Stockton Sikhs Celebrate Nagar Kirtan as Punjabi Devils Founder Faces Federal Sentencing
Stockton's South Asian community is at the center of two contrasting stories: the historic Gurdwara Sahib Stockton prepares to host its 27th annual Nagar Kirtan parade drawing tens of thousands in joyful Vaisakhi celebration, while the city's federal courts close a chapter on the Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club, whose founder has pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges and faces up to 15 years in prison.
🪔 27th Nagar Kirtan Parade Brings 19,000 to Gurdwara Sahib Stockton
The Stockton Sikh Temple's 27th annual Nagar Kirtan parade — also known as the Sikh Parade and Festival — is set to draw more than 19,000 participants and spectators to the historic Gurdwara Sahib Stockton at 1930 Sikh Temple St. The free public event honors Vaisakhi, marking the 1699 founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, one of the most sacred dates in the Sikh calendar.
The Nagar Kirtan — Punjabi for "city hymn singing" — is a sacred procession in which the Guru Granth Sahib is carried through the community on a ceremonial float, accompanied by devotional kirtan music, gatka martial arts demonstrations, and langar: the free communal meal that embodies the Sikh principle of seva, or selfless service. The parade is open to all faiths and backgrounds, reflecting Sikh values of universal welcome.
The Gurdwara Sahib Stockton holds a singular place in American Sikh history. Founded in 1912, it is recognized as one of the oldest Sikh temples in the Western Hemisphere, established by early Punjabi farmers who settled California's Central Valley over a century ago. The annual Nagar Kirtan cements Stockton's standing as a cornerstone of Sikh heritage in North America, attracting visitors from across California to a celebration that is simultaneously a sacred religious observance and a joyful community homecoming that has grown in scale and significance for more than a quarter century. [1]
Punjabi Devils Founder Jashanpreet Singh Pleads Guilty in Federal Weapons Case
Jashanpreet Singh, the 27-year-old Lodi resident who founded the Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club in Stockton, has pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges after prosecutors alleged he attempted to sell illegal weapons to an undercover federal officer. The case took a dramatic turn when Singh fled pending court proceedings and was subsequently arrested at San Francisco International Airport while attempting to board a flight to India.
Singh now faces up to 15 years in federal prison, with sentencing scheduled for May 11, 2026. Federal authorities describe him as the leader of a regional outlaw motorcycle gang with documented ties to the Hells Angels. The charges were brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California as part of broader efforts to dismantle illegal firearms trafficking networks operating across the Central Valley.
The Punjabi Devils case has reverberated across California's South Asian community, prompting difficult conversations about criminal elements that appropriate Punjabi cultural identity while causing harm to the broader community. Advocates have consistently emphasized that Stockton's Punjabi Sikh population is overwhelmingly law-abiding and has cooperated actively with law enforcement throughout this investigation. The guilty plea moves a case that has unfolded over more than a year significantly closer to resolution, and federal prosecutors have signaled that it represents a meaningful step in disrupting transnational criminal networks with operational ties to Northern California's Punjabi immigrant community. [2]
Sources: [1] The Stockton Record · [2] The Desert Sun