Sikh serves dishwashing penance

Sikh high priests yesterday pardoned a Sikh politician after he served 59 days of penance for his role in fighting a bloody separatist drive in the northern Indian state of Punjab, AFP reports from New Delhi. The former Home Minister Buta Singh was reinducted into the Sikh faith by the Golden Temple head priest after he completed his penance by polishing shoes and washing dishes at Sikh temples.