because of the great span of time that has transpired since these things supposedly happened which could affect the integrity of any conclusions at the end of the investigation. And that would not be anyone’s fault. It would just be part of the extraordinary task of trying to investigate something that happened so long ago, and especially without the ability to interview the accused.”

This can be fixed

This investigation should include a representative of SSS, who would be informed of the information needed to determine whether the allegations are true.

No Confidence

Written by Guru Terath Singh and posted by his wife Jivan Joti Kaur on SUTRA on April 7, 2020.

Because of his extensive experience for decades as an investigator, as an attorney with the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, as an attorney for the NM Medical Board, as the Chancellor for International Sikh Dharma and as a hearing officer (judge), he has some very real concerns about An Olive Branch as the investigative team we have hired to do the investigation for the Yogi Bhajan allegations. He has not come to any conclusions of his own about the allegations, he is just very concerned about the process. He hasn’t known how to go about making public his concerns, so he asked me to post them here and on Facebook.  Thank you for reading…

NO CONFIDENCE

My wife sent a statement to the Olive Branch people and in it she suggested that they contact me since I was privy to so much information from the early ‘70s when I was appointed Chancellor by the Siri Singh Sahib until years after he died. I received a form letter from them asking if I wanted to submit a written statement or participate in an interview. He are my responses:

Dear Ms. Wiedman:
Thank you for your email. I do not participate in social media. My wife informed me from time to time of the nature and extent of social media attention to the Yogi Bhajan (“YB”) allegations. She thought it would be helpful for me to address what was going on in messages that she could post. I am attaching those messages. They may give you some context of my professional experience and approach to this matter.

I would like you to address my initial concerns. Although requested numerous times, there has been no information given about the investigators’ education, training and experience doing investigations. With only the most superficial information that is available, I do not know if I would be aiding a thorough investigation or enabling one that is not competent. I would like to know the education, training and experience of each investigator, including the total number of investigations of any kind that has been done, and in cases of alleged sexual misconduct, how many involved complete denials (as opposed to issues of consent, etc.) and how many concluded without findings of sexual misconduct. I am not, of course, asking for any information about the identities of anyone or of any confidential information. Just numbers. Looking at the very limited information on the website, it appears that the investigative “dept.” is part of a bigger enterprise that is largely focused on helping spiritual communities who have been victimized by sexual misconduct of religious leaders. This raises questions of bias that I would like you to address.

I would also like to know what standard you will be using in coming to conclusions. Is it that something might have happened, probably happened, clear and convincing evidence that it did happen, damn sure that it did happen (analogous to beyond a reasonable doubt). Is the timing of the end of the investigation set in stone? With so many people to contact (including all members of the “staff” for 30-40 years), it does not seem reasonable to set an absolute end date. And as you know, you don’t know what you don’t know – ie, more information can lead to more interviews and work. It is the nature of an investigation.

I certainly do not intend this communication to create conflict or defensiveness. I just need this basic information. If we do proceed, because I was a Mukhia Singh Sahib minister and General Counsel to YB and all of the entities for over 30 years and privy to so much information, I think that the only efficient way to proceed would be with an interview. I expect that as in any substantive investigation an interview would have the form of you asking me if I have any information that can help you further understand whatever specific claims you are investigating. I am sure that in some situations I would have useful information and in others I would not.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Guru Terath Singh (“GTS”)

Dear Ms. Wiedman:

Upon a more careful reading of the FAQs, I noticed that in addition to always sensational sexual misconduct allegations, you will be looking at “other misconduct” allegations. Those are always dangerous words. In order to prepare for an interview, can you describe the “other misconduct” allegations? Are you referring to allegations about his yogic “education?” – ie, in a factitious way, that he did not ever produce Certificates of Completion for courses or weekend seminars presented by Swami Whatshisname in the 1930s and 40s? Or the more serious allegations that have been trumpeted by the usual suspects over the past 30-40 years of fraudulent business practices, drug dealing and murder?

With respect to the sexual misconduct allegations, have you requested or received all social media conversations of whatever level of privacy (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) from each of his specific accusers during at least the past 2 years that are always discoverable? If not, why not?

If he was still alive, would you present him with the specific allegations including the names of his accusers and the what, when, and where the alleged offenses occurred? If not, why not? Since he has been dead for 15 years, who are you sending that information to so that he, his legacy, his family and staff can actively defend themselves? I know these are difficult questions but they need to be addressed.
Again, I look forward to hearing from you. And as a trained and experienced EMT and Paramedic for the Santa Fe County Fire Dept. for about the past 10 years after my retirement form State Government, I hope you, your family and business associates are staying safe during these difficult times.
Sincerely,
Guru Terath Singh

Olive Branch replied on April 6th and refused to provide any information. They referred me to the FAQs and the CRT for information that for the most part only they have. If you look at the FAQs, you will see that none of the requested information is there. And despite repeated requests as recently as during a minister’s meeting, the CRT won’t even disclose any substantive information about Olive Branch’s investigative experience.

The fact that in preparing for an interview I would not even be told what the “other allegations” are was shocking. Even accused terrorists have the right to know what they are being charged with so that they can defend themselves. And we are not talking about accused terrorists. This is about Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji.

This is not an “investigation” by any accepted definition of that word. Freshman class Justice 101 teaches that the purpose of an investigation is to prepare for a trial. With the information developed in the investigation, both sides can then present their evidence at a trial. Here, without any traditional safeguards, the investigation has become the trial!! The closest historical analogies that come to mind are Stalin’s Show Trials in the 1930s and the McCarthy Hearings in the 1950s.

This is a disgrace. The people who put this together and those who have given them such awful advice should step aside and just get out of the way. But then what?
Then – the powers that be should hire a retired District Court Judge or a panel of retired District Court Judges and task them with getting to the bottom of all of this. They should have funds to hire real investigators that they know through experience can get the job done. They might even consider hiring retired career FBI agents who are now doing private investigations. In any event, they would know how to proceed.
YB taught that one way to approach difficult problems is to poke, provoke, confront and elevate. Well I’ve done enough poking, provoking and confronting. It’s time for the last part.

I want to share 2 stories with you that have been helpful to me as I go through the kaleidoscope of life’s challenges. I discovered the first shortly after I was appointed Chancellor when we were laying the foundation of what would become SDI, 3HO, KRI, the Khalsa Council, the businesses and so many other things. I knew that others must have had similar experiences as they built what would become the world’s major religions. Here’s something I found during those studies.
After Jesus Christ was crucified, his followers were tortured, put into the lion’s den for the amusement of the Romans as they were being torn apart, had to go deep into the catacombs to just pray together and so many other terrible things. Almost all of the early Popes were hunted, captured and killed. But they kept up.

Then in 312 AD Constantine was the Roman Emperor and had to win one final battle at the Milvian Bridge on the outskirts of Rome to consolidate the Empire. The reality was that he was surely going to win the battle. But before the battle began, he saw a cross in the clouds and heard a voice say to him that “Under this symbol, you shall prevail.” And he did prevail. He then told his top General to find the Pope. Pope Miltiades was living (hiding) in a basement of a house in Rome and was captured. He was dragged out to Constantine who was on his war horse outside the house. Miltiades surely thought that this must his time to join his martyred predecessors.
Constantine told him about the cross and the voice he heard and in so many words said: “From this day forward, I am a Christian and so is the Roman Empire.”
312 years.

The other is something the beloved American folk singer Pete Seeger said: If this was a world where everything was good, people were smart, respected each other, had what they needed and mostly died from old age, you’d have to go a very long way out of your way to make a difference. But in a world that sucks, like this one, you don’t have to do much at all. Just give someone a smile or a hug and practice random acts of kindness. There has probably never been a time when you could do so much by doing so little.
I like that.

Take care and be safe.
Guru Terath Singh

Stop! Stop!

Guru Terath Singh Khalsa served as the Chancellor for Sikh Dharma, basically the top legal man on Yogi Bhajan’s staff, for over 30 years.  These are his words about the controversy surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct by Yogi Bhajan, shared by his wife, Jivan Joti K. Khalsa on Facebook, March 7, 2020.

The problem, folks, is that in this time of Social Media, because it is said, it is automatically believed. This leads to modern-day mass hysteria.  Here it is…

STOP!  STOP!  This is becoming an Age of Aquarius lynching.  As a starting point, you should ask yourself a very straightforward question:  In your life experience, is the man described by only a handful of people out of the tens of thousands who interacted with him the man you knew?  Is he?  And if you never met him, do you think that are your personal experiences of kundalini yoga, meditation, devotion to the Guru and the many other experiences that you have had could have come from the teachings of a monster?
This should not be the world of McDonald’s instant gratification. The consideration of serious matters takes some time. Additional information from an investigation can give you more to consider. Patience pays.

I have been down this road. In addition to what I shared in my first message of being involved in thousands of investigations, I was also one of the first lawyers in the United States to represent multiple victims of priest sex abuse and was involved in a Federal Court lawsuit against the Catholic Church in Catholic New Mexico in the 1990s.

This was years before the Boston Globe articles that exposed the widespread complicity of the Church in the sexual abuse of children. I received ongoing death threats.  But we did a thorough investigation, even including me deposing leaders of the Catholic Church in Winnipeg (in December of all times), concluding with evidence of the Church’s direct complicity in the horrible abuse of many, many children. But it did take time.

I want to share the story of Rebecca Nurse with you. In the late 1600s in Salem, MA, an elderly woman in her 70’s was accused of being a witch. Among other things, it was said that she put a spell on children who would then have fits of spastic movements and howling. At her trial, the evidence was that she and her husband were lifelong members of the Church, that they were respected for having raised many children, all with the highest virtues. That they served the community through their church, with many of the most respected people in the town testifying that she was pious and had the highest moral character. The jury found her not guilty.

With that, a couple of the kids starting having fits in the courtroom. The jury asked to reconsider their verdict. They did, came back and found her guilty. They then took her out and hung her from a large oak tree

Contributors to this Website

The primary contributors to this website have been:

OngKar Kaur

OngKar first met Yogi Bhajan in 1969, when she was 5 years old. Her family was close to SSS and over the years, he stayed at her home many times.  She also had the opportunity to serve him for extended periods of time as an adult when he visited her community.  

When the firestorm of allegations against Yogi Bhajan started to take place, it became apparent that no one was representing him and that the actions which were taking place were assuming he was guilty. As a Sikh, a seeker of truth, we learn that part of getting to the truth is looking at all sides.

OngKar started talking to dozens of people in our Dharma, many who were close to Yogi Bhajan on a daily basis for many years.  Through her conversations, many people expressed that they felt disheartened and frustrated that Yogi Bhajan was not being represented and that the only voices being heard were what was communicated directly from the CRT or on behalf of the accusers via social media.

She started digging into what a fair investigation should look like.  This website is a result of what she learned and is a forum for people to understand more about what a fair investigation entails.  OngKar also created the review of the “Bogus Report” done by AOB, using information she had collected for the prior 6 months.

Her views are consistent with hundreds of “Students of Yogi Bhajan” around the globe.

Disclaimer:  OngKar works for Sikh Dharma International and her opinion does not represent the opinion of the Sikh Dharma International organization.

Guru Terath Singh

As a student of Yogi Bhajan and because of his extensive experience with investigations, early on in this process, Guru Terath Singh had deep concerns about how things were being handled.

His contribution to this website is in the form of speaking to the “Best Practices” of how investigations should be conducted, and how horribly wrong the AOB process was in conducting their “investigation”.

About Guru Terath Singh

Guru Terath Singh served as the Chancellor for Sikh Dharma for over 30 years. As a New Mexico State Prosecutor for 25 years, he was involved in thousands of investigations regarding whether the State should take action against the licenses of health care professionals – doctors, dentists, psychologists, as well as CPAs, real estate agents, etc. He was also a Judge for the State Public Education Dept. for 20 years in cases whether charges were brought against licensed teachers and administrators. The stakes were very high. There was the need to protect the public from offenders and there was the possibility of stripping innocent people of their livelihoods after years of education, training and practice. These investigations had to be done fairly and right.

He was also one of the first lawyers in the United States to represent multiple victims of priest sex abuse and was involved in a Federal Court lawsuit against the Catholic Church in Catholic New Mexico in the 1990’s.

In contrast to Guru Terath’s experience, the AOB, has done only two investigations, according to the CRT April 21, 2020 update:

“AOB has performed five projects for Buddhist organizations. Of the five projects, two were independent investigations, including interviewing students who reported harm and receiving testimony from supporters of their teacher and rebuttal witnesses.”

About the CRT (Collaborative Response Team)

Who is the CRT?

In the February 18, 2020 email, which went out to our global community, this is what was said about the formation of the CRT.

Credible allegations concerning sexual misconduct by Yogi Bhajan have come forward. Our organizations take these allegations very seriously. We stand united against abuse of power, sexual abuse, any form of exploitation, and any use of sexuality as a vehicle for causing harm.
Our teachings guide us to look to the Truth and to seek the Truth with courage and commitment.  The undersigned are the members of the Collaborative Response Team that has been formed to officially represent our community organizations in this situation.  We are commissioning a third-party independent investigation to seek the truth and the extent of the allegations so that our members can feel secure and safe.

Members of the CRT include

  • SS Shanti Kaur – OPA
  • SS Sahej Singh – SSSC
  • MSS Nirvair Singh – KRI
  • SS Pritpal Kaur – 3HO
  • SS Gurujot Kaur – SDI, SSSC and Secretary General of Khalsa Council
  • MSS Daya Singh – KIIT (note:  in the original February 18 letter which was sent out via email, each member of the CRT, except Daya Singh signed the letter.  He later resigned from the CRT)

CRT Communications

Posted in CRT