Hindu Al-Qaeda: Asia's New 'Terror Central'

While America's 'Wag The Dog' media is busy in demonizing Pakistan, and the CIA focuses on pushing the beleaguered American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq into a new war with Pakistan, India is quietly emerging as a new 'terror central', with disturbing new developments that continue to escape the glare of the American/British media.

Figure 1: In 1999, this Australian priest and his two underage kids were burned alive by Hindu terrorists in India.

Neatly tucked under the well constructed – and expensive – veneer of 'Incredible India' advertisements on international television channels is the hottest Indian story: The fast rise of Indian religious terrorist organizations that have penetrated India's military and politics. The movement is so strong, resourceful and organized that it warrants the label India's Hindu al-Qaeda.

The arrest last week of a serving Indian army colonel who along with some other officers has allegedly transferred military funds, material and training to terrorist groups is a matter that should not escape the attention of India's neighbors, since it is directly linked to New Delhi's new desire for expanding its reach beyond its borders and to serve as the regional policeman for American interests in the Asia-Pacific.

One more reason to closely watch what's happening in India is that there is some evidence that parts of the Indian government are busy reading CIA's Latin America handbook of patronizing client militias and using them for strategic objectives. In India's case, this means Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and most importantly Pakistan and China.

The changes taking place in India are truly breathtaking. This is a nation and culture that never espoused violence. Until 1947, the Indians lived for ten centuries under foreign rule –Muslims, British, Dutch and Portuguese- without major resistance. This is the only major civilization in the region that never expanded beyond its natural borders. That's why it is important to understand that the new rise of Hindu militancy has everything to do with India's new interest in creating an image of a superpower.

The world's first religion-based genocide in the 21^st century occurred in India, where in 2002 more than 2,500 Indian Muslims were burned alive in riots by Hindu terror groups, according to a hearing conducted by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on communal riots in India and the U.S. response, held on 10 June, 2002.

While CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden was accusing Pakistan over the weekend of becoming the hub of all terrorism in the world, a newspaper in Malta on Sunday published the chilling story of an Indian priest who escaped death and recounted to his audience how India's Hindu terrorist organizations burned ordinary Christians alive and raped nuns on the streets of Orrissa in east India in August.

Pakistan gets a lot of bad press mainly from the American and the British media for religious extremism. Certainly we have a problem and we're dealing with it. But it pales in comparison with India's. Consider this: Since the start of this century, almost nine years ago, India has seen the targeted murder of over 600 Christians, most of them in riots this summer, not to mention the genocide of Indian Muslims. Hindu terror groups, like Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, and the Durga Vahini have established militant training camps across India where members are indoctrinated against other religions and Indian Hindu supremacy is emphasized. Recently, the Durga Vahini has proudly distributed pictures of its female members wearing the sari and brandishing guns at an indoctrination camp. In Kashmir, the Indian government and military are recruiting poor Hindu peasants into Hindu militias armed to confront Muslim majority's demand for an end to Indian occupation.

There are reports now that the arrested Indian army colonel and some other officers linked to Hindu terror groups might have had something to do with the burning alive of tens of Pakistani tourists aboard the so-called friendship train service Samjhota Express in 2006.

In short, Pakistan is America's and Britain's favorite punching bag, but India is fast becoming the new terror central. And not all of it is by accident. The Indians have used this technique in Sri Lanka, where Indian money, weapons and indoctrination kept a civil war alive for decades. In China, the Indians are recruiting, training and arming Tibetan rebels fighting Beijing. And even American commentators are admitting now that India is meddling in Pakistan using contacts with old friends in the Karzai government.

There is also no question that the mythology that has surrounded Pakistani intelligence agencies' purported links to religious groups in Afghanistan and Kashmir might have impressed some Indian security officials and played a role in influencing Indian thinking.

But the problem with this genie that the Indian political and military establishments have apparently unleashed is that it is bound to feed on India's massive poverty problem, especially in the next few years when India's economy is projected to considerably slow down, starting next year, as a result of a global recession.

This religious extremist surge in India is also a matter of concern because Hindu organizations have found unexpected friends in America's Christian right and the conservatives, who are using political connections to help Hindu Indian-American organizations insert activists in key positions in American government and media. The Israeli right has also established strong ties to the rightwing Hindu militants.

It's all right for the Indians to think in terms of projecting power and adopt whatever means necessary to do it. The problem with this thinking is that expensive showoff space shuttles to Moon –when almost no one else in the world is doing it for now- won't reduce poverty among the world's largest single concentration of poor people on earth. In India.

Footnote:

• An Indian citizen, Najid Hussain, testified on June 10, 2002, in front of the U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM HEARING ON COMMUNAL VIOLENCE IN GUJARAT, INDIA AND THE U.S. RESPONSE:

"During my last visit to India in March while Ahmedabad was still burning, I met a young man at Ahmedabad Railway Station with a child in one arm and a little bag in the other. He asked me if I needed my shoes polished. I did not, but said yes. He did not have the foot-rest or a stand on which I could rest my foot while he polished the shoes. So I just put one foot forward and he started to polish. All the time that he was polishing my shoes, the child did not let go of his arm and he did not force her either. He polished the shoes just with one hand holding the child in the other. I advised him that he should buy a little shoe stand that could help him polish better and with ease. With tears in his eyes, he said he lost that when the rioters burnt his house a week ago. His wife and the mother of the child was also burnt along with the house. The little child was traumatized. That was the reason she would not let go of his arm. He said he puts her down only when she is asleep.

That man was not a terrorist. That man was not a fundamentalist. That man was not an anti-national. That man had no time even to think about any of these activities. He was only an innocent, hard working and poor Muslim who had a hard time making a living and raising the family. But he was targeted just because he was a Muslim.

"In the aftermath of the killing of my father-in-law, the former Member of Parliament Ahsan Jafri, it is an unavoidable conclusion that the government of Gujarat did not just give a tacit approval to the perpetrators of the violence against Muslims, but connived in the pogrom. There are evidences that the police, the judiciary and the hospitals, all became a part of that operation in ethnic cleansing by Hindu extremists and Sangh Parivaries (BJP, VHP, RSS, Bajrang Dal) in Gujarat. The carnage carried out in Gujarat in the aftermath of Godhra incident was pre-planned. The detailed and meticulous preparation of that operation, the availability of weapons, the list of houses and businesses to be targeted based on voters lists and ration card records, the availability of bottled water for the rioters, and mob leaders getting riot instructions and help on cell phones, suggest that Godhra was only a convenient excuse. These extremists were fully prepared and on standby to carry out the violence against Muslim men, women and children, and were only waiting for the opportunity."

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More references:

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Why Are Hindus so Offended?

Why are most Hindus, even the secular and the so-called liberal ones, so offended by Center's contention that there is no evidence to suggest existence of Rama?

The obsession with Rama is a recent phenomenon. Different Hindu gods were popular in different times - more like popularity ratings. Ram has been becoming popular in the recent times, starting with Gandhi who kept repeating his name many times and culminating in Rath Yatra taken up by LK Advani.

Hindus were quite OK for a long time in accepting their mythologies as pure myth, because their gods were quite real to them and no matter what Science said, it didn't bother them. They continued to pray to them as if they were real. Only in the last century, unfortunately, Hindus have been introduced to Science which questions things. Before that, Hindus were quite happy just learning things by rote for thousands of years. Any profound questioning thoroughly discomforts most Hindus and that's also the reason why we don't see revolutionary scientific thinkers from this land. It goes without saying that even a renowned 'scientist' from India is a deeply religious man who mixes myth with reality at any point of time without qualms.
Another introduction to Hindus is the rule of law, which is a recent phenomenon. Hindus are also very averse to rules coming from the state. They would like to cross the road when they want to, just like their venerated cows. All these street lights are a major encumbrance to them. It is an 'artificial Western construct' imposed onto them which they detest completely. Rule of law demands a certain degree of exactness which Hindus are completely averse to. Hindus have wallowed and took rejoice in ambiguity. Hence a rule of law of demanding exactness is an anathema. Reproducing exact evidence is completely irrelevant since justice can be bought at a certain price- all Hindus have grown up knowing this as part of our culture- hence there is no need for actual evidence to make a case.

The other introduction that happened in the last hundred years is the familiarity with other Western religion on a massive scale. Earlier, Hindus lived as Hindus without ever knowing what Christianity or Islam was. Only in the last hundred years, they were exposed to these other religions on a more-than-desired levels - through 'unnecessary' campaigns of Gandhi, through media, and through the recent 'conversion' episodes. What they have found is that these religions had a founder and also a religious book. Hindus, instead of just accepting they don't have a founder and no religious book, tried their best to posit one such hero and one such book as its holy book. Enter Rama and enter Bhagavad Gita. Though there is no unanimity in this, in recent times Indians have been positing these two icons as symbols of Hindus. If Mohammed existed and lived, so did Rama. If Christians had Bible to quote, so Hindus had Gita.

So, when suddenly some high authority of 'secular' India suggests that there is no evidence to prove existence of Rama, these Hindus, which includes almost everyone, including those secular one and those liberal ones, stand up and protest. Because this contention directly competes with the recently formed opinions, in competition with other religions they have been exposed to.
Hindus have been taking Rama quite seriously recently, only in the last 100 years, and more so since LK Advani's Rath Yatra and the Ayodhya episode. Rama became an icon or symbol they are going to die for, just the way Muslims are ready to die (and kill) for the sake of Prophet Mohammed. While there is lot of evidence to suggest that Mohammed existed and walked on this planet in flesh and blood, and while there is scant evidence that Jesus may have existed, there is no evidence to suggest Rama ever walked on this planet. This is nothing to do with our inadequate research. It has to do with time. While Mohammed walked on this planet around 1500 years ago, and Jesus might have walked 2000 years ago, most dates for Rama are not less than 3500 years ago. Our recorded history is more robust only from the times of 800 BC in case of Western Civilizations (not including Egyptian Civilization). And Hindus have been little lax about historical documentation of their histories, mixing fantasy with facts wherever possible.
Rama may have existed, or maybe he did not exist. That does not diminish the richness of Hinduism. It should not invalidate their belief systems or their religion. But for some reason, Hindus want to compete with other modern religions and in that effort would like to validate his authenticity to suit their belief systems by asserting that their icons are indeed real just like founders of other religions.

Hinduism is an ancient religion which predates most other modern religions. Hindus should take pride, if they want to, in the fact that our religion has evolved over thousands of years instead of being static, interpreted narrowly by one single icon or one single book. But then, most Hindus do not understand the essence of their own religion beyond the mere rituals and mere competition with other religions. Self-confidence is lacking and hence this flurry of activity to posit their religion equivalent to other modern religions.

Would Hindus raise their voices if someone said there is no evidence to suggest existence of Lord Indra? Not really. Because Lord Indra is not as popular as Lord Rama these days. The same is true for Vamana avatar, Narsimha avatar, Kurma avatar, et al, of Vishnu. Rama is important but not other avatars. It is nothing to do which avatar is important. It is to do with the present generations which grew up with knowing Rama as the most popular god, thanks to LK Advani and his BJP, and sister groups such as VHP and Bajrang Dal, and also a little thanks to exposure to competing religions.

In the last hundred years, there has been a slow and concerted effort to construct Rama as the most popular god to consolidate Hindus under one banner so that they can be manipulated with one stroke. How else would you move the Hindu sentiments as one monolithic religion? Hinduism was always a collection of myths, stories, gods, books, rituals and practices. There was no unique icon to unite them all. That also poses a problems to those who would like to ensure they get the sympathies from Hindus on a religious basis. Hence, borrowing from what Gandhi had already set in motion, the modern day Hindu organizations and affiliated political parties have started to position Rama as the strong contender. Lord Krishna always had some flaws which seem to dominate more than his strengths and he would not have stood the mass appeal from a dias as much as Lord Rama whose impeccable record (other than one or two guffaws) made him the ideal contender from Hindu pantheon.

Therefore, in the last hundred years, Hindu organizations, groups, sympathizers, devout, radical, fanatic, et al, have been positioning Rama to be the icon for Hindus. Popularization of places related to Rama, stories of Rama, embracing Rama Rajya for Hindu Rashtra, etc, were carried out on a massive scale. To help this further, the present generation of Indians grew up knowing Ramayana from the TV serial. They all have images to relate to thus accentuating the belief he really existed. It is not just the political parties with vested interest that campaigned for this. It includes all Hindus who had a selfish interest to promote their religion. It includes all devout who wanted to get a ratification of his belief system. It includes even secular and liberal Hindus who wanted to glorify their culture. It also includes leftist and Marxist group who wanted to posit India as a great country with great ancient history.

Rama is not only real but 'hyper-real'. His existence cannot even be challenged because he is so real that he lives in the 'collective conscience' of billions.

Our inadequate education that does not impart rational and logical thinking completes the story. Not equipped with the right tools, most Indians get carried away by rhetoric, blind belief and superstition. They do not differentiate between what is evidence and what is 'collective conscience'. They do not differentiate between myth and reality. According to them, Rama is real and you just have to accept it. No proof required.

When the present government, led by a Christian Italian Indian woman, a Sikh, a puppet President, and a Muslim Vice-President, backs Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to suggest there is no evidence to prove existence of Rama, all Hindus, including the so-called secular ones and liberal ones, rise up in unanimous protest, because it challenges their belief systems that was carefully constructed in the last hundred years on which they have taken their inspiration and confidence. Rama's un-existence suddenly invalidates their confidence levels. It is like pulling the rug from under their feet causing them to lose balance. They just don't like it. If Islam has Mohammed in flesh and blood, and if Christianity has Jesus, in half flesh and blood, then they better have their Ram in hyper-reality. Whatever works!

Setusamudram flooded by Emotive waves

The leadership of Congress has apologized for the affidavit filed in
the Supreme Court in the case pertaining to the Sethusmaudram project.
This project which was set off by BJP led NDA regime, aims to make a
canal from Palk straights to gulf of Munnar. It involved dredging of
Adams Bridge, also called as Ramar Setu. The affidavit mentioned that
the said bridge is not a man made structure and also the Ram is a
mythological not historical figure. This affidavit set the emotive
political streams rolling their political chariots, and hue and cry
that this statement of the Government is an act of blasphemy.

Different agitations were already planned at an RSS meet to oppose
Sethusamudram project. Dharam Sansad (religious Parliament, a VHP
initiative) has been mobilized around 'faith', on the ground that this
project will destroy Ramar Sethu, the one which was built by Vanar
Sena (Army of Monkeys) to help Ram cross over to Lanka to rescue Sita.
The project was supported by most of the political parties in the
past, and cleared in particular by BJP led NDA, which is at the
forefront of making a political capital out of the issue now. The case
of worst abuse of faith for political agenda is on display! This
project when complete, will cut short the long journey of the ships
from east coast to the west coast, and vice versa. Like Panama Canal
it has been conceived to promote the transport, employment and trade.
Half way now, it has been facing two oppositions. The one is from the
environmentalists, who are worried about the destruction of flora and
fauna and the dangers of silting in the canal. These are the arguments
which need to be taken seriously.

The other ground, the one based on faith need to be dealt with at
another ground. RSS and its affiliates are promoting a view that
building this Sethusamudram will involve be destruction of Ramar Sethu
which will be detrimental to our faith. The story goes that Ravan; the
King of Lanka had abducted Sita to avenge the insult meted out to his
sister Shurpnakha, whose proposal for marrying her was turned down by
the Lord Ram. Assisted by his loyal devotee Hanuman, the Lord
mobilized monkeys and built this bridge. It is claimed that this
bridge is a marvel of engineering achievements of the Indian engineers
of that time. The assertion is that it shows the acme of technological
achievements of this land, and that there are other noteworthy
achievements like the advances in aeronautical technologies like aero
planes, missiles to name the few.

How do we understand these claims, how do we comprehend this peep in
to the past? How do we distinguish fact from fiction, history from
mythology? To reconcile history, science and mythology are the complex
questions in our public life. To begin with history of events has some
definitive characteristics, though their interpretations do vary with
the political ideologies. But what about mythology? Here these
accounts have been put forward as the fictional accounts of the past.
Some of these accounts have been associated with faith. Faith to some
extent is natural and sometimes it is being manufactured and asserted
for political goals.
As far as Lord Ram's story goes there are several versions of
Ramayana, (Many Ramayanas, Richman, OUP). Some of these are very
popular like Valmiki Ramayana and Tulasidas Ramcharitmanas. Surely the
most popular one currently is the one from Maharashi Ramanand Sagar's
mega serial which captivated the nation for couple of years. There are
other versions, which have been undermined and attacked mostly for
political reasons. Sahmat exhibition on different versions of Lord
Ram's story was attacked few years ago. Some politically motivated
people could not bear one of the versions presented in this
exhibition. It showed that according to Jataka version of Ram Katha,
in post Brahminical Buddhist Dashrath Jataka Sita is both as sister
and wife of Ram. As per this version Dashrath is King not of Ayodhya
but of Varanasi. The marriage of sister and brother is part of the
tradition of glorious Kshtriya clans who wanted to maintain their
caste and clan purity. This Jataka tale shows Ram to be the follower
of Buddha. Similarly in Jain versions of Ramayana project Ram as the
propagator of anti-Brahminical Jain values, especially as a follower
of non-violence. What do both Buddhist and Jain version have in common
is that in these Ravana is not shown as a villain but a great soul
dedicated to quest of knowledge and is a spiritual soul, with majestic
commands over passions, a sage and a responsible ruler. Popular and
prevalent 'Women's Ramayan Songs (of Telugu Brahmin Women), put
together by Rangnyakmma, keep the women's concern as the central theme
and present alternate perspective. These songs present Sita as finally
victorious over Ram and in these Surpanakha succeeds in taking revenge
over Ram.
Prof. Victor Raja Mannikam, of Satara University points out (Times of
India 14th Sept 2007) that this epic dates back to 5000 years while
Ramar Setu is over a lakh years old. Prof. V.S. Sahay of Anthropology
Department of Allahbad University says that the society described in
Ramayana represents Metal age (5000-6000 BC) and Ram's Vanar army has
not constructed the structure as it belongs to Pleistocene Age which
shows emergence of stone tools.

Marine experts tell us that the setu itself is a marine structure over
a lakh years old and not man made. It is a natural occurrence of the
continuity of sandstone sedimentation which stretches below
Dhanushkoti and isotope dating indicates that the deposition is over a
lakh years old (Prof. R. Mannikam). Thus one can conclude that Ramar
Sethu is a much older structure, called tombol, a sand deposition due
to natural process, connecting one land with another, and that it is
from times when human habitation is doubtful. The Geological Survey of
India has also ruled out its being the manmade (or monkey made!),
construction. Same way the inference from NASA satellite pictures is
that it is due to sedimentation of clay and lime stone.

Many people dispute that the Lanka mentioned in Ramayana is not the
current Sri Lanka. Since mythology does not require any proof it can
be modulated and constructed in to a faith for political purposes.
Recently in the Shabri Kumbh held in Dangs in Gujarat, the mythology
was modulated in to the service of politics. It was said, and that too
with great amount of precision, that a particular hillock, which was
earlier called Chamak Dongar, which adivasis used to worship as Shivar
Deo (protector of crops), was the precise place where Shabri had
offered berries to Lord Ram. It was rechristened and a Shabri temple
was built on the spot. Nearby, a river six kilometers away, Purna was
named as the one where Guru Matang rishi use to take bath. On the
mountain on the stone there were three marks which are being presented
as the marks where Laxman had sharpened his arrows.

The one step back of Congress leadership, Sonia Gandhi in particular,
is to try to prevent giving an emotional handle to RSS combine, who
are desperately looking to build up another emotive issue the way they
constructed the politics around Babri Mosque. The search for an issue
is desperate as the Ram temple issue is no longer en-cashable in the
electoral arena, the primary concern of BJP. The attitude of Congress
leadership can be understood only in this light, else the affidavit
filed by Archeological survey is on the dot and scientific to the
core. One witnessed the similar display of retreat when Sonia Gandhi
was to become the Prime Minister. Faced with the threat of some BJP
leaders shaving their heads and eating just gram, and the emotive
hysteria which had the potential of engulfing the national politics,
Mrs. Gandhi decided to give up the post, deflating the whole game,
depriving them of a issue and depriving the nation of the sight of
Sanyasin like leaders, with bald head etc. One is not sure whether
even now such a process of deflating the issue in the initial stages
is possible.

It is easy to construct a fly over to the future but difficult to
prevent the formation of mythological bridges of the past. Mythology
can easily be constructed and planted in the people's psyche as it is
driven by political goals and rides on horse of emotion. Reason and
logic have no place in this scheme of things. One knows that some
Mullahs, having faith in the infinite power of djinns advocated their
rulers to invest in the research for making more djinns so that power
crisis can be solved. Also with the resurgence of fundamentalism one
is hearing that Creation science is back in the race to compete with
the theories of evolution. The question is, should we misuse faith,
faith which can be an assuaging balm, for building political agendas?

Charge Sheet of the Sikh Nation Against the Indian State

The Indian State Versus The Sikh nation.

This 60-point year-to-year charge sheet tabled here is by no means totally exhaustive, but all major misdemeanours, misappropriations, mischiefs, misrepresentations, misgivings of the Indian state find a mention. Every charge individually and collectively sufficiently holds India responsible for being unfair and unjust to the Sikh people. The chargesheet will be presented to the United Nations and will be communicated to all Sikh bodies and institutes, particularly to the Sikh Diaspora whose role in solidifying the Sikh aspirational struggle has been a glorious saga in contemporary Sikh history.





Charge Sheet against the Indian State by the Sikh Nation

On the midnight of 14 August 1947, British India was partitioned and Sikhs as a people underwent the trauma and rigours of one of the biggest transfers of population in world history from West Punjab to East Punjab. Thousands of Sikhs were killed and hundreds of women were humiliated. Home and hearth were lost and the economy of the Panjabis was ruined. The Sikhs were made to leave their most cherished and sacred place, Nankana Sahib -the birthplace of Guru Nanak. According to one estimate, the Sikhs lost more than forty percent of their territory and more than six percent of their total population.

On 10th October 1947, a secret circular by the Punjab Governor, Sir Chandu Lal Trivedi, declared that Sikhs are a criminal tribe. The circular addressed to deputy commissioners of Punjab, labeled the Sikhs a criminal tribe, threat to peace and that the activities of Sikhs should be kept under watch.

In the month of February, 1948, right-wing Hindu members of the Jalandhar Municipal Committee officially resolved to adopt the Hindi language as the medium of instruction in schools of the district, to taunt the Sikhs and to decimate the importance of mother tongue Punjabi. In the same year, the Dar Commission submitted its report against the formation of linguistic states.

On 19th February, 1949, Sikh leader and president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Master Tara Singh was arrested at Narela, under charges similar to sedition in nature disallowing him to participate in a religious ceremony.

On 26 January, 1950, the Constitution of India as framed by the Constituent Assembly was adopted. As the Constitution failed to be truly federal in character and did not give special rights to ethnic peoples and nationalities, the two Sikh members in the Constituent Assembly, Bhupinder Singh Mann and Hukam Singh declared that, “The Sikhs do not accept this constitution. The Sikhs reject this constitution.”

The Government of India enters into a pact with the pseudo-Nirankaris to subvert the separate and distinct entity of the Sikh religion.

In 1951, in the first census in ‘independent’ India, under explicit and implicit orders of the state machinery, Hindi was preferred over Punjabi. The ruling Congress party went to the extent of issuing an advertisement in newspapers asking non-Sikh residents of Punjab to return Hindi (in Devnagari script) as their mother tongue, even though Punjabi had been their mother tongue since ages.

On 4th January, 1952 Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India, opposed the formation of Punjabi Suba. This was in total contrast to the commitment to demarcate India on a linguistic basis made by the Congress party in 1929, 1946 and 1947.

On 4th March, 1953, the Akali-led government of PEPSU province was dismissed without any ground. Upset over the misuse of Article 356 of the Constitution by the Congress government, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the founding father of the Indian constitution, while speaking in the Upper house of the Indian parliament, roared, “I wish to set fire to such a constitution.” This was the first non-Congress government which was dismissed and President’s rule was imposed.

On 6th April, 1955, a ban was imposed on the raising of the slogan “Punjabi Suba Zindabad”. Subsequently, the police under the command of DIG Ashwani Kumar entered the Darbar Sahib Complex and raided the offices of the Shiromani Akali Dal to detain Akali leaders. The Head priest of Akal Takht Sahib was arrested and tear gas shells were thrown in the perambulation around the Darbar Sahib. The Head pries of Darbar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib were detained.

In 1957, in continuation of the anti-Punjabi language tirade, a cross-section of Hindu fundamentalists (Jan Sangh) floated Hindi Raksha Samiti under the leadership of Yag Dutt Sharma that launched a violent “Save Hindi Struggle” campaign which comprised of throwing cigarette buts in holy water tanks, tearing of pages of Sikh religious texts and shearing of hair of Sikhs by waylaying them. Discrimination was evident as Hindu hooliganism was not stopped whereas Sikhs were beaten up.

On 15th March, 1959 peaceful protestors of the Shiromani Akali Dal, on their way to the Indian parliament to protest the violation of their rights were detained, harassed, maltreated and arrested.

In 1960, the biggest Morcha for Punjabi Suba was launched. 57,000 Sikhs courted arrest. Master Tara Singh was arrested. In the same year, on June 12, a silent march was taken in Delhi protesting the arrest of Master Tara Singh. For the first time, the Delhi administration ordered that any Sikh entering Delhi or walking the streets of the city should be given a thrashing. Harbans Singh Frontier who led the first Jatha was mercilessly beaten up when he came out of the Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib.

In the sixties, the Indian state patronised and assisted the left movement in Punjab to destroy Sikh culture, Sikh traditions, Sikh religion and Sikh ethos. On 22 May, 1960, 11 Sikhs of Tarna Dal were gunned down at Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh by Mahant Gurdial Singh's henchmen who was entrenched in the Gurdwara with logistical support from police and the district administration.

The Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 was passed, which dealt a death-blow to the territorial and water rights of the people of Punjab. Sections 78, 79 and 80 of the Panjab Reorganisation Act placed the irrigation and hydel-power projects of the Panjab geographically in Himachal Pradesh. These provisions also gave exclusive overall control of these projects to the Central government. It was in total contravention of Article 246 of the Indian constitution and universally accepted riparian principles.

In 1967, the Congress conspired to topple the first Akali-led government by engineering defection and thereafter withdrawing its support, and imposing President’s rule.

In 1970, Sikhs settled in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh were forcibly evicted from there under one pretext or the other. In recent times, the Sikh-majority district of Udham Singh Nagar was also forcibly attached to the newly carved state of Uttaranchal Pradesh against the express wish of Sikh residents in that area.

In 1971, in a move to scuttle the importance of martial races in the Indian armed forces, the defence ministry under Jagjivan Ram, took a policy decision, to recruit army personnel on the basis of population rather than merit. The percentage of Sikh participation in the Indian Armed Forces was gradually reduced to a meagre 2 percent. Promotions to high-ranking Sikh officers were scuttled on pretext or the other. The government compelled Sikh officers, both in the Defence and Civil services to renounce their Sikh identity (i.e. Kesh and Kirpan) if they desired promotions and possible retention in their services. This illegal and racial discrimination continues.

In 1972, 12 Sikhs were killed by the Punjab police in Gurdwara Sadabart, near Ropar.

In 1973, the Shiromani Akali Dal adopted the Anandpur Sahib Resolution but the Indian state and media launched a vicious campaign against it, dubbing it as anti-national.

Upon the imposition of emergency in 1975, thousands of volunteers of the Shiromani Akali Dal opposing the emergency imposed by Mrs. Indira Gandhi were incarcerated.

On April 13, 1978, thirteen Sikhs were killed in cold-blood by the pseudo-Nirankaris in the heart of Amritsar who had been given permission to voice anti-Sikh sermons in the holy city of Amritsar by the Punjab government. In the same year, 4 Nihang Sikhs were killed at Pundri, Haryana, by police of the Akali Dal supported Haryana Government under the chief ministership of Chaudhary Devi Lal. In the same year Sikh protestors were fired at in Kanpur and Delhi leading to death of some activists.

As the Punjab and Sind Bank was understood to be the banks of Sikhs and Punjabis, when the bank reached the zenith of its glory, in 1980, the bank was nationalized and brought under the direct control of the government of India.

On 14th January 1980, copies of Guru Granth Sahib were burnt at Chando Kalan in Haryana.

On 4th January, 1980 Baba Gurbachan (neo-Nirankari) and 64 associates accused in the case of the murder of 13 Sikhs on April 13, 1978 were acquitted by the Sessions Judge of Karnal, Mr. Gupta. It is an open secret that all attempts were made by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and others to influence the judiciary for their acquittal.

On 1st May 1982, the Dal Khalsa, which was struggling for Sikh rights was banned by the Indian Government. Sometime later, the All India Sikh Students Federation, which was one of the oldest Sikh youth organizations working amongst Sikh students for propagation of Sikh religion was also banned by government of India.

During the Asian games in 1982, Sikhs were banned from entering Delhi. With full tacit approval of the state authorities, Sikhs were badly humiliated at various places in Haryana. Their shops were looted and property destroyed.

On 4th April, 1983, 26 Sikhs were killed by the police, at Kupp, near Malerkotla, during the "Rasta Roke" agitation of the Akali Dal.

In 1983, the State Reserve Police and the Central Reserve Police were directed by the government to attack Gurdwaras on the slightest pretext. During the year, Gurdwara Sahib Sisganj, Delhi, Gurdwara Imli Sahib, Indore, Gurdwara Sahib, Churu, Rajasthan, Gurdwara Sahib Chandokalan, Haryana and Gurdwara Sahib, Chowk Mehta, Amritsar were attacked.

From February 15-20, 1984, the Hindus of Haryana under the guidance of the Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and senior police officials, attacked innocent Sikhs in the cities of Panipat, Rohtak, Kaithal Karnal, Ambala, Jind and other parts of Haryana province and killed 20 Sikhs, burnt six Sikh shrines and looted more than 200 Sikh houses and shops. The hair and beards of many Sikhs were shaved off by the Hindus in the presence of heavy contingents of police and Central Reserve Police.

In June 1984, on the orders of the Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Darbar Sahib and 37 other Gurdwaras were attacked by all sections of the Indian Armed forces and other security agencies, killing thousands of Sikhs, desecrating the holy premises, vandalizing heritage records and artifacts. They not only killed the fighting forces but also innocent Sikh men, women and children.

During the attack on Darbar Sahib, the Sikh Reference Library was vandalized by the Indian Armed Forces and the looted material has not been returned to this day.

After the attack on Darbar Sahib, an internal circular of the Indian Army entitled, Baat Cheet exhorted members of the Indian Armed Forces to earmark baptized Sikhs, all of whom were labeled as dangerous people who were supposed to be having direct links with ‘terrorists’.

In November, 1984, Sikhs were attacked in 87 towns and cities in 'secular' India. According to estimates by human rights organizations atleast 10,000 Sikhs were virtually butchered or burnt alive. Officially, 3,700 Sikhs were killed in a matter of 48 hours. More than 200,000 Sikhs rendered homeless and without work. More than 358 Gurdwaras were desecrated and destroyed. Justifying this official pogrom against the Sikhs against the Sikhs, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi shamelessly proclaimed, “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.”

On 25 July 1985, the Rajiv-Longowal accord was reached which contained unattainable and unachievable proposals. The Accord was attained under deceit and pressure on Sant Longowal. Still, for the record, no part of the accord has been implemented.

Since 1986, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been debarred from officially entering Punjab for documenting human rights violations. This ban still continues.

In 1987, the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 was passed. This act violated all norms of criminal jurisprudence. Every safeguard guaranteed by the Constitution, all international standards of human rights laid-down by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights were violated by this Act, even though India is a signatory to both these declarations. The Sikhs suffered the consequences of TADA. Thousands of Sikh youth were detained, tortured, and killed both in Panjab and in other Indian states.

On 12th May 1987, the Akali government in Punjab was dismissed by misusing Article 356 of the Indian constitution.

On 14-15 September, 1988, Sikh students of the Engineering College at Bidar in Karnataka were subjected to a brutal racial attack in which many students were killed and a large number of them were injured.

In 1988, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi introduced the 59th amendment to the constitution of India, rescinding the right to life of the people of Punjab and enabling more discriminatory laws against Punjab.

On 13th January, 1988, Sikhs were injured and killed in Jammu & Kashmir during the procession to observe the birthday celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh.

On 6th January, 1989, without substantial evidence, Kehar Singh was hanged. The advocates and judges colloquium objected to this judicial murder, but it was still carried out.

A written circular was sent by the Director General of Police, Mr. K. P. S. Gill to all Senior Superintendents of Police in Punjab dated 30 August, 1989, giving details of rewards to them for the apprehension and liquidation of wanted “terrorists/extremists”.

In 1990. Prime Minister V.P. Singh introduced the 65th amendment to the constitution, to prolong Presidential Rule in Panjab. This was repeated in 1991 by Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar when he initiated the 75th Constitutional Amendment.

In 1991, the Bombay police issued a circular to collect details of Sikh residents to cause them harassment and humiliation.

Elections scheduled to be held in June 1991 were aborted only 24 hours prior to polling time by the then President Mr. R. Venketaraman on advice from Prime Minster-designate Mr. P. V. Narasimha Rao. This illegal order was implemented by Chief Election Commissioner, Mr. T.N. Seshan.

On 28 July, 1991, a circular was issued in the Terai region asking Sikh residents to prove their innocence. Police intimidation and restrictions on purchase of property became the norm in this Sikh-majority area of the State of Uttar Pradesh.

In 1991, Brigadier Sinha of the Indian Army publicly declared that the only way to subvert the culture of the Sikhs was to rape and humiliate Sikh women.

On 15 March, 1992, a written discriminatory order was issued by the state government of Rajasthan for registration of land owned by Sikhs.

On 3 April, 1992, former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and chairman of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation, Justice Ajit Singh Bains was arrested under the anti-people legislation, TADA. Inspite of massive protests by human rights activists, lawyers and political activists, the Punjab and Haryana High Court did not intervene.

On 8-9 June, 1992, five innocent villagers from village Behla, district Amritsar were used as a human shield by the security agencies comprising of the Punjab police and the Central Reserve Police Force in an operation against Sikh insurgents. All were killed and later dubbed as militants.

On 9 October, 1992, Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda and Bhai Sukhdev Singh were sent to the gallows under the provisions of the TADA act, which was later on held null and void by the Supreme Court of India. It is significant to mention that as many as 400 petitions challenging the validity of T.A.D.A. were pending judgment for more than 8 years in the apex court. The decision though was taken after hanging Jinda and Sukha.

On 1 January, 1993, the former Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, Bhai Gurdev Singh Kaonke, who had been kidnapped by the police a few days ago, was tortured and extrajudically killed by the Ludhiana police.

In 1993, 11 Sikh young pilgrims on way by bus to Hazur Saheb, Nanded from Pilibhit were removed from the bus and shot dead in cold blood in front of all other passengers by the police, alleging that they were all “terrorists”.

On 8-9 November, 1994, six Sikh undertrial detenues under TADA, in the Pilibhit prison in the state of Uttar Pradesh were brutally beaten to death by the 42 members of the prison staff with support from the infamous Provincial Armed Constabulary of Uttar Pradesh. 22 other Sikh detenues were seriously injured.

On 6 September, 1995, human rights activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra, who had unearthed gross human rights abuses in the district of Amritsar about individuals who had disappeared involuntarily was tortured and killed extrajudicially.

Mr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Human Resources Minister earmarked 100 crores for the celeberation of 300 years of Khalsa Panth. Most of the money was apportioned to RSS supported organizations for penetrating into Sikh institutions to undermine the separate identity of the Sikhs and diluting Sikh ideology with the motive of evolving pan-Hinduism which propagates the Sikhs to be a sect of Hinduism.

On 20 March 2000, coinciding with the visit of US President, Bill Clinton, 35 young Sikhs were killed in Chittisingpura, Kashmir by state vigilantes. This has been proved without doubt but the state has not taken any action so far.

In June 2005, sedition cases were registered against the leadership of the Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) when they participated in a function to observe the anniversary of the attack on Darbar Sahib.

In the year 2007, while the blasphemous activities of Sirsa dera chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim have been allowed to continue, in complete violation of legal provisions, sedition charges have been foisted against Sikh leaders. Earlier such false and baseless allegations were foisted against Dal Khalsa leaders.

(This charegsheet was prepared as a result of a seminar organised by the Dal Khalsa.

The unlimited Sardar Joke

60th anniversary of the world's largest Demon-cracy

What can one say on the 60th independence anniversary of the world’s largest demoNcracy where protesting against the erection of a statue of a mass murderer, and uttering the word Khalistan, is sedition?

Washington DC: Wednesday 15 August 2007: What can one say about present day India, on the 6oth anniversary of its 1947 independence, from the slavery (ghulami) of Imperial British ‘Raj’?

More and more people are wondering whether the fight for freedom was worth it? Not a few feel that they were perhaps better off under the Colonial British ‘Raj’ as compared to the corrupt, nepotistic, dynastic rule currently headed by the unread Italian widow of that mass murderer, the late PM Rajiv Gandhi. A Prime minister whose ‘wink and a nod’, to his Congress party thugs in November 1984, resulted in a pogrom in which nearly ten thousand innocent Sikh men, women and children were murdered/ raped/ burned, their properties destroyed, in Delhi and other urban centers of India by police-led Hindu mobs. Six months earlier, in June 1984, Rajiv Gandhi’s mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had ordered the Indian Army to attack the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar (known as the Golden Temple in the West) and 37 other Sikh shrines in which operation thousands of innocent Sikh pilgrims were mercilessly slaughtered.

What could one say about the Nehru family controlled UPA government which boasts of a financially honest, but mentally dishonest, appointed (not elected) ‘poster-boy’ Prime Minister (a Sikh named Manmohan Singh) who heads India’s most dishonest Government and goes about performing kowtow at the feet of corrupt and morally repugnant Brahmin priests, shaming every proud Sikh. For the first time in history, a Union Cabinet Minister of this government is behind bars for allegedly murdering his private secretary, another minister was forced to resign in the Volcker-probed oil-for-food scam. Five tainted Ministers still adorn the treasury benches in the Indian Parliament. What to say of the over four hundred criminal ‘netas’, the ‘Right Honorables, who strut about in the corridors of power as MLAs and MPs (Members of Parliament and members of state assembly) in their ‘bullet-proof’ jackets and cars, who have merrily converted offices of public services into playgrounds of private profit and brazenly justify their wrongs as being in public interest.

What comment can one make about the crooked small-time female politician, Pratibha Patil, infamous for her numerous under the table financial shenanigans in the past, who has just been appointed to the highest office in the land to live in luxury, at state expense, in the 340 room Presidential palace built by the British on stolen Sikh Gurdwara land which we Sikhs want returned. She will rule the roost in the three hundred forty rooms palace, the British built for their Viceroy, while over seven hundred million (yes 700 million) homeless Indians sleep in the open on footpaths, in urban areas, and in jute cloth/straw ‘jhuggis’ in the country side, without even the basic facilities of clean drinking water, latrines, shoes, roofs and other social services? As a public gesture of self-respect, and a symbolic act of independence from Imperial Japan, the South Koreans formally blew up the Blue House, the former brand new palace of the Japanese colonial governors in Seoul, with dynamite, after the Republic of South Korea was proclaimed on 15 August 1948 and recognized by the United Nations in December 1948.

What can one say, in the 60th year of Indian independence, about the thousands of debt-ridden farmers who commit suicides all over India, every year, as they cannot put enough food on the table, for their children, thanks to the usurious Hindu (Bania) money lender and the government policies which support the middleman? What can one say about the rise of the total debt of the farmers, just in the state of Punjab, which has increased 400% in nine years from Rs. 5, 700 crore (57 Billion) in 1998 to Rs. 21, 064 crore (210 Billion rupees) in the year 2006?(See Khalistan Calling dated 2 May, 2007 by clicking at :
http://khalistan-affairs.org/home/khalistancalling/2007/may02.aspx )

What can one say about the so called worlds’ largest ‘democracy’ where the death rows, in its filthy jails, are choc-a-block with unfortunate Sikhs, Muslims, Untouchables and Tribals- all minorities? Patriotic Sikh Freedom Fighters, Sirdar Jagtar Singh Hawara and Sirdar Balwant Singh, are the latest prisoners who have been sent there, by the orders of a Kangaroo court, last month (read about these brave and gallant sons of Punjab by clicking at:
http://khalistan-affairs.org/home/khalistancalling/2007/august08.aspx ) to await their death, by hanging, with hardly a criminal Brahmin in sight in those jails, as criminals of that caste are almost never found guilty in India no matter what the crime? What can one say about the 60th anniversary of Indian independence, and its demoNcracy, when Sikh leaders like Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann, Sirdar Daljit Singh Bittu and twenty one others are jailed, and charged with sedition, for uttering the K-word, Khalistan?

What can one say about the wannabe Nuclear power, India (on the 60th anniversary of its independence) with which country the United States has just signed a risky deal for the export of latest nuclear know-how (and reactors) despite the fact that the Indian governments’ writ does not exist in the rural areas of 190 Districts, in 15 of Indias’ 28 states (about 500, 000 sq. miles, an area larger than the land areas of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka combined) which is controlled by the muscular revolutionary Marxist Naxalite rebels who have announced that they will target ‘industrial plants’ on their ‘March to Delhi’? It is quite evident, to any observer, that the fast growing Naxalite movement, which rules the roost in the rural areas of over fifteen Indian states are proving every day that their area of influence in rural India is expanding at a very fast pace at the expense of the authority of the brittle, nuclear-armed, chaotic, misruled Indian state. The Naxalites revolutionaries are indeed on the march as just last year Washington Post correspondent John Lancaster, reported from India, in the May 13, 2006 issue of the paper, that, the Naxalites in the past several years have expanded their presence to 13 of India’s 28 states, according to official estimates, spurring talk of a “red corridor” extending from Nepal, down through the wooded heartland of central and southern India. ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/12/AR2006051202039.html )

What can one say on the 60th anniversary of Indias’ independence where after years of food self-sufficiency the country has been forced to go back to the ship-to-mouth’ existence when it started importing hundreds of thousands tons of wheat, this year, at prices much higher than it pays to the poor beleaguered Punjab farmer? What can one say on the 60th anniversary of the independence of a country where the outgoing Vice-President of India (Bhairon Singh Shekhawat) has just shown his contempt for law by refusing to vacate the official residence for the newly elected Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari? What can one say on the 60th Independence anniversary of India where the majority worship the cow – some devout Hindus even drink its urine straight from the source - but let the poor animal stray all over the place, uncared and hungry? What can one say on the 60th independence anniversary of a country where according to a report by Arjun Sengupta’s, National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector, a staggering 86 per cent of India’s working population is in the unorganized sector without any security cover and one third of Indias’ population, (about 395 million) lives on just Rs 20 a day or US. 50 cents a day.

On the 60th anniversary of independence things are worse in India, a lot worse for the ‘unwashed’ 80% (800 million) majority and the minorities like the Sikhs. There is sharp and continuing all-round decline for the majority while a small minority – no more than a hundred million plus - prospers. India on the 60th anniversary of its independence, its propaganda of ‘Bharat mahan’ notwithstanding, is in all round decline, politically. administratively. socially et al. Every which way.

Sikhs submit Memorandum on India to EU

Brussels, Belgium - A memorandum was submitted by an 11 member European Sikh delegation to the European Union's EC Commissioner for External Relations, Mrs Benita Ferrero-Waldner in reference to the ongoing repression and persecution of the Sikh community in India.

The memorandum, signed by representatives of various Sikh organizations across Europe, requested the Union's intervention in India's human rights abuses, and supported the right of Sikhs to peacefully campaign for the right to self determination and independence

Text of Memorandum :

MEMORANDUM TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND EU MEMBER STATES FROM SIKH REPRESENTATIVES ACROSS THE EU

An eleven-member European-wide Sikh delegation has today met with staff responsible for human rights and relations with India at the European Commission. We have conveyed our concerns about the treatment of Sikhs in India.

The meeting comes on the eve of worldwide protests by Sikhs on the 60th anniversary of India’s independence. Copies of a publication titled: ‘Why Sikhs shouldn’t celebrate Indian Independence’ has been appended to this memorandum. The European Commission has been requested to copy this memorandum to the Foreign Ministers of the 27 EU Member States so they can take unilateral as well as co-ordinated action on the eight points detailed below:

EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND EU MEMBER STATES NEED TO:

1) Challenge the continued use of the death penalty in India

Although India’s highest courts have ruled that the death penalty can only be applied in the "rarest of rare" cases there are believed to be as many as 700 people on death row in India. Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar's case is one of the most controversial and highest profile death penalty cases in recent Indian history. Almost 12 years earlier Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar, a Sikh political activist, was illegally deported from Germany. Davinderpal Singh was handed over to the Indian authorities on the basis that he had nothing to fear on his return to India.

For 12 years Davinderpal Singh has been forced to live with the mistake by the German authorities. He was arrested and put in prison as soon as he landed in Delhi, tortured to obtain a false confession, charged and almost 5 years ago sentenced to death by hanging for a crime he did not commit.

When Germany deported Davinderpal Singh to a death-penalty prone country it violated the European Convention on Human Rights. After his deportation, the court of appeal in Frankfurt allowed his appeal and said that he should not have been deported as he would face torture, harassment and death in India and were he to re-enter Germany he would be given asylum.

The verdict of the court of appeal in Germany came too late for Davinderpal Singh. Following international pressure in support of Davinderpal Singh additional charges were brought against him. However, six months ago the Professor was acquitted and all charges dropped. Germany and the EU have a moral obligation to ensure the threat of the death penalty by India is immediately withdrawn and the case against the Professor is fully reviewed in accordance with international law, under monitoring by international observers.

Two weeks ago the latest death sentences were awarded to Jagtar Singh and Balwant Singh by the Indian courts. This has resulted in worldwide protests by Sikhs and leading figures in the Sikh community in Punjab have expressed shock over the death sentences and condemned the Indian authorities for taking this insensitive step and ignoring Sikh sentiments. The European Commission and EU Member States should press for an immediate withdrawal of the death sentences imposed against Jagtar Singh and Balwant Singh.

2) Expose the false arrest, imprisonment and unfair trials of political prisoners in India

In India approximately 225,000 prisoners are awaiting trial, which is equivalent to 74% of the total prison population. Recent media reports have highlighted the cases of five people held without charge or trial for over 30 years (55 years in one case). Many Sikh political prisoners are unnecessarily being held, either without trial or with false charges and without evidence.

On the 14th May this year 62-year-old Simranjit Singh Mann, a Sikh opposition party leader and 20 others were arrested and continue to be detained by the Indian authorities for peacefully protesting against the erection of a statue of the former Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh, who was responsible for the extra-judicial killings of thousands of Sikh youths in the 1990s.

On 26 July another Sikh political opponent, Daljit Singh Bittu, the acting President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), was arrested and charged with sedition. He stands accused of raising pro-Khalistan slogans on 31 May. However, the Indian Supreme Court Judgment in Balwant Singh vs State of Punjab [AIR (1995) SC 1782] has confirmed that raising pro-Khalistan slogans does not amount to sedition.

It is clear that Daljit Singh Bittu has been targeted because of his role in the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC), an umbrella body of Sikh religious organisations, that is leading mass protests against the failure of the Indian authorities to arrest the Sirsa Dera chief who has been attacking the Sikh faith and stands accused of murder and rape.

The European Commission and EU Member States should call for the immediate release of political prisoners that are unnecessarily being held, either without trial or under false charges and without evidence. There are still over one hundred known Sikh political prisoners that are still being held without trial or on fabricated charges.

3) Demand that India cease its punitive treatment of political and human rights activists

Human rights activists in India have tried to highlight atrocities, including false imprisonment, torture, deaths in custody, extra-judicial executions and disappearances, perpetrated against Sikhs in the last 30 years. One such activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra, visited his family in the UK just before he was disappeared in September 1995.

He was investigating mass cremations of Sikhs, in which an estimated 50,000 Sikhs were arrested, tortured, and murdered, and then their bodies were declared unidentified and secretly cremated. He was arrested by the Punjab Police and subsequently disappeared while in police custody.

An inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation reported in July 1996 that nine police officials were responsible for his abduction, and they were subsequently charged with murder. During their trial, which is ongoing, police officers have delayed proceedings and intimidated witnesses, judicial orders have been disregarded, evidence suppressed and members of the Khalra Action Committee (a group of relatives and colleagues formed to pursue investigations into his fate) have themselves suffered intimidation and abuse.

The former Punjab Director-General of Police K P S Gill's direct responsibility for the torture, disappearance and murder of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra has come to light. It is now clear he was murdered in police custody. His body was not given to his family. But no one has been brought to justice for his kidnapping and murder.

4) Prosecute those from India involved in torture and crimes against humanity

Article 5.2 of the UN Convention against Torture requires individual EU Member States to prosecute in cases where a person commits acts of torture or crimes against humanity. In particular where torture has been committed against Sikhs living and residing in the EU or against their relatives Sikhs in Europe will be looking to the European Commission and EU Member States to take firm legal action against human rights violators if the alleged offender enters into the territory of any of the 27 countries.

To enable this to become a reality Sikhs are launching a comprehensive database of all Indian police officers, army personnel and politicians involved in crimes against humanity, such as the torture and genocide of Sikhs. As Sikhs have been unable to get any justice in India this database of wanted human rights violators will be used to make Europe, Canada, USA and other parts of the world no-go areas for what Sikhs regard as ‘war criminals’. We are putting in place a comprehensive database that will be supported by a coalition of Sikh lawyers that will mean wanted human rights violators will not be able to escape justice when they leave the safety of India.

5) Exert pressure on the Indian Government to get Amnesty International and the UN Rapporteur on Torture access to Punjab

The European Commission and EU Member States should demand immediate and full access to Punjab to international human rights groups, such as Amnesty International and the UN Rapporteur on Torture. The Indian Government has denied Amnesty International access to Punjab for almost 30 years and the UN Rapporteur on Torture has been repeatedly denied entry to investigate in Punjab.

Many have concluded that India has much to hide and that it does not want the world to know about the widespread human rights violations against the Sikh community. The estimated 1 million Sikhs in Europe would welcome an EU fact finding mission to investigate the treatment of Sikhs in India.

6) Push for a UN-led inquiry into the anti-Sikh pogroms of November 1984

What followed the death of Indira Gandhi and the associated conspiracy is the most ruthless and bloody chapter in modern day Sikh history. Thousands of Sikhs in over 130 cities across India were massacred in the most barbaric method of burning. Encouraged by central government Ministers and MPs with the connivance of the police, mobs were assembled to carry out a four day orgy of killings and plunder.

On hearing of the death of his mother Rajiv Gandhi, who was to become the Indian Prime Minister said "Let us teach these bastards (the Sikhs) a lesson" “go and take revenge; no turban should be seen”.

It was no wonder the government controlled television station Doordarshan and All India Radio began broadcasting provocative slogans seeking bloody vengeance, "khoon ka badla khoon se lenge (we will take blood for blood!)". False rumours were spread through the media to incite violence such as - the Sikhs have poisoned the city water supply, a train from Punjab has arrived with dead Hindus and many more.

Sikhs in the Delhi police force were withdrawn and Sikh Soldiers in Delhi were disarmed and confined to barracks. The remaining police not only stood aside and watched as Sikhs were killed but actively participated in the looting and killings.

Sikhs became the target of organised violence with murderous gangs of two to three hundred swarming into Sikh homes, hacking the occupants to pieces, chopping off the heads of children, raping women, tying Sikh men to tyres set aflame with kerosene and pulling Sikh passengers from public transport to be lynched or burned alive.

The Delhi pogrom has been documented by several civil liberty groups. One report, called ‘Who are the Guilty?’ which remains banned in India mentions the names of 16 important Congress politicians, 13 police officers and 198 others, accused by survivors and eye-witnesses.

It is clear that the Indian Government intended to teach the Sikhs a lesson. This continued even after the attacks stopped with refugee camps being forcibly shut and the lack of assistance to the injured and needy.

The attacks in November 1984 were state sponsored pogroms; designed and led by leading members of the Congress party to inflict as much harm as possible on the Sikh community. It is estimated that over 20,000 Sikhs were killed during the November 1984 genocide. This state sponsored terrorism is the true face of Indian democracy.

It would appear that in India the guilty get off scot-free while the victims continue to suffer in pain, anguish and hardship. There has never been a detailed and determined independent public investigation by the authorities into the events of November 1984 as they would rather sweep it under the carpet. Commissions that have been organised have been no more than whitewashes and cover ups.

Not a single political leader responsible for the genocide of the Sikhs has been convicted. For over two decades high-ranking members of the Congress party have enjoyed political impunity for this violence.

We call on the European Commission and EU Member States to push for a UN-led investigation to examine the persistent failure of successive Indian Governments to ensure the prosecution of those alleged to be responsible for the killings and destruction.

7) Call for an independent investigation into the killing of 38 innocent Sikhs in Kashmir on the eve of the visit of US President Bill Clinton

On 21 March 2000 on the eve of the visit of US President Bill Clinton 38 Sikhs in the village of Chattisinghpora were massacred. Kashmiri militants were blamed for the killings, but it has been shown that the killings were the work of Hindu militants.

Recently the former Secretary of State Madeline Albright wrote a book called 'The Mighty and Almighty.' The introduction was written by former President Bill Clinton where he wrote: "During my visit to India in 2000, some Hindu militants decided to vent their outrage by murdering 38 Sikhs in cold blood. If I hadn't made the trip, the victims would probably still be alive. If I hadn't made the trip because I feared what militants might do, I couldn't have done my job as President of the United States.''

President Clinton places the blame squarely on Hindu militants, not on the so-called Kashmiri Muslims that the Indian government tried to blame for the massacre. In 2002, the Washington Times reported that the Indian government finally admitted its responsibility and conceded that the evidence that it used to pin the blame on Kashmiris was false. Reporter Barry Bearak of the New York Times also placed the blame squarely on the Indian government, as did two independent investigations.

8) Support the right of Sikhs to peacefully campaign for the right to self determination and independence

The freedom of Sikhs to exercise their right to self determination is one that many foreign governments find difficult to raise with India. A paper has been prepared by the international Sikh community titled "Self determination as a human right and its applicability to the Sikhs". This sets out why Sikhs believe it is legitimate for Sikhs to have the right to self determination and should be free to campaign for an independent sovereign Sikh State.

There must be an open dialogue at the international level with Sikhs on their right to self determination and that the "territorial integrity" of India can not be used as an excuse if politicians believe in the principles that have been established at the UN.

Those that apply the territorial integrity "limitation" to India should remember:

• The limitation only applies where “States conduct themselves in compliance with the principle of equal rights and self-determination" - India opted out of this defence in 1966 when they put down a "reservation" when ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. India in effect stated in the UN that the right of self determination only applied to people living outside India. Three EU Member States - France, Germany and the Netherlands objected to the reservation on the grounds self determination must apply to all people. The UN has invited India to withdraw this reservation, but India has neglected to respond. The European Commission and all EU Member States should ask for this reservation to be withdrawn.

• It is now internationally recognised that any government which is oppressive to peoples within its territory may no longer be able to rely on the ground of ‘territorial integrity’ as a limitation on the right of self-determination. India has lost its 'territorial integrity' defence with respect to the self determination of Sikhs given the evidence of the treatment of Sikhs since Indian independence and in particular in the last 30 years

Why We Shouldn't Celebrate India Independence

15 August marks India’s Independence Day and prolongs the suffering of the Sikhs. We are clear about our nationhood, but it is denied by the Indian State and the Indian political class which are not prepared to allow us basic rights.

Sikh sacrifices for freedom

Prior to independence Sikhs were less than 1.5% of the population, but their contribution to the freedom struggle was immense. 77% of those sent to the gallows were Sikh as were 81% of those sentenced to life imprisonment. During the Quit India Movement many indiscriminate arrests were made and Sikhs contributed 70% of the total Punjabis arrested. More than 60% of the 20,000 who joined the Indian National Army were Sikhs.

100-150 million refugees resulted from partition in August 1947 with 40% of all Sikhs becoming refugees. Partition resulted in up to 2 million people being murdered and another 10-50 million being injured.

Sikhs betrayed and promises broken

India’s founding fathers gave numerous solemn promises that the Sikhs freedom and dignity would be safeguarded. Jawaharlal Nehru said that “the brave Sikhs of Punjab are entitled to special consideration. I see nothing wrong in an area set up in the north of India wherein the Sikhs can also experience the glow of freedom”. These promises were conveniently forgotten after independence and the Sikhs were dismissively told by the same Nehru that the “circumstances had now changed”.

Sikhs have rejected India's Constitution

Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru gave the Sikhs assurances that after India achieves political freedom no Constitution shall be framed by the majority community unless it is freely acceptable to the Sikhs. This promise was repeated throughout the period up to independence. When the Constitution was produced in 1950 it failed to deliver any safeguards or political rights for the Sikhs as a people or nation. The Sikhs therefore refused to sign the Constitution and have never accepted it. Article 25 even denies Sikhism, the fifth largest faith in the world, separate recognition as a religion – an affront that is widely seen as a deliberate act of suppression of the Sikhs.

Demands for greater autonomy were dismissed

The Indian authorities have systematically discriminated against the Sikhs since 1947 and subverted or suppressed all legitimate political demands for greater autonomy. The Anandpur Sahib Resolution of 1973 set out the basis on which the Sikhs were prepared to accept a political union within India, as a federal state. This demand for internal self-determination was pursued through decades of peaceful protest and attempts at negotiation with the central government. The demands were never seriously considered and given the history of the conflict between the Sikhs and India since 1984, this would now be too little too late.

Gross violation of Sikh human rights

In the last 30 years the Indian authorities have unleashed a rein of terror through gross violation of human rights of Sikhs in an attempt to extinguish the calls for freedom and Sikh independence.
In June 1984 the Indian army attacked the Golden Temple Complex and 125 other Sikh Gurdwaras in Punjab and massacred tens of thousands of innocent Sikh pilgrims. This laid the foundation stone for an independent sovereign Sikh State, Khalistan.

In November 1984 tens of thousands of innocent Sikhs were massacred in Delhi and over 130 other cities throughout India by well-orchestrated mobs under the direct supervision of senior Indian politicians and officials.

Over 250,000 Sikhs have been murdered and disappeared since 1984. Many Sikh political prisoners still languish in Indian jails without charge or trial and others have been falsely charged and sentenced to death by hanging. Illegal detention and torture of Sikhs is common place and well documented by independent human rights organisations.

Sikh nationhood and independence

Sikhs first secured political power in the form of an independent state in 1710, after suffering centuries of foreign invasions and alien domination. The larger sovereign Sikh state was established in 1799 and was recognised by all the world powers. The Sikhs, after the two Anglo-Sikh wars, lost their kingdom and the Punjab came under British rule in 1849. However, in giving up power Sikhs were party to several Treaties with the British.

World Muslim-Sikh Federation launches campaign to ban RSS in UK

London, UK - The World Muslim-Sikh Federation has launched a campaign against the Hindu fundamentalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and in a petition submitted to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, urged him to ban RSS activities in Britain.

According to The Nation, close to 300 people have signed the petition, whereas 10,000 signatures are needed to get the government to act favourably.

The campaign was launched on July 12, and the deadline for submission of the petition with required signatures to the government is July 12, 2008.

The petition can be signed by login http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/bantherss or website of 10-Downing Street.

Manmohan Singh Khalsa, Chairman, World Muslim-Sikh Federation, has appealed to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and all other peace-loving communities to sign the petition so the activities of this racist organisation in the UK could be banned.

Talking to The Nation, Khalsa said: "Our campaign is aimed at making the government and UK people realise that the RSS is a racist and a prejudiced organisation, and its existence in a democratic country like Britain is not justified. "

"It is a matter of our great satisfaction that the official website of 10-Downing Street has also given space for this petition", he added.

According to him, the federation has taken the measure in the light of the increased activities of the RSS in the UK in raising funds, political backing and spreading of the hate ideology. The petition urges PM Brown to ban the group and freeze its assets and funding.

The petition states that:

• RSS is a Hindu extremist organisation which believes that only Hindus should reside within India.
  
  
• The organisation wish to create a Hindu Super State of Hindutva, Hindu, Hindi and Hindustan. There is no place for minorities.
  
  
• The organisation had a major role in the genocide of Muslims in Gujarat. One of the main RSS leaders, Narendra Modi, was banned from entering the USA.
  
  
• RSS have actively been trying to distort the Sikh history by modifying the history and books. They claim all who reside in India are part of the Hindu 'Family'.
  
  
• RSS takes its inspiration from Hitler and his Nazi party's pure race ideology.
  
  
• RSS also had a hand in the Sikh genocide of 1984 in India and it actively supported the killings, rapes, looting and attacking of Sikhs.
  

The federation has said that in order to uproot the RSS, their funding has to be banned and assets frozen within the UK.

According to the Federation, the petition will remain open for signatures from July 12, 2007 to July 12, 2008. The total number of signatures required to get the RSS banned is 10,000.

Operation Jhootha Sauda

Etmad A. Khan and Anurag Tripathi uncover a cesspool of crime at the Dera Sacha Sauda. Its chief, Baba Gurmeet Singh, is now charged with murder and rape



Gory murders, rapes and sexual exploitation, forced castrations, possession of illegal arms and ammunition — these are some of the heinous crimes committed in the guise of faith at the Dera Sacha Sauda, where the self-styled godman Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, popularly known as "Maharaj", lords over a vulnerable constituency of followers from the Dera's headquarters in Sirsa in Haryana.
A painstaking Tehelka investigation — first aired on India TV – has revealed that the Dera Sacha Sauda is a den of vice and Baba Gurmeet Singh guilty of rape and murder. Shortly after the story was broken, the cbi on July 31 filed its final chargesheets in three cases of murder and rape against the Baba in the special court in Ambala of Judge RN Bharti. The cbi, however, has not sought the arrest of Baba Gurmeet Singh. The chargesheets filed pertain to the murder of Dera manager Ranjit Singh, murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and sexual exploitation of women in the Dera.
Khatta Singh, the Baba's former driver who used to be part of his trusted inner circle, has admitted on Tehelka's spy camera that the Baba raped a sadhvi and then had her brother, Ranjit Singh, killed. Khatta Singh, who is a cbi witness in the agency's investigation against the Baba in three cases of murder and rape, also told Tehelka that he knew of at least seven murders committed by the Baba's henchmen. He also said that sexual exploitation of the sadhvis living at the Dera's premises was rampant, and there are several male followers who have been forcibly castrated on the Baba's orders. Khatta said that a close aide of the Baba named Gurjot used to prepare a roster of girls who would "serve" the godman on any particular day. Many girls who refused to be so exploited were tortured. A lucky few who escaped from the Dera have given statements to the cbi, according to sources.
When a sadhvi wrote an anonymous letter in 2002 to then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee accusing the Baba of sexual abuse (printed in Tehelka's June 2, 2007 issue) the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a cbi probe into the complaint. Since then, the cbi has filed three chargesheets against the Baba
Sources say that Ranjit Singh's sister, who was teaching at the Dera's girls' school in Sirsa, has recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the crpc against the Baba accusing him of rape and molestation. She has given graphic details of how she was raped twice by the Dera chief in his "gufa" (underground chamber). The younger sadhvis are apparently housed a few metres from the chamber while the older ones are given langar (food) duty. Ranjit's sister has also said that she fears her brother was killed by the Baba after he refused to return to the Dera. Khatta Singh corroborates this, saying that after Ranjit refused to return to the Dera, he was killed because the Baba feared that he would spill the beans. By that time, the cbi investigation had been ordered by the High Court. Until then, the charges of rape were only contained in the anonymous letter in which the sadhvi had also said that Baba Gurmeet Singh was fond of watching blue films. Ranjit was murdered at Khanpur Kolian in Kurukshetra on October 10, 2002. Khatta Singh in his statement to the cbi has also divulged names of the men who killed Ranjit.
While Ranjit's murder has been covered in the media, Khatta Singh told Tehelka that there have been many more murders in which even an fir has not been registered. One such murder was of Fakir Chand, a long-time accountant at the Dera who had been close to Baba Satnam, the predecessor of Gurmeet Singh as the Dera chief. Khatta said that Fakir Chand was first beaten up mercilessly by the Baba's men at a chamber of the Dera in Sirsa. Fakir Chand was asked to divulge all the details about the properties and accounts of the Dera. He was then taken to a house about seven kilometres away from the Dera, where he was once more beaten up and interrogated. According to Khatta, Fakir Chand was to be murdered two-three days after being shifted out of the Dera but he sustained a fatal injury during his interrogation and died. Khatta said that a former driver, Govind, along with men named Baldev Singh Bahedi, Sukhdev Singh Bawana and Resham, murdered Fakir Chand on the Baba's orders.

To find out more about Fakir Chand, Tehelka travelled to his hometown, Diwankhera, a remote village near Sirsa, but such was the fear of the godman among the villagers that they were unanimous in saying that they did not want to invite trouble by speaking anything against the Baba. But a former member of the Dera's Sirsa committee, Ram Kumar Bishnoi, told Tehelka that he had learnt of Fakir Chand's murder from the Baba's henchmen. "When I enquired about what's going on at the Dera, I was told by the Baba's men that when we have not left Fakir Chand then who are you. Only then did I realise why Fakir Chand was missing for two months from the Dera. After that, I immediately went to the nearest police station and told them that the Dera Prabhandak (Dera manager) had been murdered," Bishnoi said. "I was at the Dera since 1971. The day I got to know about Fakir Chand, I stopped going there."
Bishnoi said that the police refused to lodge a complaint, not even that Fakir Chand was missing. When Bishnoi left the Dera, the Baba's men used to regularly visit his house asking him to come back or be ready to face the consequences. Bishnoi didn't budge.

Khatta Singh also told Tehelka about the murder of Lakshman Das, a cook of the former Baba Satnam Singh. Khatta said that Das was murdered because he refused to acknowledge the authority of Baba Gurmeet Singh. After Das was murdered, a rumour was spread that he had committed suicide by consuming poison because he was mentally disturbed after the death of Baba Satnam Singh.
In yet another example of the Baba's depravity, Khatta Singh told Tehelka about a boy named Raju who was killed after he protested his castration at the Dera. Raju was once a close aide of the Baba, and the godman feared that Raju might leave and expose all that happened in the Dera. Raju has been missing for several years now, and though his parents have approached the police and brought out several notices, there is no information on his whereabouts.
Khatta Singh told Tehelka that to ensure the loyalty of his men, Baba Gurmeet Singh has been getting their testicles removed through surgery at the Dera Sacha Sauda-owned hospital in Sirsa. Khatta said that if he is provided security, he can produce a number of people who can testify that there testicles have been removed.
The Dera chief has now been asked to appear before the special cbi court at Ambala on August The Dera spokesperson, Dr Aditya Insaan, says the charges are politically motivated. It is the Baba, however, who has been the one playing politics — his "vote for Congress" call in the Punjab Assembly polls helped the Congress win the Malwa belt. Charged now for two murders and a rape, the Baba will now have to give himself up, his agitating followers holding law and order to ransom, notwithstanding.

DAMNING TRANSCRIPT

'Ranjit Singh was killed after his sister was raped'

Baba Gurmeet Singh's former driver, Khatta Singh, spills the sordid beans on Tehelka's spycam

Tehelka – How long were you working for the Baba?
Khatta Singh – I was his driver for almost 8-10 years.

You must be aware of the murder of Ranjit Singh?
Yes. There have been so many murders. I can give you a complete list. How many will you write about?

You were at the Dera at the time?
Yes, I was at the Dera only.

Everyone talks about Ranjit's murder but there is no proof.
So many witnesses are there. You give me some assurance and I will provide you witnesses. I am not afraid.

Why did they get Ranjit murdered?
Ranjit's sister was raped. She told him about it. The Baba feared that Ranjit might file a case. The cbi was investigating the Baba at the time. They got afraid. Ranjit had stopped coming to the Dera. Initially they thought that they would send some people to Ranjit's place and convince him to come back. But Ranjit refused. They thought if Ranjit is not coming to the Dera, he could be considering going against them. Ranjit's sister was not married at the time. These people feared that if her medical examination was done, everything would be exposed. Hence it was decided to get Ranjit killed.

Have you just heard about these murders or do you have a first-hand account?
I have seen it all with my own eyes.
Give us an example.
There was this manager Fakir Chand. He was with Baba Satnam, the previous Dera chief, for almost 30 years. After Gurmeet Singh took over, Fakir Chand was at the Dera for about one-and-a-half years.

Were you the Baba's driver when Fakir Chand was at the Dera?
I was not the Baba's driver at that time. But I used to visit the Dera every day from my home.

Why was Fakir Chand murdered?
The first reason had to do with financial matters. The second was that Gurmeet Singh feared that people might start worshipping Fakir Chand once Baba Satnam was dead.

What proof do you have of Fakir Chand's murder?
I can tell you the names of his killers. What more proof do you need?

Who were these people?
The ex-driver of the Baba, Govind, and Baldev Singh Bahedi, Sukhdev Singh Bawana and another man named Resham. Sukhdev Singh himself told me this. At Kurukshetra, there was a programme organised by the Dera. I was called by the Baba at about 8-10pm. He asked me if I knew anything. When I replied in the negative, he told me that Fakir Chand had been killed in such and such manner.

The Baba himself told you this?
Yes, the Baba told this to me. After that, Sukhdev Singh narrated the whole story — that they were four people, and that they threw Fakir Chand in the river.

Why was Chhatrapati killed?
The cbi investigation was going on at the time. The Baba's men were preparing affidavits to say that the allegations were baseless. A tehsildar had gone to the girls' hostel for the same purpose. Chhatrapati wrote a story about this in the newspaper. When the Baba saw it he was enraged. In a fury he asked his henchmen if they were going to do something about it.
There are reports that the Baba has a large number of weapons?
He had a large number of weapons, there is no doubt about it.

Licenced or without licence?
Both. They have everything. For the murder of Ranjit they used a revolver of a Punjab Police constable. When the job was done, they returned the revolver.

You told us there are some people who have been castrated.
Yes, this has happened. You should raise this issue more than anything else.

How many such people are there in the Dera?
There are at least 150-200 such people.

You say seven murders have been committed. How many rapes do you know of?
Rape? I doubt if there is any girl left in the Dera who has not been raped.

Why Death Penalty

The judge sits on judgment and decides a certain life must cease to exist. The judge has watched over the performances of the prosecution and the defense. The arguments have been put forward and a decision made. Language, logic and constructions to prove and to defend. A few good people on both sides do the best to their capacities and capabilities. One person mostly a mute spectator watches these characters perform and finally their abilities will decide whether this person lives or dies. The prosecution performs better or so the judge thinks and decides the person should cease to exist. All of this is being enacted in a 21st century court of the most populous democracy of the world and one that lives by the principles of Gandhi the epitome of peace.

Devender Pal Singh Bhullar a 39 years old lecturer of Electronics Engineering is one such example of India’s skewed system of capital punishment. A man sentenced to death for an alleged confession made not in the presence of a magistrate but in police custody; a police that is notorious for torture, disappearances and getting confession through threat and physical torture. Bhullar’s father was disappeared by the police in January 1991 and his family was continually harassed. He then decided to leave India for a safer place. He went to Germany and sought asylum. His plea was rejected by the German Government.
He was finally deported to India on January 19, 1995 and was arrested and charged with carrying forged passport and false documents under sections 419, 420, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 12 of the Passport Act.
He was further booked in a case relating to a car bomb explosion in New Delhi in 1993 after he had allegedly made a “confession” while in police remand. The car bomb was apparently used in an attempt to assassinate Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, a politician. Although Mr. Bitta escaped with minor injuries, some of his guards and associates died. Besides, Mr. Bhullar, Mr. Daya Singh Lahoria and two other persons were named in the case. Mr. Daya Singh Lahoria was acquitted by the trial Court for lack of evidence. The two other accused were not brought to trial as their whereabouts were not known. Mr. Bhullar was tried by the designated court-I, Delhi, under TADA (Terrorist And Disruptive Activities Act). His trial lasted for six years and he was sentenced to death on August 25, 2001.
As Amnesty International says, “The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It violates the right to life. It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments.” As the statistics on their website points out very few countries actually practice capital punishment a ritual carried on from the medieval ages in the 21st century.

* 89 countries and territories have abolished the death penalty for all crimes;
* 10 countries have abolished the death penalty for all but exceptional crimes such as wartime crimes;
* 30 countries can be considered abolitionist in practice: they retain the death penalty in law but have not carried out any executions for the past 10 years or more and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions,
* making a total of 129 countries which have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
* 68 other countries and territories retain and use the death penalty, but the number of countries which actually execute prisoners in any one year is much smaller.

India is amongst the 68 countries which continue to have death penalty. Interestingly death penalty in India is selectively handed down to the members of minorities labeled “terrorists” but the members of the majority community have immunity especially if they have been accused of killing members of the minority.
Consider this:
Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh (all Sikhs) have all been executed for their alleged roles. Convicted on circumstantial evidence (notably Kehar Singh) and without eye-witnesses. Mohammed Afzal and Bhullar on death row and both convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence and “confessions” in police custody which both of them have retracted in court. On the other hand, no one has been awarded death penalty for the anti-Sikh pogroms in Delhi and anti-Muslim pogroms in Gujarat. The High Court set aside the death penalty for one Dara Singh a right wing Hindu found guilty of murdering Graham Stuart Staines an Australian missionary along with his two sons Timothy (aged 9) and Philip (aged 7). They were burnt alive while sleeping in their station wagon at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district in Orissa, India in January 1999. According to the judge, “There is absolutely no evidence on record that due to the individual act of the appellant Dara Singh alone did the three persons die. No particular fatal injury to any of the deceased has been attributed to Dara Singh. Therefore, for the murder of three deceased persons, the appellant Dara Singh cannot be held individually liable though he can be held liable vicariously along with others.” The truth of the matter is that in this particular case there were eye-witnesses who testifies that he was indeed the one who had set fire to the station wagon.
What this article wishes to bring forth is the fact that sentencing a person to death is unacceptable. The justice in India would be better served if death penalty was abolished so that individual perceptions, judgments and prejudices do not take a life away.

Death Penalty to Hawara and Balwant Singh

Death sentence to Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh reveals the Indian States complete insensitivity when it comes to capital punishment. These two have been awarded death penalty in the assassination of the former Chief Minister of Panjab Mr. Beant Singh 12 years ago, while three others Shamsher Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Lakhwinder Singh were given life term and Naseeb Singh was given ten years imprisonment. The Special CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) Court set up in Model Burail Jail handed these judgments amidst tight security in Chandigarh today. These five were all convicted for criminal conspiracy, murder, abetment of suicide, attempt to murder and under the Explosives Act whereas Naseeb Singh was convicted under the Explosive Substances Act only.
Chief Minister Beant Singh was assassinated on August 31, 1995 in Chandigarh outside his office when a suicide bomber blew himself up. Beant Singh had been widely regarded as responsible for large scale disappearances and extra judicial killings. The investigation of the case was handed over to the CBI India’s premier investigating agency and the Defence Counsels Amarjit Singh Chahal and Arvind Thakur had expressed displeasure at the haste with which the case was sought to be wound up. According to them the punishment handed out to Hawara and Balwant Singh does not justify the rarest of rare cases as the assassination of Beant Singh was not an act of personal vendetta but the culmination of a repressive rule in Panjab.
Voices For Freedom strongly condemns the award of Capital punishment. India remains one of the few countries in the world which continue to award death penalty. What is more disturbing is the manner in which it is being used in a discriminatory manner against the minorities such as the Sikhs and the Muslims. The imagined threat of National security and terrorism has led to an increase in death penalty in the last few years. Unfair and hasty trials lead to the judgments which are invariably held in specially designated courts kept out of public and media view. According to Amnesty International, “The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It violates the right to life. It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments.”



Issued by
Sudip Minhas
Executive Director
Voices For Freedom
www.voicesforfreedom.org
info@voicesforfreedom.org
Phone: 646-219-2863

ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ

ਤੂੰ ਕਾਹਤੋਂ ਤੁਰ ਗਿਆ ਸੂਰਿਆ
ਅਜੇ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਸੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਲੋੜ
ਮੈਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਲਿਆਵਾਂ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ
ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਰੋਂਦੀ ਧਰਤ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ

ਮੇਰੀ ਕੁੱਖੋਂ ਜੰਮੇ ਬਦਲ ਗਏ
ਮੇਰਾ ਟੁੱਟ ਗਿਆ ਅੱਜ ਮਾਣ
ਇੱਥੇ ਭਈਏ ਵੇਖ ਬਿਹਾਰ ਦੇ
ਮੇਰੀ ਹਿੱਕ ਤੇ ਥੁੱਕਦੇ ਪਾਨ
ਸਭ ਕੁਰਸੀ ਦੇ ਪੁੱਤ ਬਣ ਗਏ
ਮੇਰਾ ਕੋਈ ਨਹੀਂ ਸੁਣਦਾ ਸ਼ੋਰ
ਮੈਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਲਿਆਵਾਂ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ
ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਰੋਂਦੀ ਧਰਤ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ

ਮੇਰੀ ਹਿੱਕ ਤੇ ਵੇਖ ਲੈ ਵਗਦੇ
ਅੱਜ ਨਸ਼ਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਦਰਿਆ
ਸੀ ਮੈਂ ਵਸਦੀ ਗੁਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਮ ਤੇ
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪਖੰਡੀਆਂ ਘੇਰ ਲਿਆ
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਨੋਚ-ਨੋਚ ਕੇ ਖਾ ਗਏ
ਇਹ ਚਿੱਟ ਕੱਪੜੀਏ ਚੋਰ
ਮੈਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਲਿਆਵਾਂ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ
ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਰੋਂਦੀ ਧਰਤ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ

ਮੇਰੇ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਕੋਹ-ਕੋਹ ਮਾਰ ਤੇ
ਇਥੇ ਘਰ-ਘਰ ਮੱਚਿਆ ਕਹਿਰ
ਮੇਰੀਆਂ ਧੀਆਂ ਵਿਧਵਾ ਰੋਂਦੀਆਂ
ਇਥੇ ਜੰਮੇ ਨਵੇਂ ਓਡਵਾਇਰ
ਆ ਕੇ ਇੱਜ਼ਤ ਰੱਖ ਲੈ ਯੋਧਿਆ
ਮੇਰਾ ਚਲਦਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੋਈ ਜੋਰ
ਮੈਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਲਿਆਵਾਂ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ
ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਰੋਂਦੀ ਧਰਤ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ
ਸੀ ਮੈਂ ਮਾਲਕ ਪੰਜ ਦਰਿਆ ਦੀ
ਅੱਜ ਖੁੱਸੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਸ਼ਾਨ
ਸੰਨ ‘47’ ਵੇਲੇ ਖੇਡ ਗਏ
ਮੇਰੀ ਇੱਜ਼ਤ ਨਾਲ ਸ਼ੈਤਾਨ
‘66’ ਚ ਜਾ ਕੇ ਸੰਭਲੀ
ਦਿੱਤਾ ਅੰਗ-ਅੰਗ ਪਰ ਤੋੜ
ਮੈਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਲਿਆਵਾਂ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ
ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਰੋਂਦੀ ਧਰਤ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ

ਫਿਰ ਗਰਜ਼ਿਆ ਤੂੰ ਜਦੋਂ ਯੋਧਿਆ
ਮੇਰੇ ਮੁੱਕ ਗਏ ਫ਼ਿਕਰ ਤਮਾਮ
ਸ਼ੇਰ ਮੇਰਾ ਗਿਣ-ਗਿਣ ਲੈ ਲਊ ਬਦਲੇ
ਲੈ ਕੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਹੱਥ ਲਗਾਮ
ਪਰ ਤੂੰ ਹੱਸ ਸ਼ਹੀਦੀ ਪਾ ਗਿਆ
ਵੈਰੀਆਂ ਪਾਪ ਕਮਾਇਆ ਘੋਰ
ਮੈਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਲਿਆਵਾਂ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ
ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਰੋਂਦੀ ਧਰਤ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ

ਤੈਨੂੰ ਗਿੱਠ-ਗਿੱਠ ਚੜੀਆਂ ਲਾਲੀਆਂ
ਸੀ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਹੋਣ ਦਾ ਚਾਅ
ਦਾਗ਼ ਨਾ ਲਾਇਆ ਕੁੱਖ ਨੂੰ
ਦਿੱਤਾ ਇਤਿਹਾਸ ਦੁਹਰਾਅ
ਵੇ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਮੁੜ-ਮੁੜ ਚੇਤੇ ਆਵਦੇ
ਤੇਰੇ ਸੀਨਾਂ ਵਿੰਨ੍ਹਦੇ ਬੋਲ
ਮੈਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਲਿਆਵਾਂ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ
ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਰੋਂਦੀ ਧਰਤ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ

ਮੇਰੇ ਪੁੱਤ ਹਜ਼ਾਰਾਂ ਯੋਧਿਆ
ਇੱਥੇ ਜੇਲ੍ਹੀਂ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਤਾੜ
ਉਹ ਅੰਦਰੇ ਬੁੱਢੇ ਹੋ ਗਏ
ਕਈ ਗੁਜਰੇ ਮਾਘ ਤੇ ਹਾੜ
ਮੈਂ ਗੋਤੇ ਖਾਂਦੀ ਸੂਰਿਆ
ਮੇਰੀ ਕੋਈ ਨਹੀਂ ਫੜਦਾ ਡੋਰ
ਮੈਂ ਕਿੱਥੋਂ ਲਿਆਵਾਂ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ
ਅੱਜ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਰ
ਵੇ ਮੈਂ ਰੋਂਦੀ ਧਰਤ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ

Sikhs and the law of the land

A deredar of Sirsa has insulted the Guru of the Sikhs, the history of the Sikhs, the principles and traditions of the Sikhs. More than a month has since passed. Neither the media has presented the view point of the Sikhs honestly nor has the government done justice. The community is being told that law will take its course but the culprit who has insulted an entire community is being provided a level of security equivalent to that available to the Prime Minister. His deras are being guarded with the same zeal. When it comes to committing excesses upon the Sikhs, then where does this course of the law run? Unless these issues are deliberated upon and understood, the ongoing agitation of the Sikhs will not be able to deliver crystallized results.

Under the law of the land, the Sikhs who were displaced from Pakistan during the Partition got lesser land than what they left behind. It was as per the law set down by the government that the Sikhs were not allowed to live at one place. When the Punjabi Suba was carved after thousands of Sikhs went to jail and S. Darshan Singh Pheruman attained martyrdom, lakhs of Punjabis and vast swathes of Punjabi-speaking areas were left outside Punjab. Control of the river waters and the power generation/distribution was snatched away. All of this was the result of the law taking its own course.

In 1978, 13 Sikhs were killed by the nakli Nirankaris at Sri Amritsar. The court at Karnal not only acquitted all the accused in this case but also admonished the police for wrongly implicating the peace-loving citizens (Narakdharis) and thus hurting them. This pronouncement of the court was as per the law of the land. In 1984, on the day of the Shaheedi Gurpurab of the fifth Sikh Guru, under the garb of arresting Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale, the Indian Army attacked Sri Darbar Sahib with tanks and artillery, which was presumably as per the law of the land. Mind you, that not a single case was pending against Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in any thana or court. At least not under the law of the land.

The 21st century began for this country with the application of the law of the land when the police presented 133 witnesses against Prof Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar but not one was able to identify him. He, however, has been sentenced to death, of course under the law of the land.

Why does the law go to sleep when it comes to the Sikhs? When the RSS leadership openly terms the Sikhs as part of Hindus, does that not amount to an excess as per the law of the land? The little subtle secret is that even the Constitution of the country does not recognize the independent identity of the Sikhs. When constitutionally the Sikhs do not have an existence of their own, then where is the issue of being victims of excess?

When people immigrate from one country to the other, and the law of the new nation does not recognize them, then they can be termed illegal, aliens, but those who are deprived of their rights in the lad of their birth are not illegal. They are slaves. The illegal, the aliens are expatiated by the governments, thrown into jails but to loot, beat, kill or jail the slaves, you don't need much of the law. For example, even if the Supreme Court has not considered or pronounced that shouting a slogan in favour of Khalistan is any crime, but myself is facing a case of no less a crime than the crime of sedition for ostensibly doing exactly that. The most heinous crime in any country is the crime of sedition, but in this country, one is booked for sedition for desecrating a statue. Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann is facing a case of sedition because he did not like the fact that there should be a statue of Beant Singh who is no icon of human rights. Compared to his actions, the head of the dera who insulted the Sikhs gets Z+ security.

The inference is simple: Because the quom is pushed into slavery, the izzat accorded to a statue is more important than the izzat of the entire quom.

The Constitution and the law of this land is based on the brahamanvaadi philosophy. The basis of this philosophy is caste, idol worship and bharam-jaal. The SIkh gurus replaced caste with the philosophy of ' Manas ki jaat sabhe aike pehchaanbo' and 'Sarbat Da Bhala'. The idol worship and human-worship were replaced with Akal Purakh and Shabad-Guru. The mumbo-jumbo of bharam and mantars was replaced by the construct of the Khalsa's high living and true calling.

The Khalsa made history by following the path of the Gurus and had its own reign. Many do not like the fact that the Gurus were able to negate the Brahamanvaad's basic concepts and equipped the Sikhs with their separate ideology, history and unique identity which enabled them to rule. It is because of this that whenever anyone insults the Saroop, the principles or the Gurus of the Sikhs, he invariably gets a pat from the state or the central governments. The rise of the pakhandis like Narakdharis, Nurmehlias and many others who hurt the Sikh principals and sentiments can only be ascribed to this. The Sirsa creature is only part of this pattern.

One last thing. Can the Sikhs find a way to remain alive as Sikhs? The answer is that they will have to remain conscious and resolute about their history and principles. They must stick to their unique Rehat and conduct, and must ensure that in their land of birth the Punjab, the laws must be in consonance with the philosophy of Guru Granth Sahib and Sikh principles so that the Sikhs can live like Sikhs should. Many Sikhs think that with the Sirsa dera head seeking apology, being arrested or dying, the issue will end. But this is only a miniscule part of the larger issues being faced by the Sikhs. The key problems of the Sikhs will remain as long as they do not become the arbiters of their own existence. They may have to witness more rounds of 1947, 1966, 1978, 1984. The slaves do not breathe easily. They haven't done so in history. When anyone can get up and insult the Guru of the Sikhs, and the Sikhs start holding dharnas, then be clear about the inference. Raaj bina na dharma chale hain…

The medieval ages had a proverb – the might is right. The core of this wisdom hasn't changed in modern times. If Punjab had been ruled as per the Sikh philosophy and principles, then anyone insulting the Gurus would have been extended the same treatment as Chandu was meted by the Guru of Miri-Piri. Then we would not have been spilling out on the roads to seek justice. Then we would not have been facing sedition cases. The ever rising fencing around the Salabatpura dera only signifies our political slavery.

Secular India the other side of the coin

Amazing that the medieval practices are still happening in this century, with some high caste people regarding others as impure. Why do such high caste people breathe the same air, drink the same water from polluted clouds (since the water will have evaporated from ground or sea water), eat food produced from the same soil, etc. Perhaps they should stop eating, drinking, and breathing.



Authorities of the famous Sri Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram performed purification rites after local legislator, Hasan Ali, entered it, temple sources said.

The Ramanathapuram Municipality Vice Chairman M Rajamani said as a local MLA, Hasan Ali wanted to see for himself the cracks in the temple's East Tower on Saturday and report to the State Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister K R Periyakaruppan.

Temple authorities performed "parikara pooja" (cleaning and atonement rites) yesterday.

The BJP's local unit, upset over the entry, has put up posters condemning the entry of the MLA, a non-Hindu.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Shiv Sena also condemned the MLA's entry.

Rajamani said the MLA had earlier participated in the Samabandhi Bhojan (community feast) held in the temple.

Temple officials said former Puducherry chief minister Farooq Marackier had entered the temple once and the then temple priest Kalidass Mahanth filed a case in the Supreme court,as the HR and CE rules and 'agamas' of the temple prevented non-Hindus from entering the temple. Farooq Marackier had then apologised before the court, officials said, adding the incident took place about 20 years ago. The 'atonement pooja' was performed then also, they said.

Last month, temple authorities at Guruvayur in Kerala's Thrissur district conducted a purification ceremony after the visit of Union Minister Vayalar Ravi's son, Ravikrishna, on the ground that his mother hailed from a Christian family. Ravikrishna had gone to the temple on May 18.

What the sealed envelope contains ?

The Dera Sacha Sauda organisation believes in all religions (Sarv-dharma) and respects them. To help build character, to help people shun non-vegetarian food and narcotics, to help remove differences of religion, caste etc and to inculcate self-less love are the objectives of this organisation. Ram Rahim says that leave aside imitation of Sarbansdani Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj or equating with him, he cannot even think of such a thing. The developments of the last few days are a subject of concern and the misunderstandings emerging from that are extremely regrettable. In the interests of the humanity, we seek forgiveness from True Rehbar of Roohaniyat, Satguru Sarbansdani Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Guru Panth. May the peace and mutual harmony prevail in Punjab, Haryana and desh-videsh, such is our wish!

QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED:

1. Will the Dera chief stop his Jaam-e-Insa programs? The apology provides no answer, and a program is scheduled this week at Sirsa again.
   
   
2. Why was the meeting with the representatives of Dera held in a hush-hush manner?
   
   
3. Paramjit Singh Sarna was a member of the Khalsa Action Committee. Why did he not take the KAC into confidence while maintaining direct links with the Dera? Why did he not take permission of any of the clerics for this?
   
   
4. Why was the house of the Police SSP chosen as a meeting place?
   
   
5. Why did the Dera representatives not face the media and sneaked out in the night from the SSP's residence?
   
   
6. What prompted sudden somersault by Jathedar Balwant Singh Ji Nandgarh?
   
   
7. If the issue is of such prominence, why was it not possible for someone to open the envelope, and read out the contents to Jathedar Vedanti who could then have confabulated with other clerics or any leaders? In this age of 'new-age' communications, what impression does it convey of the highest leadership of the community? Weren't other clerics capable of opening the envelope and read and discuss what the apology contained?
   
   
8. Do we not have a situation where Sarna and the dera men, and a police SSP, knows what the Akal Takht jathedar and the Sikh quom, and best panthic leaders do not know?
   
   
9. Does anyone believe that Parkash Singh Badal does not know the contents of the sealed envelope?
   
   
10. Why is the Akali Dal silent on the opne support of Congress to the Dera head on the floor of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in the ongoing session?

Sikh high priest OR RAW agents?

Photo (below): (Left to Right) Vedanti Joginder Sinh Saran, the State-appointed Custodian (also known as the ‘jathedar’) of The Supreme Seat of Sikh Polity, The Akal Takht Sahib, the Darbar Sahib Complex, Amritsar, Punjab, Khalistan, the Sikh Nation (under the occupation of the Brahmins autocracy/Zamhooriat/Zulamhooriat alias the alleged Indian democracy or the ‘Democracy of Propaganda and Hypocrisy, writes Dr Awatar Singh Sekhon (Machaki) of CANADA). Also seen is ‘Rulda Sinh of the RSS (Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, the RSS Wing of the Rashtriya Swamsewak Sangh; this was created with the ‘blessings’ of a criminal AB Vajpayee, the predecessor of Manmohan Sinh. The latter (Manmohan Sinh) is ‘NOT’ a member of parliament. This lap-dog of his madam, Sonya Gandhi, is a nominee to the Rajya Sabha, from Assam. The institution of Rajya Sabha is equal to the House of Lords in the United Kingdom; an unelected Senate in the Canadian House of Commons. Madam Sonya Gandhi and her Congress are using Manmohan Sinh, an enemy of the Sikhs (made anti-Sikh speech and said that there are no violations of human rights of Sikhs on 24th August, 1993 at the United Nations Commission, Vienna, AUSTRIA.
Next to Rulda Sinh of RSS is Baldev Singh of Kesgarh.
(Photo courtesy: Sardar SS Swadi of San Jose, California, USA; June 15th, 2007)