Hindu Terrorism

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

2008-11-19T06:02:00.000-08:00

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:

India Hindu suspect questioned over second blast
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Why Are Hindus so Offended?

2007-09-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-26T00:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-04T04:01:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-28T07:52:00.001-07:00

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

2007-06-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

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 ?

2007-06-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

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:

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.
Why was the meeting with the representatives of Dera held in a hush-hush manner?
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?
Why was the house of the Police SSP chosen as a meeting place?
Why did the Dera representatives not face the media and sneaked out in the night from the SSP's residence?
What prompted sudden somersault by Jathedar Balwant Singh Ji Nandgarh?
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?
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?
Does anyone believe that Parkash Singh Badal does not know the contents of the sealed envelope?
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?

2007-06-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

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)

Invading religious privacy

2007-06-18T20:24:00.001-07:00

The foundation of religion is such that nobody can dare to sabotage it—you destroy the sanctity of it, you pay the price.

This is not only a historical cliché but has been proved time and again that religion is a way of living in India. The intervention of any outsider within the periphery of one's religion is bound to shake the earth from beneath its surface.

Who can forget the outrageous uproar caused by the Danish Cartoons, portraying the founder of Islam, Muhammad, in an array of attires.

The Muslims were ready to behead the editor of the Danish newspaper for such a preposterous display of creativity.

M F Husain, a noted painter was assailed by the Hindu fundamentalist for depicting the Hindu deities in a nude pose.

The latest incident to be a part of the religious imbroglio is the adventure of Baba Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim as Guru Gobind Singh—the tenth Sikh Guru. His portrayal of the guru and performing the ritual of serving amrit (nectar) to the congregation has opened a can of worms among the Sikh community.

Sikhism abolishes idol worship and defines God as a single supreme being, who cannot be comprehended but only felt. It considers God to be omnipresent and omniscient.

Baba Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim clad in the attire of Guru Gobind Singh distributing amrit (nectar) has hurt Sikh sentiments to the core. It has spawned a feeling among the Sikh community that the Baba is trying to emulate Guru Gobind Singh. A religion, which deters idol worship will find it hard to accept someone showcasing an irresponsible behavior which is against the tenets of Sikhism.

On the flip side, the spokesperson of Dera Sacha Sauda expressed regret over what happened but claimed that there was no intention to imitate Guru Gobind Singh.

The apology letter sent by the Dera did not act as a balm on the wounds of the Sikhs. The Akal Takht, the highest religious body of the Sikhs, demanded an apology from the Baba. It also asked for a CBI inquiry into the issue.

The issue also reached a political milestone since Baba Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim asked his followers to vote for Congress in the 2007 elections. This really helped the party to achieve victory in an area called Malwa.

What prompts people to play with religious sentiments?

Whether it''s the Danish cartoons, the Dera controversy, or the nude paintings of Hindu deities, the evoking element is to experiment as there is a tremendous identity crisis in every religion.

Oblivious to what a particular religion aspires and what value it holds, people take advantage of this and hold their own pre-conceived notions about it.

A Christian publishing cartoons of Muhammad considers it a creative expression, a painter feels that there is still to be explored in deities apart from their unshaken image.

Baba confirms saying that he wears what his followers give him to wear. The obliviousness to religion creates such catastrophes and gives an opportunity to the people to experiment.

Religion is very internal. Let's not bring it out in the open.

http://ram-raj.blogspot.com/

"Indo-Punjab battle June 1984", book on Op Blue Star released

2007-06-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

Gaini Balwant Singh Nandgarh, jathedar, Takht Damdama Sahib hits out at Central agencies in general and Congress in particular for patronizing, encouraging and backing the Sirsa Dera chief to weaken the Sikh ethos and values.

Jathedar Nandgarh was here Monday to release a book titled "Indo-Punjab battle June 1984" complied and published by the Dal Khalsa. He presented its first copy that carries graphic details of 206 martyrs to Ishar Singh, son of late Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale.

Jathedar Nandgarh while presiding the releasing ceremony said when the armed forces of the country descended upon the holy city of Amritsar with the intention to destroy, defile and desecrate the Darbar Sahib and the Akal Takht, the brave Sikhs sacrificed their lives and lived up to the expectations of Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru.

Drawing parallel with the Punjab of the late 70's and the present day, Satnam Singh, president of the Dal Khalsa charged the Badal government with prevarication on the issue of taking action against the cultists in Punjab.4. He said in 1978 we saw the proliferation of the neo-nirankaris and now it was the turn of the Sirsa Dera to undermine the Sikh ethos and values. He pointed out that event of April 1978 culminated into the attack on Darbar Sahib in June 1984. He wondered what would happen if Badal fails to handle the present volatile situation in an appropriate manner.

Another party leader Kanwar Pal Singh was unsparing in his attack on the established political parties in Punjab. He said the deafening silence of Congress party in the last few weeks should not be seen as a meek response but as a part of a larger conspiracy to buttress the cause of the Sauda Dera. He further said Congress in Haryana and at centre were also part of the whole game plan to weaken Sikh ethos and values. In the same breath, he accuses Punjab government for not initiating action against the cultist despite his blasphemous act.

Sharing their moments with families of these martyrs, party general secretary said despite their impoverished conditions the dignity and pride they displayed for the contribution of their kin, towards the cause, was a moment of inspiration. But there were also hints of feelings of hurt and neglect by the Panth at large.

He said this book was also an attempt to snub a section of Sikhs who in connivance with the Indian Union are attempting to erase this period from public memory. He said the book- a bilingual contains names of 206 Sikhs who preferred to die, than surrender.

Outlining their party's future programme, a senior leader Harcharnjit Singh Dhami said as a part of the martyrdom continuum, the next year in June 2008, his party would bring forth a documentary on the life and times of the martyrs, entitled June 1984. Tentatively scheduled to be a one hour documentary, June 1984 will be the first of its kind and will capture the entire graph of events of that period.

The 'Martyrs of June 1984' is only one side of the picture, he said and added that to present the complete story, next year we would also release the first edition of "The Guilty of June 1984". He said they would urge the SGPC to place this historic book in the Sikh Reference Library as well as in the libraries of school/colleges managed by it.

SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli said these men and women were not caught in the crossfire or in the quagmire of politics. They choose to die at the altar of religion in the best Sikh traditions outlined by the Sikh Gurus.

Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, chief of the Damdami Taksal, SAD (A) leader Daljit Singh Bittu, Bhai Mohkam Singh, Rajinder Singh of Khalsa Panchyat graced the occasion. The family members of 'martyrs' whose names finds mention in the book were honoured during the function.

http://ram-raj.blogspot.com

Dal Khalsa publishes book on Op Blue Star Martyrs

2007-06-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to record and compile the heroics of those Sikhs who fought a pitched battle at Amritsar in June 1984 against the Indian army, the Dal Khalsa has published a book titled "Indo-Punjab battle June 1984" scheduled to be released on June 18 at Jalandhar.

Dal Khalsa general secretary Kanwar Pal Singh said this document was also an attempt to snub a section of Sikhs who in connivance with the Indian Union are attempting to erase this period from public memory.

He said the book - in both Punjabi and English contains names of 206 Sikhs who preferred to die, than surrender.

He said Jathedar, Takht Damdama Sahib Gaini Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa, SAD (A) leader Daljit Singh Bittu, SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli, Bhai Mohkam Singh beside Dal Khalsa leaders would release the book.

He said this book was about those who had given up their lives fighting the Indian army, when the latter desecrated the Darbar Sahib.

According to Dal Khalsa general secretary , they are martyrs of faith and the blood of the martyrs is the seat of the church. He said the Sikh history is replete with numerous cases of martyrdom, be it the Ghallugharas of 18th century or those of the 20th century. He said we had made an endeavor to record that portion of history.

Truth about Dera Sacha Sauda - Godman( Pakhandi ) under a cloud

2007-05-19T02:16:00.000-07:00

The Dera Sacha Sauda in Haryana and its head are under investigation in connection with the murder of a journalist and charges of sexual exploitation of women followers of the sect
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The sadhvi stated that she was a graduate and had been in the Dera (spread over 700 acres, or 280 hectares) for the last five years. Her family, being very religious, had sent her there to serve as a sadhvi. She alleged that Gurmit Singh threatened to kill her if she reported the goings-on in the Dera to anyone. He also boasted, as stated in the letter, about the influence he wielded with politicians in Punjab and Haryana.

It is well known that leading politicians from both the States have visited the Dera to seek the blessings of Maharaj. Prominent among them are former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.

For Full news Archive :http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1926/stories/20030103003404000.htm

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CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Special Crime Branch

Chandigarh.

APPEAL

‘ REWARD OF RS. ONE LAKH ‘

On the order of the Hon’ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh relating to allegation of sexual exploitation of Sadhvis and others staying at Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa and murder of journalist Ram Chander Chatterpati as well as Shri Ranjit Singh, a disciple of the Dera, the investigation of these cases have been taken over by the CBI.

The CBI has declared a reward of Rs. One lakh to any person who give specific information or evidence relating to the said offences of sexual exploitation of Sadhvis in the Dera Sacha Sauda, murder of Shri Ram Chander Chatterpati and Shri Ranjit Singh. Persons having specific information or evidence relating to these cases may contact either Shri A K Hargava, SP/CBI or Dr.Aarmaan Deep Singh or Shri Satish Dagar, Dy.SsP/CBI, Sector-30-A,Chandigarh-160 030. Phone no.0172-2657102 Ext.203(Office), Phone/Fax-0172-2657285 (office).

Such persons who give specific information or evidence in respect of these cases resulting in proper and successful legal action against the persons involved in these cases will be paid a cash reward of Rs.one lakh. The name and identity of the informer will be kept secret, if so desired.

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Source : http://cbi.nic.in/PressReleases/PRelease2005/sadhvi.htm

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*Murder case against Sirsa dera chief

Chandigarh, April 9

Accusing the Congress high command of influencing the ongoing probe in the murder of Ram Chander Chhatrapati, a Sirsa-based journalist, to shield the Dera Sacha Sauda chief and others involved in the case, the victim's son today alleged that the move is part of a larger conspiracy.

*Anshul Chhatrapati addresses mediapersons at Chandigarh Press Club, Sector27, on Monday. —A Tribune photograph *

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070410/haryana.htm

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Ram Chander Chaterpatti, Poora Sach, November 21, 2002, Sirsa

Chaterpatti, editor of the Hindi-language newspaper Poora Sach, died in a New Delhi hospital of injuries sustained in an assassination attempt made a month earlier.

On October 24, a gunman fired several shots at Chaterpatti, a journalist based in Sirsa, a town in the northern state of Haryana. Chaterpatti was taken to an area hospital but was later transferred to the Apollo Hospital in New Delhi.

Police arrested three suspects, including the alleged gunman and a leader of the Sirsa-based religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda, according to the Press Trust of India news agency. Officials said that Dera Sacha Sauda members are believed to have ordered Chaterpatti's murder in reprisal for the journalist's reporting on sexual abuse and other crimes allegedly committed at the group's compound in Sirsa.

A delegation of journalists, including the president of the regional journalists' group Haryana Patrakar Sangh and representatives of India's National Union of Journalists, met with the director general of police in Haryana on the day of Chatterpatti's death, November 21, to press authorities to bring the journalist's killers to justice. The delegation also complained that several journalists in the area have received death threats for reporting on the activities of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Source : http://www.cpj.org/killed/killed02.html

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CBI remand for manager of dera
Date :- 5th Sept 2005

Manager of Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa Kishan Lal was produced in the CBI court at Ambala today, which remanded him into CBI custody for one day. The CBI filed an application in the court of Special Magistrate Y.S. Rathore today for seeking the remand of Kishan Lal.

The CBI had arrested Kishan Lal a few days back and claimed that he was allegedly involved in the murder of one of the member of a committee running the Dera.

The CBI also recovered the weapons used for killing the member Ranjeet Singh in July 2002 The Punjab and Haryana High Court had handed over the inquiry to CBI in this regard.

Ranjeet Singh who was one of the member of the committee looking after the functions of dera.

The CBI said that Ranjeet was murdered because he did not seek the forgiveness of Baba Gurmeet Singh on an allegation levelled against him.

Yesterday, the CBI, probing the alleged sexual exploitation of “sadhvis” in Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa. had claimed that a manager of the Dera arrested by it was allegedly involved in the murder of one of the members of a committee running it.

The agency, investigating the case on orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court, claimed that Kishan Lal, a “prabandhak” (manager) at the Dera, owned by self-styled godman Maharaj Gurmeet Singh, allegedly had a hand in the murder.

The CBI stepped into the case following orders from the High Court which had received an anonymous complaint alleging widespread sexual abuse of “sadhvis” in the “dera”. — PTI

Source:- http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050906/haryana.htm#1

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Dera Sacha Sauda

T. K. Rajalakshmia

Editor: - Charnjit Singh Bal

Dera Sacha Sauda Sirsa- of Sexual Orgies, Intrigues and Series of Murders

The exposure started in May 2003 when on the insistence of her parents an educated girl of Bathinda offered her services to the Dera. After rendering a few months of service in the kitchen etc. she fell in the notice of dera chief Parm Sant Ram Rahim Gurmit Singh Maharaj.

Then on one day the girl was asked that it was her turn to render personal services to the Dera Chief. When she entered the private room of Baba she noticed a pistol laying on the bed and a blue movie was on the TV. When she respectfully protested Maharaj then questioned, "Did Krishan Bhagwan not played with the Gopis" and that "You are a fortunate girl to be selected as my gopi." What could the innocent girl do in that situation?

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The letter alleged sexual exploitation of several girls, many of them having post-graduate and even M. Phil degrees. They were "leading a life in hell due to the superstitious nature and dead (blind) faith of their family members", it said, and added that many girls from Mansa, Ferozepur, Patiala and Ludhiana districts of Punjab had returned to their homes but kept quiet out of fear. The three-page letter in Hindi also detailed how a sadhvi from Bhatinda in Punjab, was beaten up by some of the rest of the sadhvis, when she tried to disclose the deeds of Maharaj. Some 45 girls were living in fear and insecurity but were ready to disclose everything in confidence, the letter stated.

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popular movement against the Dera is taking shape, with all political parties demanding a thorough investigation into its activities.

Source: http://cache.zoominfo.com/CachedPage/?archive_id=923777329

2 murders: 7 Dera men are under CBI probe

2007-05-19T02:15:00.000-07:00

This isn't the only time that Dera Sacha Sauda followers have taken to the streets. In October 2005, in what is considered the largest rally ever in Chandigarh, about one lakh Dera followers had come out in protest. Their target: the office of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The reason: the CBI had been instructed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to register three separate cases. These involve allegations of sexual assault inside the Dera to two murders: one of a journalist, Ram Chander Chhatrapati, and the other of a former member of the Dera's managing committee, Ranjit Singh.

The CBI has named seven as the accused in the two murders, all of whom either belong to the top management of the Dera or have worked there. The agency is yet to substantiate charges of molestation and sexual assault. All the seven accused are now in a prison in Jalandhar.

In a recent status report, the agency informed the High Court that Dera Chief Sant Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim has been questioned once and, if required, will be questioned again.

The current confrontation between followers of the Dera and Sikh religious groups comes at a time when the CBI's cases against members of the Dera are at a crucial stage.

The agency has chargesheeted five Dera workers for the murder of Ranjit Singh (charges will now be framed), it has completed its probe in the murder of Chhatrapati and is days from filing its chargesheet in that case.

The CBI probe has exposed inter-linkages in the three cases and the fact that the trigger for all the unrest and consequential investigations was an anonymous complaint in Hindi, in May 2002, about alleged sexual exploitation of sadhvis in the Dera.

This complaint was first probed by the Sessions judge in Sirsa and then handed over to the CBI by the High Court. The CBI registered its case in December 2002, questioned dozens of sadhvis inside the dera. Several sadhvis, who had left the Dera, were traced but sources said none owned up to being a victim. The CBI also issued ads in newspapers announcing a reward for information but not much help was forthcoming.

Ranjit Singh was killed, the CBI claims, because Dera members suspected his hand behind the inflammatory anonymous letter. He had spoken about a threat to his life and the CBI told the High Court that in June 2002, a month before he was killed, he was called to the Dera to apologise.

The five chargesheeted in the case in February 2007 are Jasbir Singh, an associate of Sant Gurmeet Singh; Sabdil Singh, his gunman; Krishan Lal, the pradhan of the Dera; Inder Sain, the Dera's Chief Manager and Avtar Singh, relative of the former Dera Chief.

Two of the accused admitted that Ranjit Singh was killed since he was suspected to be the writer of the letter, the CBI said.

Ram Chander Chhatrapati had written a series of articles on the Dera in his newspaper, Poora Sach, the last a day before he was gunned down.

In this case, the CBI has arrested Krishan Lal (accused in both murder cases) as well as two carpenters of the Dera, Kuldip Singh and Nirmal Singh.

The revolver allegedly used by Kuldip Singh and Nirmal Singh (registered in Krishan Lal's name), as well as the scooter they rode and the walkie-talkie they used have been recovered.

THE BURNING PUNJAB – ARE SIKHS OVER-RELIGIOUS?

2007-05-19T02:04:00.000-07:00

The picture that created the chaos

Although Punjab is termed as one of the most jovial states of India, it seems that Punjab has still a lot to see. The current face of the state has taken a fierce shape due to irresponsible act by one Gurmit Ram Rahim of Sacha Sauda cult, based in Sirsa , Haryana . The Dera Sacha Sauda chief has attempted to imitate Tenth Patshah Sarbansdani Guru Gobind Singh by donning robes like Guru sahib, adorning a kalgi , preparing Ruhani Jaam to copy the making and administering of Amrit and creating Sat Pyare (Seven beloveds) on tune of Panj Pyaare and has hurt the sentiments of Sikhs globally and has tried to vitiate the atmosphere of the state.

Sikhs have been very liberal to such fractions when they allowed these kinds of ‘saints' to setup their shops inside Punjab and the neighboring states even though they misinterpreted Gurbani as per their convenience and used Sikh terminology along with that to earn a good name for them. The dera culture mushroomed in Punjab at a very alarming pace but the religious bodies did not come out of their slumber; and this liberty resulted into a sound base for these cults, even to interfere and shape the political results in the state.

The dera chief has been accused of sexual exploitation of sadhvis (the girls ‘donated' by the followers to the dera ) and murder of a newspaper editor who tried to write about these wrongdoings of dera

Dera Sacha Sauda (Sirsa)

People in our country need a kind of lollypop that assures them that their faith in a particular dera would slash their wrongdoings. A common trader, who makes money by ill-means in the whole week goes to such deras at the weekend and do ‘ seva ' and ‘ simran ' as told by these dera- chiefs; and this practice helps them come out of the feeling of guilt that they acquire by their wrongdoings. Such deras normally target people from all parts of society irrespective of their basic religion; and monetarily weaker section of the society is an easy prey for them.

The events that happened in the recent ideological clash between Sikhs and the followers of Gurmit Ram Rahim are as follows –

An advertisement showing Gurmit Ram Rahim preparing jaam-e-insaan, imitating the much-sacred Amrit bestowed upon Sikhs by Tenth Patshah Guru Gobind Singh, appeared in various newspapers on May 13. Printouts of this advertisement were distributed by the dera -followers near Bathinda bus terminus on the morning of May 14 that made the news spread like the fire of jungle.

Sikh protest in Chandigarh

SGPC-led Sikhs hurt by the ad, protested against the advertisement and tried to burn an effigy of the dera chief in Bathinda on May 14. A clash between the protesting Sikhs and dera -followers left 13 Sikhs injured. The police saw it as mute spectators.

Sikhs burning effigy of Baba

Punjab exploded in a rage of protests on May 15. The aggression swept across the towns like Bathinda, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana which later spilled over to Jammu, Sri Ganganagar and various other cities and towns in Haryana and Rajasthan. Section 144 of Indian Panel Code clamped in many parts of Punjab and neighbouring states. Sikhs seek apology from the dera chief. Akal Takht called Sarbat Khalsa on May 17 at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo. A call to keep Bathinda closed was also issued.

Scene after Takht Damdama Sahib meet on 17th

Violence spread beyond Punjab on May 16. Dera refused to apologize. Protests staged in Jammu, atmosphere tense in Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. The fire reached Delhi, Indore and Bhopal. Amritsar came under spell of violence and the administration had to issue a call to keep the city closed.
In Sarbat Khalsa , the Jathedars issued an edict directing the Sikhs to snap all social, religious and political ties with the dera , its chief and his followers. The Sikhs found the edict too ‘soft' and pressurized the clergies to take a stiff stand. The jathedars demanded registration of cases against the dera chief and his arrest till May 20. Outraged Sikhs came on to the roads from Talwandi Sabo and burnt down some of the deras relating to the cult in Punjab. Sikhs reached the Salabatpur dera, the largest of the cult in Punjab but police stopped the mobs ensuring them that the all Deras in Punjab will be sealed. The Chief Minister of Punjab gave the directive that the Dera chief was at wrong. Parallely, in Sirsa, the rumours kept on finding their way that the dera -followers were being harmed in Punjab. The spokesperson of the dera kept on energizing the dera followers to be ready for any situation. The dera dwellers and followers collected sticks and stones and a few trucks loaded with the Premis (the dera followers) to Punjab but they were stopped on the Punjab-Haryana Dabwali border. A few incidents of attacks by Premis on the houses of Sikhs in their majority areas were reported that led Sikhs to attack the houses of Premis in the areas where they are less populated. The incident has so far claimed a Sikh's life.

Sikh young men staging a peaceful march

The dera demanded the President rule in Punjab and that the command of the law-and-order in the state should be temporarily given to army. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal demanded fifty companies of Indian Paramilitary forces in various cities of Punjab. As many as forty companies had been sent by the Center to assist State Government in maintaining law-and-order in the state.

The situation is still vague. The national news channels are adding oil into fire by repeatedly showing the incident with half-knowledge of Sikhism. Many channels are still showing that this is a fight between tow sects of Sikhism. Media is portraying Sikhs as over-religious. The TV News channels are ignorant of Sikh religion to the extents of going to say that there are separate doors of Gurudwaras for high-caste Sikhs and Mazhabi Sikhs. There is no concept of castes in Sikhi.

( The teachings of Gurbani are common for all castes and creeds. )

Sikhism is a unique religion that does not believe in any physical Guru. Shabad , the baani in Sri Guru Granth Sahib is Eternal Guru. Sikhs are expected to read, understand and implement Gurbani themselves and join congregations to do Vichar of the Gurbani . There is no place for a dehdhari dambhi Guru in Sikhism. Those who proclaim themselves to be Guru are not at all Sikhs and nor are those who follow these false Gurus. Those who want to be Sikhs as well as dera followers will have to choose being one – a Sikh, or a Premi.

(All Sikhs are ordered to abide Guru Granth Sahib as their sole Guru.)

I conclude this with a poem sent to me by Sartaj, one of the most promising singers and lyricists in the coming days and a good friend –

Devide and Rule – Congress’s mantra

2007-05-18T00:35:00.000-07:00

Again congress is trying to outrage sikh community. Active member of congress and self styled god, Ram Raheem is trying to disturb the hard earned peace of Punjab. This self styled God, have cheated Tenth Guru of Sikhs, “Guru Gobind Singh”.

Now sikh should unite to keep this hard earned peace of Punjab. Now all Punjabis should protest against congress and this self styled god, and they should not allow any mischievous person to spread tension or terrorism in Punjab.

Remembrance March & Freedom Rally 3 June 2007

2007-05-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

Remembrance March & Freedom Rally 3 June 2007

I appeal to all Sikhs to join this rally. We should remember all those martyrs who had sacrificed their life for humanity and freedom of Sikh religion. We should not forgot the insult of our beloved Akal Thakat and 1984 riots. Hindu Terrorists have burnt thousands of sikh alive. They raped thousands of sikh women and girls. How can a true sikh forgot all this. If a person has killed Indira Gadhi, why they have killed thousands of innocent sikh. Why sikh ve not got any justice till today?

OPPRESSION AGAINST SIKHS & OTHER MINORITIES BY GOVT OF INDIA:

http://www.sikhs.org (Who are SIKHS ?)

http://www.shaheedkhalsa.com (Oppression against Sikhs)

http://www.interlog.com/~sikhs/atroc.htm (Torture Against Sikhs)

http://www.khalistan.net/genocide.htm (Pictures of Saheed Sikhs)

http://www.maboli.com/Sikh_HR/Picture_Gallery/torture_1.html (Torture against Sikhs)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/khalistan/files/SikhVoice.mp3 (The Sikh Case)

http://www.witness84.com (20 years after 1984, the justice has still not been delivered)
http://www.remember84.com (Silent march through New York City)
http://www.sikhcoalition.org/ListReports.asp (HateCrime against Nation less community)

"Freedom is not something that anybody can be given, freedom is something people take." James Baldwin

"Great sin is committed when Good men are silent"

Revolt against Badal-BJP & Hinduvta : SAD (Amritsar)

2007-05-13T05:52:00.001-07:00

Chandigarh, Punjab (KP) - Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) President Simranjit Singh Mann in a press statement to the Press Corp of Chandigarh attacked the various policies of the central government that have purposely ignored the interests and concerns of the Sikh Nation. The statement also warned of the nefarious designs of the right-wing Bhartyia Janata Party (BJP) in Punjab and it's threat to minorities communities such as the Sikhs and Christians.

Complete Press Statement by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) is as follows :

We at the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) are stunned and taken aback by the announcement of the Congress led UPA Sarkar at the Centre of the new Commission headed by right-wing former Chief Justice of India M.M. Punchhi and two former Union Home Secretaries Dharendra Singh and V.K. Duggal, on Centre-state relations. We are surprised that no provision of the Sarkaria Commission, which was constituted to meet Akali demands in the Anandpore Sahib Resolution of 1973 have been implemented or the Rajiv-Longwal Accord enforced which were meant to assuage Sikh feelings and provide a healing touch. We are also taken aback that the Badalites or for that matter any party which says it protects Panjab's and Sikhs interests has protested. It is also shows the arrogance of the Centre that before announcing this Commission which will make the Centre into a completely unitary constitutional system, public opinion has not been allowed to be formed or the states consulted, as law and order is a state subject according to the Constitution and 50% of the states have to ratify any amendment of this nature to the constitution. The proposals put to this commission strike at the very roots of the basic structure of Constitution which the Supreme Court is bound to strike it down as ultra-vires.

It is a foregone conclusion that former Chief Justice Punchhi and the two former Union Home Secretaries will rubber stamp the proposals to make Indian into a completely Unitary form of Government emasculating and castrating all powers to the states. The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) will have none of this as two Sikh members to the Constituent Assembly Hukam Singh and Bhupinder Singh Mann did not sign the 1950 constitution in protest that no Sikh demands were met either by the British government or the Hindu led Congress Party. We reject this new commission.

The BJP has proposed that it be given the post of Deputy Chief inister. We reject this preposterous demand as we feel that the BJP is already exercising more power than its share in the Badal-BJP coalition. Our party stands for the principle or exercising power with responsibility. We feel Mr. Badal is a dummy Chief Minister and the actual power is wielded by the BJP and has son Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal. It is a well laid out principle in constitutional democracy that as former Prime Minister Baldwin of Great Britain said that otherwise "power without responsibility-the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages". We therefore suggest that not the Deputy Chief Minister but the BJP takes the post of Chief Minister so that power is wielded with responsibility, accountability and transparency.

So far since the coming of the BJP-Badal coalition we see that the BJP agenda is being implemented:

1. BJP and RSS cadres have disturbed a Christian congregation in Village Govindpura in Bhatinda and later tried to burn a Christian priest on 10th March 2007. but no arrests have been made but Police Officers who stopped this mischief, transferred.

2. On 11th, April 2007 BJP-RSS cadres attacked a Christian Church in Lehragaga and mischievously placed the sacred Guru Granth Sahib in the Church to spread Christian-Sikh riots. Had it not been for Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)'s cadres timely intervention to stop this conspiracy Sikhs and Christians would have been at each others throats. No arrests have been made.

3. In Gurdaspore district, in Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon's onstituency, immediately after the election results Badal Dal and BJP cadres attacked Sikh and Christian Dalists, destroyed their houses and kiosks, beat their men and women, spread terror, as a result there has been ethnic cleansing of these Dalits and they have fled. No one has been arrested.

4. Farmers have committed suicides in villages Khiali (Barnala), Bhucho Mandi, Kotla Korhean (Bathinda), Rorhikpura (Faridkot) and Kandwala Hazar Khan (FZR). They took their lives as they are badly in debt to BJP money lenders and market agents. We demand that Rs. 10 lakh be paid to each family, their debt paid by government and their land sold to BJP money lenders be returned. Their children should receive stipends to study till BA degree.

5. Panjab education system has been destroyed. Vice Chancellors of Panjab Agriculture University and Panjabi University, were under threat by the Media Adviser to Panjab Chief Minister Mr. Bains to resign or be forced out. Mr. Kirpal Singh Aulakh of Panjab Agriculture University resigned, but S. Swaran Singh Boparai is still holding out valiantly.

6. Sikh leaders like Ravinder Singh and Jasbir Singh Rodç are under threat of arrest and beastly interrogation on wild and preposterous charges of conspiring to kill the trinity-Badal-Mata Badal and Sukhbir.

7. A pressman Ikbal Singh Chand in Moga has been falsely framed for the rape of a prostitute in Moga by the defeated politicians of the Badal-BJP coalition. We demand a broader investigation into this arrest by the Crime Branch as we have learnt that Senior politicians, their sons, bureaucrats and Police officers have availed themselves of the favours of these prostitutes.

8. Atta-Dal election promise has not been met nor for abrogating section 5 of the Termination Act. Panjab is allowing excess water to flow into Chandigarh whereas Haryana has refused. We demand an answer as Panjab suffers from scarcity of water. We protest against the new Hansi-Butana Canal where Haryana will draw more water than its share.

9. Wheat lifting by the agencies has stagnated in the Mandis. BJP cadres have begun hoarding the wheat to create scarcity for the future.

10. Haryana Sikhs are being terrorized by the Badal-BJP cadres to accept one entity of the corrupt SGPC.

11. Whereas the High Court is giving permission to the Trinity-Badal, Mataji and the Son to travel abroad, such permission is being denied to other Sikhs. He call for impounding the passport of Mr. Amaridner Singh and withdrawl of permission to travel abroad to all who have criminal cases registered against them, unless all are allowed to travel abroad (Article 14 of Constitution).

12. The Dimpi murder case still remains unsolved. We want the conspiracy unearthed immediately.

13. Our party will create public opinion in favour of Speaker Chatterji being elected President of India, if the Left assures us minorities he will bite if his bark fails.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) calls upon all freedom loving people to rise and revolt against the Centre's and Badal-BJP's role in making India a Hindu Rasthra (Hindu theocratic state).

Simranjit Singh Mann,

President, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar).

RSS/Shiv Sena Activities in Punjab Alarm Sikh Orgs

2007-05-13T05:44:00.002-07:00

Amritsar Sahib (KP) – Panthic organizations worldwide have taken a strong notice of the recent statements issued by the Sangh Parivar and the Shiv Sena. Parkash Badal in particular has received a wrath of Sikh Sangat as he aligned his political party with Bhartiya Janta Party (forerunner of the Sangh) in the state assembly elections.

Talking to the press, S. Simranjit Singh Mann, a stanch opponent of Shiromani Akali Dal (B) and the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), said that ever since the new government formed in Punjab, activities of RSS and other fascist Hindu organizations have started escalating. He said that the issues such as the BJP demanding a greater role in Punjab Government, Shiv Sena's demand of possessing trishuls (tridents) and RSS's recent claims on the Sikh Religion are serious in nature and strong action was needed to counter them.

S. Simranjit Singh Mann also said that Parkash Badal must break his silence over the activities of the Sangh Parivar. As the Punjab Chief Minister, he must take appropriate steps to defuse the current situation. He said that if Parkash Badal and Avtar Makkar, the President of SGPC, fail to fulfill their duties, Sikhs of Punjab would be forced to deal with these issues themselves.

Daljit Singh Bittu, Vice President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (A), also expressed worry over the claims of the Sangh Parivar. He said that whenever Akali-BJP Government has been formed in the State, the Sikh values and identity have been jeopardized. He invited all Panthic organizations to work together to counter anti-Sikh organizations in Punjab.

Ravi Inder Singh, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal 1920, also shared his opinions wand said that the RSS and Shiv Sena have carried out their activities in the sanctuary of Parkash Badal. He also expressed his agreement with Daljit Singh Bittu and said that there was a need for all Panthic organizations to work together.

Bhai Hardeep Singh, a Senior SGPC member, also expressed his concerns while talking to the press at Mohali. Bhai Hardeep Singh said that the Sikh religion is not only a distinct religion, but many of its core principals are contrary to Hindu beliefs. He said that although Sikhs respect all religions, controversial statements of the Sangh Parivar can never be accepted by mainstream Sikhs.

Meanwhile, the demand of Shiv Sena to allow its members to posses trishuls (tridents) is also likely to put Parksah Badal amidst more controversy. Sikh leaders have warned Parkash Badal from giving a clean chit to the Shiv Sena. Avtar Singh Makkar who was recently addressing the press here asserted that the Shiv Seva activists are only looking to create problems for the Sikhs. He assured to hold talks with Parkash Badal in regards to the trishul demands of the Shiv Sena.

Details of more Fake Encounters in Punjab Emerging

2007-05-13T05:44:00.001-07:00

Chandigarh, Punjab (KP) – The emerging fake encounters’ cases in Punjab have perplexed everyone, but the news has especially put the Punjab Police in a severely tense situation. The police, which once fabricated these encounters to get paid rewards, are now being forced to confront the truth as the media and press have gained more freedom in Punjab.

To ease off some pressure, the Punjab police have organized a ritualistic committee to uncover the depth of these cases. Additional Deputy General of Police (DGP), JP Virdi, will be leading the committee and according to NPS Aulakh (DGP Punjab), Mr. Virdi will have access to all the resources (manpower and financial) that might be needed to accomplish this task. While talking to the press here, he expressed concern over the recent news stories that have been published in newspapers across the globe in regards to these cases. He assured that the Punjab Police will uncover these mysteries very soon.

During the days of militancy when the Punjab Police was unable to achieve its actual goals, it started fabricating fake encounters. At times, innocent people were killed to substitute for the actual death of eminent militants. Police also implanted many informants in Panthic organizations but later these police cats were withdrawn from their duties and announced dead and sent to safe places.

In the past, details have been published by Panthic Weekly in relation to the case of Sukhwinder ‘Sukhi’ and Kulbir ‘Bhola’ the two police cats which assisted the Punjab Police in terrorizing hundreds of individuals and their families during the peak of the Sikh freedom movement of the 1980s. Besides Sukhi and Bhola, similar cases have been uncovered.

Gurcharan Singh Giani, a close relative of Surjit Singh Painta (Khalistan Commando Force), was declared dead in an encounter with the police and a bounty of Rs. 500,000 was claimed by the encounter team, but later Gurcharan Singh returned to his village alive. He is now in the custody of Uttar Pradesh Police which arrested him in 1999.

Gurnam Singh Bandala (Khalistan Commando Force), who is currently lodged in the Amritsar City Jail, was first announced dead in a police encounter that took place also in 1995 and a bounty of Rs. 500,000 was claimed by some police officials, but later he was arrested from District Gurdaspur in 1998.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh is showing a lot of enthusiasm for these inquiries. While talking to the press recently, he said that the police officials who were involved in fabricating deaths of ‘militants’ must be exposed quickly. It should be noted that many of these spurious Shaheeds and Police cats found themselves a safe harbor with support of Shiromani Akal Dal (B) and Bhartiya Janta Party, the two political parties which recently took over the Government in Punjab.

Fake encounters

2007-05-13T05:41:00.001-07:00

Killing of innocent persons during the counter-insurgency operations in Assam, launched in 1990 has been turning out to be a major problem and if such unfortunate incidents are not checked, these would result in growing sense of alienation among the common masses of the State. Recent killing of one Buddheswar Moran in Tinsukia district by Army once again resulted in widespread protests and though the Chief Minister has ordered a probe into the incident, it failed to defuse the tension. The Chief Minister should immediately send a senior Minister to the area to defuse the tension before the situation goes out of control and adequate compensation should be paid to the bereaved family. Killing of one Ajit Mahanta in the Kakopathar area of Tinsukia district also led to widespread protests and at least ten protestors lost their lives in firing by the police and security forces. The Government should keep in mind the Kakopathar incident and take immediate measures to defuse the tension. Language barrier is one of the main reasons for harassment of innocents by the Army and security forces during the counter-insurgency operations and efforts should be made to do away with the problem and the Government can examine the feasibility of imparting crash course on local customs to the Army personnel before they are inducted into counter-insurgency operations. Such unfortunate incidents can also be avoided if the Army personnel, instead of launching operations on their own, take local policemen along with them in all the operations as the local policemen are in the best position to know who is a militant and who is not. The Unified Command Structure for launching counter-insurgency operations is now headed by the Chief Minister himself and he should issue strict orders to all the forces to avoid harassment of innocent persons as far as possible during the operations against militants. The Government should also remember the fact that moulding of public opinion against violence will play a major role in fighting insurgency and efforts should be made in this regard. Only ordering of probes into the alleged fake encounters will not be of any help in defusing tension and the Government should make public the action taken on the basis of the reports of such probes.

President, Please don’t lie from the Red Fort

2007-05-13T05:39:00.001-07:00

It is most unfortunate the pious day a celebration to mark 150 years of first war for independence was used to churn out lies and set bogus political agenda than any development program.

Our President who has completed his five years term ought to have come clean on the day. Manmohan Singh has political compulsions; he could be dismissed for telling facts.

President who is to retire in a month was telling us about 2020 deadline to make India developed than giving account for progress made in last five years. Following is real achievement to make India a developed nation.

· Food production in the country is lower than when he took charge of Rashtrapati Bhawan even as population is up 10%. People are silently dieing of hunger and poverty.

· Food prices have double, tripled and quadrupled for grains and oils, vegetables and pulses.

· India’s trade deficit has gone up from around $5b to $64b.

· Maharashtra, the most industrialized state in India was power surplus now has 25% deficit and rural area experiences 18 hours of power cuts every day.

· A 10 kilometers long drain called Mithi River drowned India’s business capital Mumbai.

· Yamuna River couldn’t be cleaned in 25 years even as Rs.5,000 crores at today’s price was wasted.

· In five years we couldn’t establish a single new IIT for just 1000 students.

· India couldn’t create or promote a single technology.

· India couldn’t create a single AIIMS like public hospital in five years.

· India contributes 80% of cricket revenue to the world but was out of the World Cup in preliminaries, could defeat only a minnow – Bermuda.

Modi's Gujarat is a blot on India, but Cong won't move against him

2007-05-13T05:36:00.001-07:00

THE BJP should feel humiliated, if not ashamed, of what has overtaken the government in Gujarat. Hardly does a day pass when a skeleton does not come out of the state chief minister Narendra Modi's cupboard or dug up from one place or the other. The latest is that the Gujarat government has admitted before the Supreme Court bench about a fake encounter.

One of its officials has reconstructed the incident after the court's order and found it was murder. The official showed courage in bringing the whole thing to light despite government pressure. One Muslim lady accompanying her husband – both were killed in November 2005 – was hacked to pieces and the body burnt. And the police doing so, hailed the act as desh bhakt.

This case of a fake encounter is not the only one to show that the Gujarat administration has ceased to follow the norms of a democratic state. There is hardly any report which does not mention the deliberate killings of Muslims in the 2002 riots and their deplorable plight after having been ousted from their homes and lands.

Human rights activists say that a climate of alienation and fear has been deliberately fostered among the Muslim minority since the violence. The alienation has been corroborated by the findings of the Sachar Committee, a central government-appointed high level panel, mandated to look into the "social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community in the country."

In its latest newsletter, the Amnesty International says: "Five years on, the Government of Gujarat remains unrepentant for its failings to protect the Muslim minority and to ensure that victims obtain justice, truth and reparations."

The newsletter further adds: "The complete failure of the Government of Gujarat – itself accused of direct complicity in the violence which left over 2,000 people dead – is further evident in its persistent unrepentant attitude, as shown in their non-recognition of those still internally displaced by violence and by its failure to provide basic amenities to 'relief colonies'."

The secular credentials of the Congress cannot be doubted, but one suspects its political motives. The party seldom takes a bold stand against communalism even though the speeches of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are replete with phrases which denounce it. There is hesitation, if not fear, to take on the BJP.

The equivocal attitude by the Congress has practically silenced the unequivocal ones. The general impression is that the Congress may collect information and even prepare a dossier but will not take any action. It is simply afraid to join issue with the BJP as is the case in Gujarat where the party government is ruling.

In fact, the centre has given the Gujarat government many certificates for being "the best state" in the country. Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Montak Singh Ahluwalia has hailed it as "No 1 state." True, the yardstick of the Manmohan Singh government is economic development. Surely, there are other norms to measure a state's progress. If people are killed or ousted from their homes in the name of religion, the state is nothing but a lawless territory where religious buccaneers roam as headhunters.

Take the fake encounter. The three police officers involved were arrested only when the finger of suspicion was directed at the government. In fact, this is a case of vicarious responsibility. When the government headed by Modi reportedly "directs" them to indulge in "the patriotic act" the chief minister and the cabinet are responsible for it. The BJP leaders still pretend to be ignorant of Modi's administrative activism against Muslims. But that is natural because Modi's acts fit into the anti-Muslim policy of the RSS-controlled party.

There was nothing wrong in the demand for a CBI inquiry although the set-up is only a central government department. Why doesn't the Congress suggest President's rule in Gujarat? What more should happen in the state to indicate that the constitutional machinery to protect the minorities has broken down? Many state governments have been dismissed in the past on lesser grounds.

It appears that the BJP is trying to duplicate the Modi policy in two other states it is ruling – Rajasthan and Mahdya Pradesh. The stories of atrocities against Christians in Rajasthan and Muslims in Madhya Pradesh only underline the belief that the party is determined to scare the minorities for its agenda of Hindutva.

There is a case for taking stern steps against the party which mixes politics with religion. Our secular polity has no place for it. The bill which the centre proposes to bring before parliament talks about banning religious parties. But what about those which operate under non-religious names, but are religious in appeal, like the BJP?

Eminent educationist Amrik Singh has brought out a book, Hindu and Muslim Divide in India, to discuss the same question. He comes to the conclusion that the RSS has revived its 1925 agenda of polarisation, when the organisation came into being. He argues that the BJP, which is a political arm of the RSS, has intensified its efforts to widen the gap between Hindus and Muslims because it finds the two communities coming nearer to each other despite the BJP agenda.

When Mahatma Gandhi addressed a prayer meeting soon after reaching Delhi from Sialkot in Pakistan, he said that "Hindus and Muslims are my two eyes." How does Modi's government or, for that matter, the BJP's parochialism measure up to that observation? The Mahatma and Jawaharlal Nehru etched a secular ethos on the minds of the Indian people during the independence movement. Why is the Manmohan Singh government halting in its pursuit of those principles?

Gujarat is the state where the Mahatma was born and where his ashram is still frequented by thousands of people from far and wide. None from the Gujarati community on the whole, living in India or abroad, has ever raised his voice against the lawless and soulless state. Their conscience has not been pricked over the violence in 2002 because they believe that after the "burning of some sewaks" on a train at Godhra, everything that the Modi government does is justified.

Every Gujarati, man or woman, must introspect and hail either Nathuram Godse who killed the Mahatma or denounce the Modi government to uphold the honour of Gandhiji. The rest is a matter between the Gujaratis and their conscience.

Punjab CM blasts center for conspiring against minorities

2007-05-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Saturday took strong exception to the reported move of the union government to tamper with Constitution in order to deprive the minorities in the country of their legitimate status.

"This is a highly thoughtless move, and one that can drive the country into an unnecessary but dangerous strife. It must be dropped, Badal said in a strong worded statement here."

Badal also criticized the increasing attempts to further erode the remnants of federalism in the country's polity. He said that center has been increasingly nibbling away at the already meager sources of states' revenue despite the fact that the union government had no role to play in micro development of the states nor did it have any tools to assess the needs of the people at the grounds level.

He added, "Only the states knew it and that was because the states actually dealt with the day to day problems of the people while the center merely took a distant view of things and never really understood the nitty gritty of people's problems. He also dismissed the idea of a two party system as "irrelevant to a country of India's diversity where different regions, ideologies, religions, groups and ethnic diversities sought expression through many different ways, requiring different political platforms."

Describing the move to change the constitutional provisions about the status of minorities in the country as a part of the "same centrist and unitarist mindset", Badal said that doing with the concept of national minorities and replacing it with state-wise criterion would play havoc with the basic trust and understanding on which our national polity is based. "The only way to justify this highly provocative move was to declared the states as entirely autonomous federal provinces with the center having no say in any of the domestic areas.

Only if the states enjoy complete autonomy can you consider them as independent units for the purpose of determining and bestowing the status of minorities on the concerned groups. So long as we live in a single country, we can only talk about minorities in the country on the whole," said Badal, adding that it was absurd even to talk of determination of minority status at the state level. The move would actually mean the Sikhs would be a not be minority even in Punjab and all the protection and safeguards enjoyed by them as a national minority would go. "This can have very implications for the cause of national unit which is based on constitutional safeguards for different religious, linguistic and regional groups.

Describing the reported move as extremely ill-conceived and fundamental flawed in concept, Mf. Badal said that would also be a serious violation of the basic structure of the constitution which recognizes India as a federal polity. "It is absurd even tot suggest that the Sikhs would be deemed a majority in a state and for that reason alone, be deprived of all the constitutional safeguards throughout the country. In addition, the move will have a bearing on a variety of critical areas such as education and culture.

The Chief Minister appealed to the Union government to reconsider this "highly irresponsible and inflammable move.

Fresh evidence of Punjab's sacrifices in First War of Independence

2007-05-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

It has often been asserted that Punjab didn’t participate in the First War of Independence and Punjabis worked against the cause. But Chandigarh-based eminent scholar of Punjabi studies Harnam Singh Shaan has found irrefutable evidence showing that Punjab not only participated in the War, but also its people smilingly laid down their lives. Only they were never saluted for their role.
A striking proof that the War, as elsewhere, started in Punjab on May 10, 1857, comes from the accounts of Frederic Cooper, the then Amritsar deputy commissioner, whose book titled “The Crisis in the Punjab from 10th May to the Fall of Delhi, 1857” is revealing. It was published in London in 1858 and contains details of the execution of Punjabi soldiers ordered by Cooper in 1857.
On the night of July 30, 1857, a band of 500 Punjabi patriots, were camping on the banks of the Ravi, six miles from Ajnala. The British spotted and surrounded them. Cooper ordered the killing of 150 soldiers. While receding, several patriots were overpowered by the unsparing currents of the Ravi. The remaining, about 282, were sent to Ajnala jail. Several were brought out in groups of 10 and shot down on the streets. Of those in jail, 45 died of suffocation and thirst. Their bodies, instead of being cremated, were bundled up and thrown into a nearby well which was covered with earth, by Cooper’s orders. The well still exists near Ajnala and is called “Kaliyan da Khuh”. The martyrs never got any memorial but their death sparked protests in “Bangar Desh” (now Haryana).
References to Punjab’s role in the uprising also emerge from the accounts of poet-historians of that age. In “Jagnama Dilli”, Khazan Singh refers to 1914 (Bikrami calendar) which corresponds to 1857 (Christian year). He writes, “Saal unin sau chaudhavan vartada si, sare desh de vich fatur paie; Kavi Singh aakhe ehnan kalian ne, topan bir ke morche aan laei.”
Seeds of revolt were actually sown when the British captured Punjab after Ranjit Singh’s death. National poet of Punjab Sayed Shah Mohammad also referred to the battle between British India and Punjab. In “Jangnama Singhan te Phirangian”, 1846, he wrote: “Jang Hind Punjab da hon laga, doven badshahi phaujan bharian ne, Shah Mohammad ik sarkar bahjon, phaujan jit ke ant nun harian ne” (the Sikhs lost in the absence of Ranjit Singh)
Ten years after Mohammad’s echoes, the War opened. In his records, Khazan Singh wrote of how the British wanted to Christianise their forces. “Jang Nama Dilli”, the manuscript Shaan researched, talks about Lord Canning’s arrival in Ambala from Calcutta and of how Canning asked the local subedars to surrender. The Punjabis were at first hesitant to support “Poorbia” (from East India) soldiers as they thought the Poorbias helped the British conquer Punjab. Later, however, the Punjabis rose up to the challenge. Of Punjabi soldiers, Khazan Singh writes, “Asian maran ge teg di tab agai, jang karan ge morche lae ke ji, Asin bhaj ke kite na javna hai, tainun chhaddan ge Sindh tapae ke ji”.
The rebellion further spread to Ferozepur where many soldiers were killed. From there, Punjabi soldiers marched on towards Jhelum, Atak, Ambala and Ferozpur cantonments. When they reached Gurdaspur, the British officer in charge was so anxious, he asked Lahore to send additional forces.
“Ghadar di Var”, the 1858 manuscript, records the incident: “Jang kamai kaliyan, Jhelum Atak sipah, Sardar bajar te chhavni, lut leya Sialkot nu jah, thar thar kambda Sialkot, Gurdaspur val aiye, Likh pawrana Smith sahib bhejia, Pharangi takhat Lahoron phat pahunchaiye…”

Dalit IAS officer’s dismissal set aside: Brahminical lobby booted

2007-05-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

OUR CORRESPONDENT
Bangalore: Brother Sher Singh, a Dalit IAS officer of the W. Bengal cadre and one of the oldest members of the DV family, has finally won his case in the Calcutta High Curt which blasted the state govt. chargesheet against him for writing his famous book on Babri Masjid demolition by Hindu terrorists.
On behalf of the DV family worldwide we congratulate the brave Sardarji, who fought a prolonged battle against the fake Bengali Brahminical marxists who dismissed him for publishing a research work, Secular Emperor Babar, on a historical tragedy committed by the Hindu terrorist brothers.
Acting Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice K.K. Prasad of the Calcutta High Court screwed DoPT (Govt. of India) for one full hour asking its advocate, Jayant Bannerjee, to furnish the court the extension granted by the ld.tribunal, otherwise the entire chargesheet against him stood quashed as on April 26, 2000 as per the CAT order dated 8.12.99 in O.A.N.1321/1997. (DV May 16, 2000 p.12). The court order was served on W.B. Govt. on Dec.16, 1999 and on DOPT, GOI, on Dec.23, 99. The court told:
“Even an eighth standard student can work out that the period of four months given in CAT order, dated 8.12.99 expired on April 16, 2000 — the day on which the entire chargesheet against Sher Singh, IAS, stood quashed. How could you issue the order of dismissal from IAS to Sher Singh?”
Jayant Banerjee had no answer. The court then said:
“Your order of dismissal dated 22.11.2000 is arbitrary, without authority, and is vindictive.”
Every word written in DV stands vindicated by the High Court when the case is well contested. (DV Aug.1, 2004 p.19).
When Jayant Bannerjee tried to show that they got extension of 1+2 months from CAT in its order dated Dec.21, 99 (misprinted in DV as 21.11.99), he was again rebuked by the court.
Dalit officers facing proceedings should follow this course of action and get time-limit put to complete the proceedings, failing which the entire proceedings are to stand quashed. Sher Singh’s petition dated 9.6.2004 to Prime Minister (DV Aug.1, 2004) was forwarded by S. Saran Singh, IAS (retd.) and a close friend of the PM, but the pro-Hindu terrorist lobby did not listen to PM. Sardar S. Buta Singh, a former Union Minister, also forwarded Sher Singh petition dated 9.6.2004 to the Govt. of India but the Brahminical lobby is so strong that they were bent upon dismissing Sher Singh, a dedicated Dalit Sikh officer from Punjab.
Now that this Brahminical lobby has got the boot from no less a person than Justice Bhaskar, it is high time this lobby is cut to size so that the secular Sonia Gandhi’s name is saved as our research study had the blessings of Rajiv Gandhi, says Sher Singh.
“My dismissal order from IAS has been set aside as issued without jurisdiction and authority from CAT and my chargesheet has been quashed with effect from 4.8.2000. The Govt. of India has been directed to pay my dues within 60 days from the date of the order dated 19.3.2007”, he said.
S. Saran Singh, IAS (retd.), editor of the Sikh Review, Calcutta, says:
My hearty congratulations on your triumph after an interminable delay. I hope the govt. will give effect to the High Court ruling with good grace and without undue delay. You have been wronged for far too long. Should you consider it necessary, I will take up the matter with the Prime Minister. I salute your resolute pursuit of justice against mighty state authority.
Stab in the back?
Sher Singh adds: Let me put on record that it is the moral support of noble minds and great personalties like S. Saran Singh which kept me going through the worst phase of my life for 12 years and 8 months but the way I was let down by the Dalit leaders for whom I gave the best part of my time and talent was nothing short of a stab in the back. Some Muslim gentlemen’s contribution I acknowledge with gratitude and utmost humility. I assure them that I will never let down their Babri Masjid cause in my life.

Co-opting the crooks

2007-05-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

AT a time when persons who have built their careers on crime can easily become MPs, MLAs and ministers, it must have required guts on the part of the special sessions court judge of Siwan to convict RJD MP Mohammed Shahabuddin of kidnapping a CPI (ML) worker.

That it has taken eight long years for the law to catch up with Mohammed Shahabuddin does not speak well of the effectiveness of the system of criminal justice. But the fact is that despite the charge of kidnapping with an intention to murder and his involvement in 35 other cases of serious crime relating to treason, possession of illegal arms, murder, extortion and much else, Shahabuddin's writ was allowed to run in the badlands of Bihar by an indulgent government of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Shahabuddin lent his muscle to the Lalu government and he in turn gave the don his party's ticket to become an MP from Siwan.

Like everyone in Bihar, voters in Siwan knew the curriculum vitae of Mohammed Shahabuddin. Yet he could get himself elected to Parliament and sit in the company of Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr Somnath Chatterjee and Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee to make laws for the land.

The political system that has come to prevail does not have the strength to keep other Shahabuddins out of Parliament. There are as many as 40 Honourable Members of Parliament in the present Lok Sabha who have a history of crime.

While Bihar is the basket case of India's social, political and economic ills, the outgoing UP Legislative Assembly has harboured nearly 200 MLAs with a criminal record. In the current Assembly elections, newspapers have reported that as many as 882 criminals entered the fray under different party labels and as independents. On the day of reckoning tomorrow, many of them may get elected as MLAs. Imagine the results throwing up a hung assembly and the Governor swearing in a government in Lucknow with the help of the criminals-elect!

The political system evolved after a century's freedom struggle and considerable labour of those who worked hard on the Constitution is unable to keep out of the power structure those who kidnap, rape, kill, extort and do human trafficking and gun-running.

The Supreme Court's occasional utterances against criminals entering Parliament and State legislatures have turned out to be obiter dicta - just enough to salve the judges' conscience. The executive has not even cared to react to the worsening scenario. The bureaucrats — civil or police — in the districts know who the local mafia leader is, but often prefer not to take action lest they should annoy a Chief Minister who may be a friend of sorts of the local thug.

The worst are the politicians themselves in various parties who are increasingly relying on criminals' muscle and money for winning elections and coming to power.

Successive election commissions have tried to persuade political parties to agree on giving it powers to reject nomination papers of the candidates against whom the charges have been framed that could earn them a jail term for two years, or more. Most political parties are totally opposed to the Election Commission's useful suggestion.

Suddenly, the politicians seem to be concerned about the principle that no one can be presumed to be guilty until convicted. What if the charges turn out to be false and the candidate denied the right to become a lawmaker? They fling the question at you.

What if a criminal with hands bloodied in serious crime becomes a Member of Parliament, MLA or a minister and asserts his or her right to govern the country? They can legitimately be asked.

Neither simple questions of political morality, nor the pledge they take to defend the Constitution, worries the politicians who readily sup with the criminals and co-opt them into the political system.

No one, in the government, or in the opposition, seems bothered about the danger the nation of a billion-plus people and the political system are facing from crooks of the land. The State is being wrecked from within.

India Kills Sikhs

2007-03-31T23:44:00.000-07:00

Sikhs Deserve Freedom

2007-03-09T07:12:00.001-08:00

July 4th. Independence Day. A day I celebrate with family, friends, and fireworks. A day I celebrate America's freedom, my good fortune of living here and being a Sikh-American. August 15 th. India's Independence Day. A day I protest. A day where I wear black and denounce India's freedom. India's Independence came on August 15, 1947 when India and Pakistan parted and became secular countries on their own. Sikhs were given East Punjab, a small state in northern India; the west part of Punjab having been truncated in the partition to give to Pakistan. Sikhs felt that their religion, history, and identity would best flourish in the secular country that was now their home. But these high hopes did not last long. Little by little, India betrayed the Sikhs and threatened their existence.

Keeping tight reins over Punjab, government of India (whichever party that has control) suppressed the Sikhs in several ways. Starting with the freedom of religion. Subclause B of clause 2, Explanation II in Article 25 in the Constitution of India, states that "persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religion(s)" are Hindus. To India, Sikhism is a sect of Hinduism however; Sikhism is a distinct, monotheistic religion as stated by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev ji. Sikhs are noticeable because of their turbans or long uncut hair. With over 22 million Sikhs world wide and majority in India, how can Sikhism be labled as a sect of Hinduism? By purposely not recognizing Sikhism as a unique religion, the foundation of Sikh oppression was laid.

Continuing on that note, the Indian government passed acts that were aimed directly at impeding the Sikhs' progression. Acts such as the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, which does not recognize the Sikh wedding ceremony as a valid form of marriage and the Punjab Reorganization Act of 1966, which split Punjab into parts giving the strategic areas to other states and give control of river waters to the central government who stripped Sikhs of their water rights.

Then came 1984. Operation Bluestar, a government planned attack on the heart of the Sikhs, the Harmandir Sahib -- also known as the Golden Temple. From June 1st to June 6th, Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India at the time, ordered the Indian army to invade and destroy the Harmandir Sahib all under the pretext that there was terrorists living in the complex-- of which there were none. Hundreds of Sikhs were killed in merciless bloodshed. Punjab was sealed off from the rest of the world with no communication. But it didn't end here.

After the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh body guards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, on October 31, 1984, all hell broke loose for the Sikhs. For the next 3 days, November 1st , 2nd, and 3rd of 1984, over 4,000 Sikhs roasted alive in anti-Sikh pogroms in the capital of the world's largest democracy. Sikh homes, businesses, temples were burned to the ground and completely destroyed.

When this history was unveiled to me, I knew that the Sikhs in India were not free and that the Indian government had tried very hard to eradicate the Sikhs. The Sikh nation would always be under the claws of the Indian government if something were not done. My family has always been in support of the making of an independent Sikh country called Khalistan and now I have a precise understanding why. It surprises me of how little the Sikh community in the Bay Area supports the independence of the Sikhs.

Despite having knowledge of 1984 and the surreptitious attacks of cultural genocide the government of India still makes on the Sikh nation, Sikhs fail to see that having an independent country would greatly benefit us. I know of a majority of Sikhs who came in the U.S. under political asylum, using the name of Khalistan to live here, but once settled down, they deny of ever supporting it. I feel angered and betrayed by my own community when it turns a blind eye to the independence subject of the Sikh nation. Despite all the programs held in remembrance of 1984 and significance of Khalistan, many ignore the information and the work put in by those who care. It seems as if the community enjoys being suppressed by the Indian government. The Sikh community should take advantage of the rights and freedoms given here to help those who can't help themselves. If the Indian government will not secure justice for the victims of 1984,then who will? I greatly admire those Sikhs who are in support of Khalistan, who honor the freedoms of America by taking out their time, money and energy to recognize the victims and martyrs of 1984, who fight against injustice, and who travel all over the world to document untold stories of the helpless victims/survivors of 1984.

This shelved and curtained history has greatly impacted my life. To have freedom of speech, of peaceful protest, of expression is a privilege. America was created based on those ideas because people fought for their rights intellectually, mentally and physically. Freedom is not handed over by the oppressor. Freedom is something that must be demanded by the oppressed.

Operation Bluestar and the Carnage of November of 1984 are just the beginning.1984 was and is the Sikhs' Kristallnacht. Living in America and using the freedom and independence I have here will enable me to get freedom for other Sikhs in India. America has taught me to use my voice, my freedoms and along with my history, has motivated me to strive. As said by Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindrawale, one of the greatest leaders and martyrs of the Sikh nation, physical death one should not fear, but "death of a conscience is a sure death". The freedom and independence of the Sikh nation cannot be ignored. There will be a time where I will celebrate another independence day besides July 4 th and it will be the independence day of the Sikh nation of Khalistan.

Indian security forces murder in phony "encounters" Wednesday 28th of February 2007 Kranti Kumara, World Socialist Web

2007-03-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

Jammu, Kashmir - A police inquiry that led to the exhumation of the corpses of several innocent civilians killed by Indian security forces in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has shed light on the murderous campaign the Indian elite and its henchmen in the security apparatus have mounted in India's only Muslim-majority state for the past two decades.

The J&K police opened an inquiry upon receiving a complaint from the family of a 35 year-old carpenter, Abdur Rehman Paddar, who had gone missing on December 8, 2006 Utilizing the unique phone identification number provided to them by the victim's family, the investigators traced the phone to an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of police Farooq Ahmad Gudoo.

ASI Gudoo reportedly had given the phone to a person under police protection—presumably a surrendered Kashmiri secessionist—after reactivating the phone using a newly obtained SIM phone card.

During interrogation, ASI Gudoo confessed that he had taken the phone from Paddar soon after killing him. ASI Gudoo was part of a "Special Operations Group" (SOG) team from Ganderbal police station that had picked up Paddar from his native village, Larnoo, and casually murdered him on Dec. 9. So as to justify his killing and collect a reward, the SOG team then sought to pass off Paddar's corpse as that of a "Pakistani" militant who, they claimed, had exchanged fire with them.

Indian and international human rights organizations have long-charged that Indian security forces have used phony encounters with "Pakistanis" and "Kashmiri insurgents" to execute captured anti-government insurgents and to kill others deemed politically undesirable by the authorities or who have run afoul of the police and security forces.

Comprised of local police, village informers, and former insurgents who have been bribed and coerced into working for the Indian state, the SOG is generally considered to be the most ruthless of the various Indian security forces active in Jammu and Kashmir. It is widely reputed to have been involved in the disappearance of thousands of Kashmiris, extortion, and custodial killings.

Paddar's murder would appear to have been motivated by money. The carpenter may have resisted demands from the Ganderbal SOG team for "protection" money or the police may simply have wanted to collect the government reward for killing an insurgent. The killing of Paddar resulted in a reward of 120,000 rupees (about $270) being paid to the SOG team.

After killing Paddar, the police announced publicly that they had killed a Pakistani militant on whom they had found an AK-47 rifle, three magazines, 36 bullets and a grenade. Such routine labeling of the victims of "fake encounters" with India's security forces as "Pakistanis" is standard procedure. It is aimed at presenting the anti-Indian insurgency in Kashmir as entirely due to the machinations of Pakistan, India's historic geo-political rival.

The brutality of the SOG is underscored by the state of Paddar's corpse—his face was all but totally mutilated by the shooting.

During the course of the investigation of Paddar's disappearance, other police murders came to light including that of two impoverished street vendors, Nazir Ahmad Deka and Ghulam Nabi Wani. Deka, a father of three children who sold perfume on the pavement for a living, was picked up by the SOG and murdered in February 2006. The police passed him off as a militant belonging to the Pakistani-based Islamicist group Lashkar-i-Tayba. The briefcase that Deka used to keep his perfume was reportedly found at the house of ASI Gudoo.

Ghulab Wani was picked up in March 2006 and murdered. He was publicly identified as an Islamic "terrorist" who was killed in a joint police-army operation.

All of these victims were poor and supposedly were forced to pay bribes to the police for "favors"—favors that may have been as meager as permission to sell their wares in a choice or preferred spot in a market.

In late January and early February the investigating police exhumed bodies of several other victims in addition to those of Paddar, Deka and Wani. These victims are also believed to be civilians who were in no way connected to the insurgency against the Indian state.

The public outrage over the killings has led to the arrest of the Ganderbal Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hans Raj Parihar and of the Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP), Bahadur Ram.

Although there have been countless complaints from Kashmiris and numerous reports from Indian and international human rights organizations charging that the Indian government has allowed its security forces in Kashmir to run amuck, these officers are among the most senior, if not the highest-ranking, officers arrested for human rights violations in Kashmir since the anti-Indian insurgency began in 1989.

The Indian government, as part of its attempt to reach a rapprochement with Pakistan, has recently sent out feelers to elements within the Kashmiri opposition. Reining in the most brazen murderers within the security apparatus may be a government maneuver aimed at creating conditions more conducive to launching negotiations.

The authorities are also acutely aware of the depth of the popular anger in Kashmir. While many Kashmiris are repelled by the reactionary Islamicist ideology espoused by many of the anti-Indian insurgents, especially those most closely connected to Pakistan, there is also a visceral popular feeling against the Indian authorities because of the bloody authoritarian methods they have employed in upholding Indian rule.

The current Congress Party and People's Democratic Party (PDP) state coalition government came to power in 2002 by making grandiose promises to the electorate. These included promising to "heal" the physical and psychological "wounds" inflicted upon the Kashmiri people by a decade and half of brutal Indian military operations. They also promised to show "zero-tolerance" to human rights violations and to investigate all cases of custodial killings by police.

As the fate of Paddar clearly illustrates, none of these promises have been kept. Human-rights violations and killings by security forces and the police have continued unabated over the last four years.

In the wake of the exposure of the Paddar's murder as an SOG "fake-encounter," there have been angry demonstrations demanding that the chiefs of police who have overseen the practice of fake or phony encounters be severely punished. Thousands of people, including the families of several of the victims, have taken to the streets demanding justice.

On February 6 the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a major separatist group, called for a "bandh" (a shutdown) that paralyzed life in Srinagar, the summer capital of the state Members of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, an amalgamation of 26 Kashmiri political, religious and civic organization that also support Kashmiri separatism, also held demonstrations in Srinagar.

Even the exposure of these heinous crimes has not resulted in any pause in police repression. The peaceful protest was met with a salvo of tear gas by the police.

The roots of the current Kashmir tragedy are to be found in the 1947 communal partition of South Asia, when India's departing British colonial overlords joined forces with the bourgeois Indian National Congress and the Muslim League to create a Muslim Pakistan and a predominantly Hindu India.

War soon broke out over the fate of Jammu and Kashmir, a princely state with a Muslim-majority adjacent to Pakistan, but whose Hindu princely ruler and largest political party favored accession to India.

For the six ensuing decades, Kashmir has been split into Indian- and Pakistani-controlled regions with the two states continuing to stake their rival claims to all of Jammu and Kashmir and engaging in countless subterfuges to realize their ambitions.

While Pakistan long-sought to fan opposition to the Indian government in Indian-held Kashmir, a popular insurgency only broke out in 1989, two years after the Indian authorities had once again rigged an election in the state. In the years prior to the launching of the Kashmir insurgency, India's Congress Party government had whipped up Hindu chauvinism while brutally suppressing a Sikh fundamentalist agitation in the Punjab and the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had emerged as a major political force across north India..

Like India's north-east, Jammu and Kashmir has long suffered economic neglect. Both regions are wracked by separatist insurgencies fed by youth who face a bleak future either of unemployment or working at marginal jobs.

Although the secessionist movements are fundamentally reactionary, they nevertheless arise out of festering socio-economic and political grievances. Incapable of tackling the root causes of these grievances, the Indian bourgeoisie has relied upon anti-democratic legislation to empower the military and police forces to crush the insurgencies through a rampage of killing, kidnapping, and rape.

In J&K, the Indian government has utilized the repressive Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act of 1990 to suppress the militancy This legislation grants almost unchecked power to the armed forces to declare an area "disturbed," arrest people at will, and to open fire at their discretion.

The results have been catastrophic, with at least 60,000 people killed, thousands of women raped, and hundreds if not thousands of people kidnapped. Many of the latter have ended up dead like the victims mentioned above. Most of this human toll can be laid directly at the feet of the Indian security forces.

It is impossible to convey in the short space of this article the repression and tragedy the population of J&K has been subjected to at the hands of the Indian government over the past two decades. Every month many women whose husbands have disappeared hold demonstrations at which they silently hold up their husbands' photographs so as to demand that the authorities inquire into the whereabouts of their loved ones. These women cannot collect pensions or inherit property belonging to their missing husbands without an official record of their deaths.

The recently exposed police murders in J&K are not isolated incidents but instead are part of a long-term systematic violation of the most basic human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian state. At most a handful of the perpetrators have been prosecuted. Instead, the security forces have been showered with rewards and promotions for chalking up kills.

SIKH EDITOR WRITES TO PRESIDENT BUSH, URGES SUPPORT FOR SIKH FREEDOM

2007-03-09T06:22:00.001-08:00

SIKH EDITOR WRITES TO PRESIDENT BUSH, URGES SUPPORT FOR SIKH FREEDOM

-- (Extensions of Remarks - March 01, 2007)

[Page: E437] GPO's PDF

---SPEECH OF

HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2007

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, recently, Dr. Awatar Singh Sekhon, Managing

Editor of the International Journal of Sikh Affairs, wrote to

President Bush about the dangerous situation in India , where

democratic rights for minorities are under continuing threat. He also

published the letter in his magazine.

Dr. Sekhon noted that the interests of the United States and its

allies, such as Canada, are likely to be damaged by continuing close

cooperation with India . As he observed, although India proudly

portrays itself as ``the world's largest democracy,'' it is a country

where, as he writes, ``democracy has been used to deny freedom,

national and human rights, and basic human dignity to the majority.''

That majority includes Christians, Sikhs , Muslims, Dalits, and other

minorities.

He notes that in India , the Brahmin class, which is 15 percent of the

population, uses the most brutal oppression to suppress and rule the

minorities. The caste system is still rigorously enforced, despite

being made illegal in 1950. It is used to keep the people down, backed

by violent repression. He notes that in 1948, the Indian government

promised the people of Kashmir a plebiscite on their status. Punjab

was promised sovereignty at the time of Indian independence. Those

promises have not been kept and any effort to claim what was promised

has been met with brutality that has resulted in the murders of over

250,000 Sikhs , over 300,000 Christian Nagas, over 90,000 Kashmiri

Muslims, Muslims and Christians elsewhere in the country, and tens of

thousands of other minorities. Yet our policymakers insist on treating

India both as a democratic country and as an ally, despite its

longstanding and still current friendship with Russia, as well as its

coziness with the mullahs of Iran, to whom it has sold heavy water and

other components.

Dr. Sekhon cites the attack on the Golden Temple as another example of

India's effort to eliminate the minorities and subsume them into a

Hindu state.

Madam Speaker, I call on all my colleagues, especially those who are

promoters of India , to read this devastating letter. It is quite

damaging to India and it is right on target. It will give you

essential information on the lack of basic liberties in that country.

We can makce a difference, Madam Speaker. Instead of cozying up to

India and trying to cut deals with them in the name of stability, it

is time to stop our aid and our trade to pressure India to allow all

its people to enjoy basic human rights. And it is time to put the U.S.

Congress on record in support of self-determination for all the

peoples and nations of the subcontinent through a free and fair

plebiscite on their status. Isn't that the fair and responsible way to

handle questions like this? Isn't that the way democracies do it? Why

is India afraid of real democracy?

Madam Speaker, I would like to insert Dr. Sekhon's excellent letter

into the RECORD. Again, I urge eveyone to read it. It will prove very

informative.

International Journal of

Sikh Affairs,

January 24, 2007.

Hon. GEORGE W. BUSH,

President, United States of America,

The White House, Washington, DC. south asia: interests, permanent

allies, world peace and the role of the united states in the region

I am a citizen of Canada and a member of the Canadian Sikh community.

I retired from service in public health as a microbiologist, research

scientist, administrator and academic a few years ago. I am now active

in work for human rights. These rights are not peculiar to a people or

country; they protect the entire human race. I am expressing below my

concerns over the likelihood of damage to long-term interests of the

United States of America, its allies, the NATO forces, Canada in

particular. The pain of sufferings families of North America, in

Europe, the Middle East and South Asia is hard to ignore. The irony is

that the more the U.S. tried to ameliorate conditions, the worse they

have become.

The people of North America know very well the objectives of the

United States (U.S.) and the hurdles faced in leading the world during

much of the 20th and in the current 21st centuries. The people of the

U.S. and their elected leaders have devoted a lot of time, money and

precious resources in manpower and management for the good of the

mankind to make the world better and safer. Despite all the good

intentions of the democratic world it has been struggling to find a

basis for lasting world peace. I believe that the long-term interests

of the United States and the world at large are complementary. The

U.S. leadership is good for the world. Yet, increasingly fewer people

believe that to be true. Is there anything amiss?

I firmly believe that the United States and its allies eagerly want to

prevent the sufferings of friendly peoples whose governments they have

influence over. While we find the stern hand of the U.S. military

operating against enemies, there is little effort to impose the same

principles of human freedom and dignity on ``friends''. Much of South

Asia is democratic; India boasts of being the largest democracy in the

world. Yet it is in India --more than anywhere else--where democracy

has been used to deny freedom, national and human rights, and basic

human dignity to the majority. As the Hon. Dana Rohrabacher, (R-Cal)

had said as far as the minorities (the Sikhs , Muslims in general,

Muslims of the Internationally Disputed Areas of Jammu and Kashmir,

Christians, Dalits, Adivasasis or the indigenous native people, and

other non-Hindu, non-Brahmin) are concerned, India is a Nazi Germany

for them (Tim Phares 2006 Int J Sikh Affairs 16(1),40-42 ISSN

1481-5435).

Congressman ROHRABACHER' s assessment is accurate and well justified;

it can be the focal point of a new beginning with India . The question

is: how could a country, which is the world's largest democracy,

sustain caste apartheid and pogroms against minorities without facing

recrimination? It is done by mis-definition and misrepresentation the

world is too busy to try and unravel. India is not a nation and has

not even tried to become a nation during the 60 years that it has been

``free''. It has relied entirely on brute military force to crush any

people that demanded its rights. The fact is the Muslims are a

majority in Jammu and Kashmir, the Sikhs are a majority in the Punjab

and Hill tribes of Assam are mostly Christian. The People of Jammu and

Kashmir were promised a plebiscite that was endorsed by the United

Nations. The Sikhs were promised their separate state Khalistan by the

Congress leaders in exchange for rejecting Pakistan's offer of the

same. The Tribal peoples of Assam were also promised ``freedom'' if

they sided with the Congress Party against the British. Now that these

peoples demand what was promised, India has unleashed the most

diabolical genocide and an international campaign to demonize their

stuggle. The British Raj lasted as long as it did because it was

founded on recognition of India as multiple nations. How can a country

call itself a democracy when it discards its very foundation-- the

right of national self-determination?

India aspires for its leaders--M.K. Ghandi and J.L. Nehru--to be

recognized with other great leaders of the democratic world like

George Washington, Franklin D Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, J.F.

Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and William Jefferson Clinton. But it cannot

even begin to secure that position until it can show that they stood

up for the oppressed within the country and without. India has invaded

each one its neighbours, overtly or covertly; if it gave in to any

demand, it sought to hurt twice as much elsewhere. The Untouchables or

Dalits--who are a majority in several states of India and constitute

65 % of its population-- were promised ``reservation' ' of seats in the

parliament, in education and jobs. Even after 60 years, it is still

denied to backward castes and to Muslims. India uses ``democracy' ' as

means to fudge issues and deny rights by never ending arguments in

circles. That is the experience of the people in the country and

neighbours who live in dread of roads being closed or rivers being

diverted.

The devious policies and broken promises is the hallmark of India

today. The Sikhs have been the worst victims. They founded the first

secular and sovereign state in South Asia by Sikh monarch Ranjit Singh

in 1799 that was ``annexed'' by treaty to the British Empire on 14th

March, 1849. In June 1984, the Darbar Sahib Complex which includes the

Supreme Seat of Sikh Polity, The Akal Takht Sahib, Amritsar

(mistakenly known as Golden Temple of Amritsar), which is the Vatican

of the Sikh faith, was assaulted by the Indian Army killing 20,000

devotees who were inside the temple and their leader Sant Jarnail

Singh Bhindranwale was martyred. When the Sikh guards of Prime

Minister Indira Gandhi avenged the assault assassinating her, the

worst pogrom was unleashed upon the Sikhs all over India that resulted

in 250,000 Sikhs --mostly young men and their families--who were

mercilessly killed, Indian diplomats talk about the tradition of

non-violence in India of which Mahatma Gandhi is considered to be a

universal symbol. But the truth is that India is violent but only to

the weak; when confronted with strong and powerful the Brahmin

response is obsequious folding of hands. This manner of greeting

appears to be show of humillty. But it is actually a statement that

the person being greeted is of low birth and is untouchable.

On 15th of August 1947, the British handed over political power to the

``unelected' ' Hindu leadership. But the Hindus/Brahmins (neither a

religion nor a culture) were only 15 % of the population; how could

they be the successors of the British Empire in India . Once installed

in power, they have relied on a combination of hate (for people of

foreign faiths or of low birth), guile and stratagem far mor complex

than any Machiavelli. The record of their rule over India speaks

eloquently how Hindus/Brahmins have been master-mind in persecution of

faith minorities and the low caste majority of native peoples who are

deemed to be inferior by birth in their unique faith. Through Article

25 of the Indian Constitution 1950, the Sikh , the Buddhists and Jains

and all the Untouchables, all of who are victims of oppression and

apartheid, are denied their separate identity and deemed to be Hindus.

The Sikh faith founded by Guru Nanak Sahib was a rebellion to reject

the caste ``apartheid' ' enforced by the Hindus of Brahmin caste. The

irony is that when freedom came, the Sikhs were declared to be Hindus

(long haired Hindus) albeit of the renegade variety, against the

teachings of its founder, Guru Nanak Sahib, and the Sikhs' Holy

Scripture, Adi Guru Granth Sahib. It is difficult to portray the

anger, revulsion and frustration felt by the Sikhs in this unwelcome

embrace of Hinduism (which is neither a religion nor a culture

according to the verdict of Punjab and Haryana High Court, 1984).

Brahmin rule in post-15th August, 1947, India has interest only in

maintaining the apartheid system; its objective is the prosperity of

urban dwelling upper castes--the so called 200 million middle class.

Suave Indian diplomats routinely underlines that the USA and India are

natural allies. Even American politicians and diplomats have started

to harp on the same theme. It is time, this was questioned. What makes

them natural allies? During the years of the Cold War, India was the

friend of The Soviet Union, not of America. Why? It is because both

were internally and internationlly imperialist. Now, India needs an

imperial patron to underpin its own imperious. It needs the U.S. Is

that the role the USA sees for itself in the world? As supporter of

local imperialists? Surely the power and prestige of the USA is such

that it must aim higher: obtain lasting universal peace and harmony;

amity between faiths; unfettered democracy; free trade. Tied to apron

strings of India , the USA is bound to drift into petty machinations

to deny freedom to some and equality to all. lndia's imperialism is

founded on delaying tactics and betrayal. All the problems in the

South Asian region are product of Brahmin spin or stratagem. The media

makes wild forecasts of India of the future. It is supposed to be a

huge market for consumer goods. Whose? Peoples' Republic of China?

Some people have become very rich in India . Diaspora Indians are

clever and are also becoming rich. But for the majority, India is a

hellhole and will always remain so. Caste based India has structural,

infrastructual and social problems that it cannot overcome until it

abandons its ``poverty imperialism' '. However, India is country of 1.1

billion people who deserve better. If India allowed the right of

self-determination to the Sikhs , to the peoples of Jammu and Kashmir

and Assam, it would still be the second largest country with

population more than all of Europe. However, it would no longer need

to maintain hostility with neighbouring states and would be in a

position to remove strife, tension and hate from its social scene.

India must give the native peoples their national rights and create

autonomous states of India that would facilitate a compact of states

within each the interplay of diverse ethnic and caste interests would

create grass root harmony.

For the United States to articulate its interests in far off lands and

develop mechanisms to secure those interests, its diplomats and

politicians have to be conversant with the history and customs of

those lands. Historically, the Sikhs of Punjab and the people of

Afghanistan have never been ``subservient' ' to any foreign ruler. That

was true in the 19th Century as it is today. There are nearly 20

nations within the ``Indian union'', which are struggling to regain

their lost sovereignty and independence ever since the British Indian

Empire was hurriedly partitioned in 1947. The end of the British

Empire marked the end of the imperial era in the whole world. India's

efforts to build and expand its empire are the biggest threat to peace

and stability of Asia. Consider Mr. President, if 20 or so nations,

including the Sikhs of Punjab, Christians of Nagaland, the tribal

people of Assam and Manipur, the south Indian states most notably

Tamil Nadu, were to become ``sovereign' ' states, what a huge change

for the better it would be for the region and the world. That is the

only way to replace the polity of hate and oppression with polities of

peace and harmony underpinned by secure undefended borders. Large is

not fashionable; not just for women.

I hope I have given some points to ponder. The USA can lead the world

with a global vision. There are not many regions where so much is old

and archaic ready to crumble and hit dust. Many Americans are fond of

India but they do not know why? The present rulers of India would like

your help in building their empire. But that is not the best interest

of the people of India . India is one country that needs benign

intervention to dismantle the social and political structures to be

replaced by structures founded on national self-determination. That

would be good for business; that would be good for world peace; that

is the calling of greatness.

Best wishes and warmest regards.

Sincerely,

Awatar Singh Sekhon,

Ph.D, FlBA, RM (CCM), Associate Professor (Retired), Medical

Microbiology and Immunology; Director (Former), National Centre for

Human Mycotic Diseases Canada; Managing Editor and Acting Editor in

Chief

The Sikh Tradition of Hola Mahalla

2007-03-09T06:20:00.000-08:00

Q. HOLI OR HOLA?

A. Holi is a Hindu festival celebrating the victory of the Saint Prahlade over his evil aunt Holika who tried to burn him alive. However the reasoning behind this festival had long been forgotten, even during the time of the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh Jee it had become a meaningless day of throwing colour on each other. Guru Gobind Singh Jee ordered that his Khalsa would not celebrate Holi and instead introduced the tradition of HOLA MAHALLA. Hola is the masculine form of the word Holi. The literal meaning of Hola Mahalla is military exercises or manoeuvres.

Q. When was Hola Mahalla first celebrated?

A. Hola was celebrated for the first time in the year after the birth of the Khalsa, 1700 AD and from then on has been celebrated every year in the fields of the Holgarh Fort at Anandpur Sahib.

Q. How is the Hola Mahalla festival celebrated?

A. Guru Gobind Singh Jee wanted to make his Khalsa army into a superior fighting force and so asked his followers to come together to have mock battles at the fort of Holgarh to learn the necessary fighting tactics that they would need in a real battle. The Khalsa armies would demonstrate their skills of horsemanship, soldiery, swordsmanship and archery.

Each year thousands of Sikhs including large numbers of Nihang Singhs gather at Anandpur Sahib and take part in the procession from the fort of Holgarh to the fort of Fatehgarh. Fighting skills such as Gatka, Archery and Horsemanship are demonstrated as well as more modern sports.

Q. Why did Guru Jee feel the need for Hola?

A. This was further emphasising the importance that Guru Jee laid upon making his Khalsa an army of SAINT-SOLDIERS. He wanted to rid the people of cowardice and make the "sparrow hunt the eagle". Guru Jee knew that the Khalsa would have to fight against oppression, tyranny and persecution and history has borne witness to this throughout the 500 years of the existence of the Khalsa Army. Countless tyrants have tried to crush the Khalsa but each time with, Guru Gobind Singh Jee's blessing, it rises a stronger force.

Q. What should we learn from the Hola Mahalla Festival?

A. Each year the Sikhs should treat Hola as an opportunity to refresh their martial spirit and abiding by Guru Jee's hukam we should all strive to be true SAINT-SOLDIERS who can stand against injustice wherever it occurs in the world.

aakal purakh ki fauz

2007-03-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

Hindu Establishment Ruthlessly Continues Its Treachery Against Sikhs

2007-03-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

I want to remind our Sikh brothers and sisters that Indian/Hindu establishment remains as their most significant foe.

In spite of cosmetic Hindu-Sikh Bhai Bhai nonsense that they keep publicly espousing, they are the biggest threat to the survival of Sikhs as a political, religious and cultural entity. This is all happening when a so called Sikh is the Prime Minister of India.

The following story by Hindu journalist on the eve of Samjhauta Express blast has been planted with the active involvement of Hindu intelligence agencies and should tell you that the Fascist Hindu establishment does not loose even one opportunity to defame Sikhs and to implicate them in all kinds of imaginary terrorist crimes. The recent bogus charges and arrest of a British Sikh "Dhadi" and countless other innocent Sikhs are a clear proof of their intentions.

Samjautha Express train clearly has been targeted by Hindu terrorist groups like RSS ,BJP and Bajrang dal to derail even the slightest chance of peace between India and Pakistan but Hindu outfits with active support of Hindu establishment would never allow that happen and will sabotage any peace. instead they have used this occasion to further defame Sikhs who have absolutely nothing to do with this or remotely gain any thing from this. Hindu terrorist outfits were recently responsible for Bomb blasts in Nander and attacks on Muslim Mosque in Malegaon but Indian media and and Hindu establishment has simply buried that story while almost every other day they scare people about so called Sikh terrorist while nothing has happened in Punjab for the last more than a decade.

Similarly the Hindu establishment which engineered the Air India blast in 1985 has been mainly responsible for defaming the Sikhs in the west by using its official and trade leverage to influence the policies of west and to defame the Sikhs. Just today a Hindu -Bal Gupta actively working with Indian Government's consulate in Canada and its intelligence outfits with pro Indian journalist Kim Bolan whom many suspect to be on payroll of Indian intelligence agencies has planted a story defaming and insinuating a very successful young Sikh MP Navdeep Bains in the Air India tragedy. The story planted by Vancouver Sun causes aspersions( with absolutely no proof) on the father in Law of Mr. Bains. Mr. Navdeep Bains was not even married in 1985 and was only 9 years old. Hindu establishment knows that Navdeep Bains is rising star in Canada and as devoted and committed and amritdhari Sikh he can not be easily bought as others and therefore may prove to be a threat to Hindu establishment' s policies of genocide against Sikhs. Therefore they have have been waiting to attack him and now through their agents like Kim Bolan they are attempting to neutralize him.

Stephan Harper the inept Prime Minister Of Canada most unashamedly is buying the Vancouver Sun story to gain political mileage against Liberal party. I urge all Sikhs in Canada to come out against Indian Government and its agents in the west who are bent upon destabilizing the Sikhs abroad.

Therefore I request all Sikhs not to be fooled by sentiments and by Manmohan Singh's turban because he is totally symbolic and the real power lies with the enemies of the Sikh who are bent upon their mission of ethnic cleansing of Sikhs from their Homeland.

Akali Dal Wins Punjab Elections

2007-03-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

Akali Dal Wins Punjab Elections

Must Put Interests of Sikh Nation First

Khalistan Is the Only Solution

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 28, 2007 – The Shiromani Akali Dal, under

the leadership of Parkash Singh Badal, won the state elections for the

Punjab Legislative Assembly, winning 48 of 117 seats to 44 for the

Congress party, 19 for the Bharatiya Janata Party, 5 independents, and

one seat still to be elected. Since the Akalis and the BJP are

coalition partners, this puts the Akali coalition back in charge with

a 67-seat majority. As a reward, the BJP got the position of Deputy

Chief Minister.

“It is sad that the people of Punjab are re-enacting the cycle of

choosing between the Congress Party, which presided over the massacre

of Sikhs and the Akalis, whose coalition partner, the BJP, wants to

wipe out the Sikhs and all minorities,” said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh,

President of the Council of Khalistan. “Captain Amarinder Singh is to

be given credit for doing some pro-Sikh things like cancelling the

water agreements that permitted the diversion of Punjab’s water to

non-riparian states,” said Dr. Aulakh. “But he is still trapped by the

Congress Party. Badal, who presided over the most corrupt government

in Punjab’s history, has pledged clean government. He has promised

free electricity for Punajb farmers and Rs4 per kilo for wheat flour

and Rs20 per kilo for lentils to the poor. Let’s see if he keeps his

word,” Dr. Aulakh said.

“Badal is the head of a Sikh religious and political body. His party

controls the Gurdwaras in Punjab. That’s where he got the money to

buy the alcohol for his election,” Dr. Aulakh said. He noted that the

BJP, the Akalis’ coalition partner, is the political arm of the

Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), a pro-Fascist organization that has

worked to eliminate minorities from India. “Is Badal on the side of

the Sikhs or the RSS?” Dr. Aulakh asked. He called on the Badal

government to get Chandigarh back for Punjab. “Punjab built

Chandigarh to be its capital. It properly belongs to us. The

government of Punjab should be pressing to get our capital back,” he

said.

“Remember that the Akalis once called on the Sikh Nation to carry out

‘the long struggle to liberate Khalistan,’” Dr. Aulakh said. “These

elections show why we must liberate Khalistan from Indian occupation

and oppression,” said Dr. Aulakh. “That is the only way for Sikhs to

protect ourselves from India’s brutality. Elections under the Indian

constitution will only perpetuate it. The only way that the repression

will stop and Sikhs will live in freedom, dignity, and prosperity is

to liberate Khalistan,” said Dr. Aulakh. “As Professor Darshan Singh,

former Jathedar of the Akal Takht, said, ‘If a Sikh is not a

Khalistani, he is not a Sikh.’,” Dr. Aulakh said.

After human-rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra exposed the Indian

government’s policy of mass cremation of Sikhs, in which over 50,000

Sikhs have been arrested, tortured, and murdered, then their bodies

were declared unidentified and secretly cremated, the police kidnapped

him. Khalra was murdered in police custody. No one has been brought

to justice for the kidnapping and murder of Jaswant Singh Khalra.

Rajiv Singh Randhawa, who was the only witness to the Khalra

kidnapping, has been repeatedly subjected to police harassment. This

includes being arrested for trying to hand a piece of paper to

then-British Home Secretary Jack Straw in front of the Golden Temple.

The police never released the body of former Jathedar of the Akal

Takht Gurdev Singh Kaunke after SSP Swaran Singh Ghotna murdered him.

He was never punished for this crime.

In 1994, the U.S. State Department reported that the Indian government

had paid over 41,000 cash bounties for killing Sikhs. A report by the

Movement Against State Repression (MASR) quotes the Punjab Civil

Magistracy as writing “if we add up the figures of the last few years

the number of innocent persons killed would run into lakhs [hundreds

of thousands.]” The Indian Supreme Court called the Indian

government's murders of Sikhs “worse than a genocide.” The MASR

report states that 52,268 Sikhs are being held as political prisoners

in India without charge or trial, mostly under a repressive law known

as the “Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act” (TADA), which expired

in 1995. Many have been in illegal custody since 1984 There has been

no list published of those who were acquitted under TADA and those who

are still rotting in Indian jails. Tens of thousands of other

minorities are also being held as political prisoners, according to

Amnesty International. Last year, 35 Sikhs were charged and arrested

in Punjab for making speeches in support of Khalistan and raising the

Khalistani flag. “How can making speeches and raising a flag be

considered crimes in a democratic society?” asked Dr. Aulakh.

India is on the verge of disintegration. Kashmir is about to separate

from India. As L.K. Advani said, “if Kashmir goes, India goes.”

History shows that multinational states such as India are doomed to

failure. “Countries like Austria-Hungary, India’s longtime friend the

Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and others prove this point.

India is not one country; it is a polyglot like those countries,

thrown together for the convenience of the British colonialists. It

is doomed to break up as they did. There is nothing in common in the

culture of a Hindu living in Bengal and one in Tamil Nadu, let alone

between them and the minority nations of South Asia,” Dr. Aulakh said

“Freedom is the God-given right of every nation and every human

being,” said Dr. Aulakh. He noted that the Indian government was

already spinning the results. “Their wholly-owned U.S. Congressman,

Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey) has already portrayed the elections as a

rejection of Khalistan, even though the voters defeated the Congress

Party, which is against Khalistan,” Dr. Aulakh said. “Congressman

Pallone sounds like he is being compensated by the Indian regime,” Dr.

Aulakh noted. “Sikhs must be allowed to have a free and fair

plebiscite on the issue of Khalistan. In a democracy, you cannot

continue to rule against the wishes of the people,” he said. “The

essence of democracy is the right to self-determination. Currently,

there are 17 freedom movements within India’s borders. It has 18

official languages. It cannot hold together for very long,” he said.

“We hope that India’s breakup will be peaceful like Czechoslovakia’ s,

not violent like Yugoslavia’s,” Dr. Aulakh said. “Earlier this year,

Montenegro, which has less than a million people, became a sovereign

country and a member of the United Nations,” he said. “Now it is the

time for the Sikh Nation of Punjab, Khalistan to become independent.

We must free Khalistan now.”

Facts’ of the Sikh history

2006-12-24T06:07:00.000-08:00

I have to record the ‘Facts' of the Sikh history and ‘Pitfalls' created under the umbrella of ‘non-violence and peace' by the MK Gandhi, JL Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Rao, Charan Singh, VP Sinh, a criminal AB Vajpayee and his “joe boys and joe girls”, followed by Manmohan Sinh Kohli, Chief, Council of Ministers, the New Delhi administration, and under the ‘blessings of the western news media and administrations'.

Please see the followings:

"It (Hinduism) is like the boa constrictor of the Indian forests. When a petty enemy appears to worry it, it winds round its opponent, crushes it in its folds, and finally causes it to disappear in its capacious interior.... Hinduism has embraced Sikhism in its folds; the still comparatively young religion is making a vigorous struggle for life, but its ultimate destruction is, it is apprehended, inevitable without State support."

     - Max Arthur Macauliffe (1903)

Hinduism has always been hostile to Sikhism whose Gurus powerfully and successfully attacked the principle of caste which is the foundation on which the whole fabric of Brahminism has been reared. The activities of Hindus have, therefore, been constantly directed to undermining of Sikhism both by preventing the children of Sikh father from taking Pahul and reducing professed Sikhs from their allegiance to their faith. Hinduism has strangled Budhism, once a formidable rival to it and it has already made serious inroads into the domain of Sikhism.

    - D. Petrie, Assistant Director, Criminal Intelligence , Government of British India ( Intelligence Report of 11th August, 1911 )

"...in future, the Congress shall accept no constitution which does not meet with the satisfaction of the Sikhs"     -The Lahore session of the Congress Party. December 31, 1929

"...the brave Sikhs of Punjab are entitled to special considerations. I see nothing wrong in an area set up in the North of India wherein, the Sikhs can also experience the glow of freedom."

        -Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lahore Bulletin, January 9, 1930

"I ask you to accept my word and the Resolution of the Congress that it will not betray a single individual much less a community. Let God be the witness of the bond that binds me and the Congress with you (the Sikhs). When pressed further Gandhi said that Sikhs would be justified in drawing their swords out of the scabbards as Guru Gobind Singh had asked them to, if Congress would renege on its commitment." - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Young India, March 19, 1931)

In 1940, Dr Vir Singh Bhatti demanded the formation of Khalistan." -Dr Vir Singh Bhatti

"In 1942, Master Tara Singh demanded the Azad (Sovereign and Independent) Punjab ."

"You have seen the Hindus as co-slaves and you will know when they will be your masters and you (the Sikhs), their slaves"

- Janab Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Quid-e-Azam, The Father of Pakistan

“Lord Mountbatten's message to the Sikh Nation: Viceroy's Report No. 8, CAB 127/11, XCA 04623 dated May 23, 1947.”

"The Sikhs as a community are a lawless people and a menace to the law-abiding Hindu community. The deputy commissioners should take special measures against them." -An official circular of the Government of India, October 10, 1947

"...Master Tara Singh saw me on his return from Delhi, and seemed really concerned at the approaching departure of the British. He demanded Khalistan, with transfer of population, or a new state from Jumna to Chenab, in which the Sikhs would not be oppressed"

- Sir E. Jenkins (Governor of the Punjab), 15th April, 1946

"Mulak Hindu ka, Raj Tikri ka (trio, Jawaharlal Nehru, V. B. Patel and Chandu Lal Trivedi), Guru (the Lord) Rakha Bhai Sikhre ka"

-Sirdar Kapur Singh, Indian Civil Service, National Professor of Sikhism

"Kya main taqat dushman (the enemy -the Sikhs) ke haath main de dun (How can I entrust power into the hands of the enemies)."            -Jawahar Lal Nehru (1961)

"Mrs Gandhi has admitted that she was opposed to demands for Punjabi home province, for fear of losing Hindu votes. She was prepared to block the creation of a Punjabi-speaking province, in 1966 or ever" -Indira Gandhi (My India; daughter of JL Nehru)

"Kill the language, kill the culture and kill the literature , ultimately one succeeds in destroying a community" - Pritam Singh Gill, M. A., 1975 , Principal, Doaba College, Jalandhar

"...the individual known to common Indian masses as chacha (uncle) Nehru, the so-called messiah of peace and secularism, was, in fact, the main architect of anti-Sikh policies and practices, in India and abroad" - Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer

"Sikhs are the finest soldiers in the world because they have the best combination of mental and physical endurance" - General Atiqu-ur-Rehman, Pakistan Army

"Indira Gandhi rewarded the Pandey brothers with Congress (I) tickets for U. P. legislative assembly elections, when they highjacked an Indian Airlines1 plane to secure her (Gandhi) release from jail in 1977." - S. Jalandhari, 1983

"Physical death I do not fear, death of conscience is a sure death" - Saint-soldier Jarnail Singh Khalsa (Bhindranwale)

"I don't give a damn if the Golden Temple and whole of Amritsar are destroyed, I want Bhindranwale dead" -Indira Gandhi communicating with Gen. Vaidya during "Operation Blue Star"

"We have broken the back of the Sikhs and we will get them elsewhere."-M. M. K. Wali, Indian Foreign Secretary, June 7, 1984 (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio 740, As It Happens)

"Let us teach these bastards (the Sikhs) a lesson."-Rajiv Gandhi, October 31, 1984

"The Sikh nation declared independence on 29th April, 1986"

     - Sarbat Khalsa held at the Darbar Sahib Complex

"the Sikh nation declared independence on October 7, 1987 forming the sovereign country of Khalistan." - The Council of Khalistan, Washington, D. C .

"Freedom of Khalistan was the only proper solution of the Sikh nation1s future." - Brig. Gen. Ben Blaz, Member of the United States Congress , October 7, 1989

"Nowhere in the world has any government pursued the kind of genocidal policies against a religious minority as in India since the Second World War." - Lt. Col. Pratap Singh, President, Khalsa Raj Party (1991)

"... a threat to the villagers that all males would be killed and their women taken to army camps to breed a new race if there was any militant activity in their village." -Brig. R. P. Sinha, Indian Army, March 8, 1991

"You do not know the might of our armed forces. We will eliminate 10,000 Sikh youths and the world will know nothing about it."

        - Chander Shekhar, former Prime Minister of India (CK, 21st October, 1991)

"...that the Sikhs are Sikhs just like East is East and West is West and twin shall never meet. We have no choice but to seek our independence in a sovereign state, the Republic of Khalistan." - Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann , President, Shromani Akali Dal, in his letter of 12th July, 1991 to the Governor of Punjab, O. P. Malhotra

"to preserve the unity of India, if we have to eradicate 2-kror (20-million) Sikhs, we will do so"

-Balram Jakhar, a former Indian Cabinet Minister and colleague of the former Indian Prime Minister, P. V. Narsimhanrao

"the world's largest democracy is really a tyranny willing to commit any act of brutality or terrorism to maintain its corrupt occupation of Khalistan. ...showing the American public that India1s claim of being a democracy is just more disinformation."

- Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President, Council of Khalistan (The Washington Post, April 25, 1994)

Indian democracy led by AB Vajpayee has carried out the 21st Century's genocide of innocent Muslims in Gujarat State (February-, 2002-). The genocide in which more than 700 Muslims (unofficially more than 15,000) have been killed.

The excerpts of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made at the United Nations session on Human Rights in Vienna, AUSTRIA, on 24th June, 1993, appear in inverted commas.

Many belonging to the Sikh faith as well as the propaganda of Brahmins autocracy have propagated the thought that Manmohan Singh, the only choice to his master, Madam Sonia Gandhi, and his non-Sikh, anti-Sikh party, Congress-I, is Mr Clean. Now a Sikh is a prime minister of Brahmins autocracy, or India, so what? Has any Sikh, who calls Manmohan Singh an honest and clean person examined his state-delivered address before the Human Rights Commission Delegates in Vienna, Austria, on 24th June (14 to 25th June June), 1993? The same Manmohan Singh, then Finance Minister of the PV Rao administration, said that “…he being Sikh finds no abuses of Human Rights of Sikhs much less any minorities in India.” And another person, Manmohan Singh's colleague of Islamic faith, Shahabuddin, said the same for Muslims of India as did Manmohan Singh for the Sikhs' abuses of Human Rights in the Sikhs' holy and historic Homeland, Punjab, Khalistan (under the Indian alias the Brahmins (elite) autocracy's occupation, since 15th August, 1947). Manmohan Singh's statement was ‘refuted' in the strongest possible words by the human rights and peace loving citizens (delegates) of North America and elsewhere.

“In early 1984, MS Iyer (Mani Shankar Iyer), to the hearing of all, mentioned that at the instance of Indira Gandhi, “he was given an unpleasant job of portraying Sikhs as terrorists.” A few days later, Iyer stated that “against his wishes he had done that job.” This was before “Operation Bluestar, the orders for which had been delivered in January 1984” - The Sikh Bulletin , October-November 2005, p. 11.

Hindu Sects

2006-12-24T05:19:00.000-08:00

Shaivism.

Dark skinned Shiva, it is well known is
the god provided by the Aryan conquerors to the enslaved indigenous population. The purpose of his invention was to retain the indigenous people as willing slaves for ever. He is represented as a drug addict and as a sexually indulgent god. His exploits in the Kanan forest where he is shown as raping the wives of the learned rishis, is described in detail in a Hindu scripture. His spouse is the famous Black Goddess. She is depicted as a very efficient slayer of demons. She is fond of human blood and thuggee which was banned by William Bentinck was a ritual calculated the keep the Black Goddess supplied with human blood. It involved enticing trusting rich travellers and offering their blood to the goddess as a sacrifice.

Shiva and Kal's followers are represented as worshipping the genitals (the lingam[means penis in English] and the yoni [means Vagina in English] ) of their god and goddess . This practise continues to this day and at thousands of temples in India and abroad the worship continues. Shiva is described as a god of serpents, nether beings, demons and ghosts and all such beings. Several of the sects owing
allegiance to him are represented as having deviant social and sexual behaviour. They use drinking sessions, cannibalism and sexual indulgence as religious rituals to facilitate the achievement of summum bonum .

Aghori sect

Followers belonging to the Aghori sect eat human flesh as a religious ritual (one case came up in November 2006 in Ropar district in which a follower killed his spiritual master, roasted his flesh and ate it. This was described by the police as an execution of a religious ritual by a member of the Aghori sect.

Choli Sect

The choli sect is well known for worshipping by sexual indulgence . They go to a place of worship and after drinking alcohol and eating fish, indulge in the main ritual copulation. This involves placing the choli or the blouse of every woman present in the

gathering in an earthen pot. Men present there then pull out a garment each. Thus the sexual partners are paired for the ritual sex act. The deed is done even if a chance pair happens to be brother and sister or

even mother and son. This is considered a very holy act.

Shakats

Shakats worship Shiva in his most potent (uggar) form of Mahakaal and the Mahakali in her most war-like form of Chandi or Durga. They worship weapons also.

Speech by Shaheed Baba Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale

2006-12-24T05:12:00.000-08:00

-Maya is a slave to those who worship Naam (Akal Purakh). Maya (sexual desire, anger, greed, worldly attachment, ego) is a slave.

-There is one and only one way to fulfillment and that is through Naam. Without this all else is incomplete.

-Khalsa Ji, one who is without pride, without power, innocent and oppressed, finds a place in the home of the Guru.

-Khalsa Ji, the poorest people are those in whose mind [God's] Name does not abide

The following is an extract of a speech delivered by Sant-Sipahi Shaheed Baba Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindrawale before a Sikh congregation at Sri Amritsar Sahib, Punjab on December 31, 1983.

Guru's Image, Guru Khalsa, Assembly of Akal Purakh's worshippers constituted and blest by Satguru- Supporter of the Humble, the True King; the entire congregation, say aloud:

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

[The first part of this speech is not available]

WORLDLY PEOPLE ARE BUSY IN PURSUIT OF MAYA (Sexual Desire, Anger, Greed, Worldly Attachment, Ego)

Dayalpuri Ji read a poem (which conveyed the idea) that Maya, money, is everything. As suited the occasion, he presented his views about the worldly people- that worldly people think like that. In his poem he expressed these thoughts keeping in mind the role of politicians as well. If we chase Maya, Khalsa Ji, (we shall eventually find that) Maya is a shadow. Guru Sahib's words are:

Gur Kar Pakree Na Ayee Hath. Preet Karee Chalee Nahee Sath. Kahu Nanak Jao Thiag Dhaee. Tab Charnee Aye Paee.

'When one tries to hold it (Maya) firmly, one cannot keep it in hand. If one loves it, it does not go with him. O Nanak say, when one gives it up, it falls at his feet.'

A man goes walking. His shadow accompanies him. If the man turns toward the shadow and wishes to catch it, he will get tired and fall but will never be able to catch his shadow.

Maya is a Shadow of Akal Purakh [God's] Name

Maya is a shadow. Akal Purakh [God's] Name is a form. Maya, the shadow, follows the form which is [God's] Name. Satguru Ji has said the words:

Ridh Sidh Naam Kee Dasee.

'Miraculous powers, worldly possessions, are subservient to [God's] Name.'

Dasee is a word which refers to a servant/slave. Some of you rich people have them in your homes. Maya is a slave to those who worship Naam (God). Maya (sexual desire, anger, greed, worldly attachment, ego) is a slave.

Jis Naam Ridhay Soee Vad Raajaa. Jis Naam Ridhay Tis Poorae Kaja.

'One who has [God's] Name in mind is the greatest of kings. One who has [God's] Name in mind is fulfilled.'

Kar Kar Thakae Vadae Vadaerae. Kin Hee Na Keeae Kaj Maya Pooray.

'In the past, people tried until they were tired; no one was able to fulfill the business of Maya (fulfill their desires).'

We heard here that people with money get married while the poor stay unmarried. With Maya, one is never fulfilled. There is one and only one way to fulfillment and that is through Naam. Without this all else is incomplete. Those of you who are readers of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and especially those who present discourses and listen to them and understand the fundamentals, would certainly know that if you read the entire Gurbani in Guru Granth Sahib Ji, only one Raja (Ruler) has found a place there. Why did anybody else not get a place? And the Raja who did find a place is one who considered Maya [his wealth] to belong to God. Any Raja who thought it was his own did not find a place there. Read the entire history; read all of Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji;

Milee Nimanae Maan.

'That one who is without pride receives honor [with Akal Purakh].'

Khalsa Ji, one who is without pride, without power, innocent and oppressed, finds a place in the home of the Guru.

Mayadhari Ath Anna Bola. Sabad Na Sunaee Bau Rol Ghachola.

'The person who loves Maya is totally blind and deaf. They do no listen to the Divine Word and are lost in doubt.

Naam Sunat Jan Bichooa Dasana.

'Hearing [God's] Name is like a scorpion's sting to them.'

If you start a katha (religious discourse), start kirtan (praises of God), start reciting a poem as these brothers did about the Sahibzadas, a Mayadhari (a person who loves Maya, has adopted the ways of Maya) will feel sleepy. However, Maharaj (literally means the Great King, in reverence to Guru Sahib) says,

Burae Kam Kau Oot Kaloaea. Naam Kee Bela Pay Pay Soaea.

'A person gets up in a hurry to engage in bad deeds. When it is time to pray, he wants to sleep.'

If one watches television, listens to dirty songs over the radio, watches movies, one does not feel sleepy, but having to listen to katha, kirtan or discussion of Gurmat (the Guru's teachings), one is afflicted with gandasa rog (gandasa means hatchet and rog means disease. The phrase means that one acts as if hit with a hatchet and rendered unconscious.) Nihangs call sleep the gandasa rog. One is overpowered [by that disease]. Some lose their turbans. I have seen some of the newcomers to the place of Satguru Granth Sahib Ji, the True King, in such bad state during katha.

Akal Purakh [God] Loves Humilty

The first and foremost place has been given to Bhagat Kabir Ji born in the home of the weavers. If someone has found a place here, it is Bhagat Ravidas Ji who barely made both ends meet by stitching shoes. He not only got a place here but:

Bhagat Bhagat Jag Vajia Chahau(n) Chaka(n) Dae Vich Chamiraeta.

'The world over, in all the four directions, the cobbler won renown as a devotee [of Akal Purakh].

Even though he was called a cobbler, he became known all over the world. All of you are educated. Some have had education extending up to the M.A. and others hold other degrees. I am but an illiterate person. I shall try to manage saying this much only. Whenever one makes obeisance at Darbar Sahib, regardless of whether he is a sant, a dhadi, an educated person or whoever, he will have to make obeisance at the feet of Bhagat Ravidas Ji, the cobbler. What Maya (wealth) did he have? Maharaj, the True King says:

Ridh Sidh Sabh Moh Hai Naam Na Vasay Man Aee.

'Miraculous powers, worldly possessions, are all attachment. They cannot lead to [God's] Name abiding in one's mind.'

Worldly possessions, miraculous powers are forms of Maya. What is Ridhi and what is Sidhi? Ridhi is unending availability of food. The meaning of unending availability of food is that if we take ten pounds of food- whether it is sweets or soup or parshad- and keep it inside say within the tent walls you have erected here; no matter how many people come and eat, even if they are in hundreds of thousands, the ten pounds of food are not used up. This is called Ridhi. What is Sidhi? Eighteen Sidhis have been recognized. Sidhi is this. If we put five pennies in our pocket and, for say eight days, we send off full trains, the five pennies will not be finished. We shall keep getting wealthy endlessly. That is called Sidhi. What is Nidhi? Just as we are sitting here. If anyone here among us has Nidhi, he will know what is going on in the mind of each of us. He will know as to who wished to sleep; who wishes to hurl abuse, who is wondering when is this Sadh (Sadh means a holy man in a disparaging manner. Here Baba Ji is referring to himself) going to get off his back, and who is wishing that he [the Sadh] speaks some more. He knows every little thing. He sees everything as if brought to him on television. Sitting here, he can understand everything he wants to whether it is in Canada, America, England, Africa, or Europe. However, Khalsa Ji, those who love God do not get caught up in these things. Only worldly people get caught in these. Worldly people are those who consider Ridhi, Sidhi, Nidhi to be the Truth and get caught in the love of Maya. They follow this path. Satguru Ji's instruction is:

Hon Najeek Khudhae Dhae Bhaeth Na Kisay Dhaen.

'Those who are close to God, do not share their secret with anyone.'

They will go hungry and naked. They will suffer poverty and even have their heads cut off but:

Natak Chaetak Keeae Kukaja. Prabh Logan Kau Avath Laja.

'They displayed miraculous powers, did unbecoming acts. God's people feel ashamed [of such things].'

They consider these [Ridhi, Sidhi, and Nidhi] merely displays.

Ridh Sidh Ja Kau Furee Tab Kahoo Sio kia Kaj. Tere Kahnae Kee Gath Kia Kahau Mai Bolat Hee Badd Laj.

'If by merely thinking of them you can have worldly possessions and miraculous powers, why would you need to deal with anyone else? What can I say about what you are describing? I feel exceedingly ashamed at just having to talk about it.'

Bhagat Kabir Ji says that if God does give him Ridhi and Sidhi, how can he show it to anyone; he is feeling ashamed at what he has got. However, worldly people, or those 'holy' men who are looking for disciples, do not get anything because they are hypocrites.

Akhan Bheethar Thael Kau Darath.

'They put oil in their eyes.'

They put oil in their eyes and pretend to people that their eyes are watery [in separation from God]. But the state of such Vairagis (ascetics) can be described as:

Nar Mooaee Ghar Sampath Nasee. Moond(u) Mu(n)dae Baytae Saniasee.

'When the wife dies and everything in the home is destroyed, they shave their heads and sit as ascetics.'

The wife dies, all wealth is finished. Some is spent on illness. Then, after this, shaving off their head like an earthen water jug, they say they are Saniasee (one who has given up the pursuit of worldly objects.) Guru Sahib has exposed such hypocrites. Bhagat Ji was asked: "Who is poor?" Bhagat Ji said:

Kau Kabeer Nirdhan Hay Soee. Ja kay Hirday Naam Na Hoee.

'Kabeer says poor is one who does not have [God's] Name in his heart.'

Khalsa Ji, the poorest people are those in whose mind [God's] Name does not abide. You are all educated. Those who have listened to katha or have enjoyed the company of both the elder Sants (reference to Baba Gurbachan Singh Khalsa and Baba Kartar Singh Khalsa) know this. The rest of you might hold many degrees but I believe that none of all of you who are sitting here, with perhaps the exception of one or two fortunate ones, will be able to answer my question; tell me who was the king (worldly) during Kabir Ji's time? You will think a hundred times. The Tenth King, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji was holding court in Anandpur Sahib. The Support of the humble (reference to Guru Sahib) asked: "Guru's men, who was the king (worldly) during Kabir Ji's time?" Some named Babar, others someone else.

Sikander Lodi was the king (worldly) at that time but no one was able to tell correctly. Maharaj asked: "Who was Kabir?" They replied that he was the son of a weaver. Satguru Ji asked as to what was the reason that all of them knew about the man who worked the handloom to earn a living but no one knows the one who was king of the earthly throne? The reason is that he [the worldly king] had not read Gurbani. Kabir Ji was completely imbued with Gurbani; he was one with it. Gurbani is supreme.

Studying eighteen, twenty or twenty-two years we barely reach a state where we can earn about three thousand rupees [a month]. Over these eighteen years your parents keep on feeding you milk so that their son can study. Some time later he gets married and he wonders whether he should bring up his children or feed his parents. He goes over [to his children]. The parents who bore him, fed him, brought him to his youth, educated him, again get pushed around. Everything in the home, sugar and butter, was fed to the son so his brain would work well but later, the son's mind changed. All this happened for merely three thousand rupees. [On the other hand,] if eighteen years had been spent in prayer, in acquiring the spirit of Sikhi and Shaheedi, let alone three thousand, even hundreds of thousands would come in a single second.

Is that path better or this? You educated people have many questions. [You ask] "Sant Ji, there are so many people who work. They apply fertilizer, irrigate the fields, spend day and night working and even then the country is starving. If, listening to strayed Sadhs like you all of us sit idle, would God give us food? You have this worry because of doubt. You are in ignorance. You see birds flying around in the sky. Have you seen a factory of these birds anywhere? To which store do the birds go to get their food? We keep cattle, put it under yoke, beat it with sticks and feed it on dry chaff. Another one roams around free, feeds in open fields and is even fatter [than the domesticated one].

Gurbani Has Answers to All Questions, God Provides For All

Whatever question you might have, Gurbani will provide you with an answer. I am illiterate and not competent to answer but Gurbani will certainly have the answer to anything you say. The way we are sitting here is somewhat different. They were sitting in the presence of Satguru Ji: "Maharaj, you always tell us to listen to katha, to listen to kirtan, to read Gurbani, to pray, to be immersed in prayer but if all people started to pray, would all of them get food? Maharaj smiled and said: Guru's Man, why are you worried? In that Bani that came from God is written:

Too Kahae Dholay Praneea Tudh Rakayga Sirjanhar. Jin Paydhaesh Thoo Keeya Soee Dhae Adhar. Jin Upaee Maednee Soee Karda Sar. Ghat Ghat Malak Dhila Ka Sacha Parvadhgar.

'O Man, why are you worried. The Creator will protect you. The One who created you provides support. The One who created the universe takes cares of it. Pervading all beings, Akal Purkah is the Master of everyone's heart. Akal Purakh is the True Provider.'

They said: "We are not satisfied. You have said that God will give but what is it that God will give? We need milk; we need bread; we need butter; and we need sugar." Maharaj said: "Brothers, God will make such arrangements; you will not have to start an agitation. It will not be as in the case of the boy who joined the struggle to get the price of milk increased by five paisa per liter and is still in jail in Ferozepur. You won't have to suffer like that." They asked: "Satguru Ji, what will the arrangement be? Maharaj replied:

'Nadeea Hoveh Dhaenva Sum Hoveh Dhudhh Gheeau'

'[If] all the rivers became cows (sources of milk), the ocean becomes milk and gheeo (clarified butter).'

The rivers that run full of water will become Kamdhenas (a mythical cow, in Hindu belief, which purportedly would provide all that a person might desire), meaning that they run full of milk. There was a hotheaded one in the congregation. He quickly stood up and said: "Listen to my appeal as well." Maharaj said: "Go ahead." [He said] Satguru: "It is right that rivers shall flow with milk but dry bread is hard to swallow. The fifth ingredient, gheeo is needed." I said the fifth here today. Why are you all looking at my face? Gheeo is called the fifth. They said they could not do without the fifth. Maharaj said:

'Nadeea Hoveh Dhaenva Sum Hoveh Dhudhh Gheeau'

Sum is the word for ocean. God will make the ocean of milk and gheeo. A third impatient one, one in a hurry, was sitting there too. He said: "Listen to my appeal as well." Maharaj said: "Go ahead." He said "Gheeo, even though it gives strength, tastes flat without sugar. It is hard to swallow. We need sugar." Maharaj said:

Saglee Dharthee Sakar Hovay

'The entire earth shall be sugar.'

Now it is of stone, isn't it? Maharaj says it will all become sugar; and

Kushee Karae Nith Jeeo

'My soul will enjoy.'

You won't have to beg from your spouse, nor will you have to use a stove, nor worry about fuel. You can just take it and eat as much as you like.

Serve Akal Purakh [God] With Devotion. As you sow, so shall you reap

This is a five day camp. In just five days, there are whispers behind tent walls as to when it will all be over, as to when will they be released from here to return home, and we seek, as is written in Gurbani:

Fareedha Lorrae Dhakh Bijaureea Kikar Beejay Jat(u). Handay Oun Kathaedha Paydhaa Lorray Pat(u).

'O Farid, [a person who seeks happiness without prayer is like] the farmer who plants kikkar (a tree which has branches with long hard thorns) and seeks to harvest raisins of Bijor. He spends his life spinning woolen yarn and desires to wear silk.'

He seeks the raisins of Bijor but plants kikkar. He spends his time spinning wool and seeks to wear clothes of silk and pashmina (a superior type of wool). Which is the country Bijor? Is is heaven. The person seeks salvation, the raisins, in heaven, the country Bijor. However, the person plants sin, the seeds of kikkar. How shall he get salvation? He spends his time in lust- that is like spinning wool and seeks divine knowledge, divine love that is like silk. How will he get silk garments, clothes made from pashmina? He will not get them. We spend our time watching television and listening to dirty songs over the radio, and then we say we cannot fix our mind [in prayer]. I had a brother who was somewhat educated. He is a teacher. He was not very generous in his temperament except in talk. One day he asked me: "Bhai Jarnail Singh, what is the significance of reciting Jap Ji Sahib? I replied: "The significance simply is that if Guru Sahib is pleased he can even give Guruship." He said: "Would I get anything else?" I said: "There is nothing above Guruship. Besides that there is only hell. You can see if you need that." He said: "How about worldly things?" I said: "All worldly desires are fulfilled." He went away. He got up early in the morning and having done one reading of Jap Ji Sahib came to me and said: "I got nothing." I asked him: "What were your desires at the time you did the reading? One was that you get a son. Another was that you get a raise in salary. Then you wished that you should get four acres of land. All this for only one reading of Jap Ji Sahib? This is just as some people read Jap Ji Sahib. They start reading with:

Ik On(g)kar Satnaam Kartaa Purakh

'There is One Creator, Eternal, the Reality, the Name, the Creator who pervades all';

And then "O boy get me that….[inaudible]…." Isn't it so? Then Nirbau Nirvair [without fear and without enmity] "get me that biscuit." Is this Patth? The mind is set on eating. This will not do. Love Gurbani and serve the congregation. The service does not have to be in materials. Gurmat tells us:

Bhavnee Bhagath Bhae Kauddee Agrbhag Rakay Taeh Gur Sabad Nidhan Dhan Dhaeth Hay.

'If a man, with love and devotion, places a cowry before the Guru, the Guru bestows upon him all the treasures.'

If with devotion we bring even the fourth part of a cowry to the congregation of the Guru, it is accepted. There are many stories about service. I shall tell you this one about….[inaudible]….

Return of Khalsa

2006-12-24T04:53:00.000-08:00

Lost are we, know not where to go.

Wandering in dark, whom to follow.

Where is the lamp, a light to guide.

When will it be day, stars go hide.

Many a decade, in ignorance gone by.

Days and months, years appear to fly.

Where we meet, the one who knows.

Help and guide, the path he shows.

Struggling striving, hoping to meet.

The angel guide, to fall on his feet.

Cheery springs and summers of rain.

Dismal falls, and cold winters again.

When this long trek, coming to end.

Hoping looking, for a savior's hand.

Carry us across, this desolate trail.

When finally we rest, in a green vale.

Moment of happiness, but grief a lot.

Trail each other, like a designed plot.

Who is doing this, for pain and hurt.

Make us go down and bite the dust.

A thinly glimmer, in the eastern sky.

Will it be dawn, after gloomy night.

Hopes arise, gathers every one close.

Wintry pale turning, pink like rose.

There is twilight, soon will it be light.

Dark and dreary, be looking bright.

Come ye all smile, it is end of doom.

Sunshine is blessing, after eerie gloom.

Cheerful melodies and the bells ring.

Welcome jingles and the birds sing.

For you we waited, stood here stalled.

Come ride with us, some one called.

Greeted by light and sounds of horn.

Hugged by the Lord we were reborn.

Peace and quiet, contentment around.

Nothing but Love and bliss surround.

''Shine your armor, sharpen your sword.

World wait for you, erase enemy hoard."

We got prepared, as command came.

Khalsa on march, in Almighty's Name.

"For justice for truth, you will ever fight.

You are powerful , you have My might.

You My Khalsa , My distinctive face.

My Light shines, within your pure case."

With you forever am I, My Khalsa Panth.

Your only Master, ever is Guru Granth.

If ever you fall, for thy self and falsehood.

Hesitate will not I, take My Grace's good."

'Coup de grâce' on Sikhism

2006-12-24T04:50:00.000-08:00

What Al Qaeda is to the Western world, RSS is to the Sikhs. Whereas Al Qaeda is determined towards the destruction of Imperial West, RSS has similar motives towards Sikhism. But how the West and some Sikhs have dealt with these important issues affecting them, also beckons a lot of concern. There has been a general tendency towards manipulation and generation of fear on the names of their adversaries by the people towards their own people with the sheer motive of personal gain. 'Petrify your people and then rule over them' has been a well tested strategy which the leaders of the most powerful nations have applied on their masses and succeeded commendably. No doubt, this strategy is also used by some Sikhs on fellow Sikhs. The only difference is that in the former case it is the political orientation of the people which is affected, but in the latter case it is the faith which comes under scrutiny by its followers. The result is confusion, chaos, and distress among the believers. Roll any argument in the garb of RSS and Hindutva and the Sikhs can easily digest it as truth; even arguments against Sikh scriptures, traditions, rehat and maryada.

A latest similar salvo has come from Gurtej Singh (an ex-IAS) in the form of a shabbily written article "Implications of the inglorious coup d'etat in Sikhi". Through a series of conspiracy theories he has tried to prove that a Sikh scripture, The Dasam Granth, is a creation of dexterous Brahmins, solely concocted to bring Sikhism under the garb of Hinduism. Distressed by the Jathedars of Takhats and Sikh leadership, he even criticizes them of being on payrolls of the RSS. He claims that this collusion dates back to year 2000, which, according him is also the year when The Dasam Granth was 'forced' into Sikhism under some well conceived conspiracy. Widening his conspiracy theory he even cries foul at the decision of the press for not accepting his article criticising the Dasam Granth for publication. All in all he claims a wide and calculated plot by organisations and people inclined towards RSS and the ideology of Hindutva to force The Dasam Granth upon Sikhs.

The literary significance of Dasam Granth and its writings is an academic topic which only those who are savvy at linguistics and comparative religions are apt to comment on, and which is beyond the scope of this article as well. A couple of years ago, in a TV discussion, by referring to the views of others rather than his own, Gurtej Singh had flaunted that he himself is incapable of having a literary discourse on The Dasam Granth. However there are some intriguing aspects regarding this novel stance of Gurtej Singh, and many alike, which make this whole situation somewhat puzzling.

Hypocrisy I - The Sikh Rehat Maryada:

Gurtej Singh systematically quotes in his writings that he is for the Sikh Rehat Maryada and supports the Amrit and Rehat of the Khalsa. In the last paragraphs of his latest article too he lauds the Sikh Rehat Maryada and the concept of Amrit. The core of the Sikh Rehat Maryada is based on two Sikh scriptures, Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth. The definition of a Sikh also emphasises that a Sikh is the one who " faithfully believes in the banis of all ten Gurus". Hence one who refuses to believe in the bani of any of the ten Gurus automatically ceases to be a Sikh. Of the five banes which are recited during the Amrit Sanchaar, three are from the pen of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and hence are from The Dasam Granth. The daily Nitnem of the Sikhs comprises banis from The Dasam Granth. The first pauree of the Ardas is from The Dasam Granth. The explanation to the Ardas says that the first pauree and the last pauree of the Ardas cannot be changed (because these are Gurbani). In simple words one who does not believe in the banis of Dasam Granth doesn't believe in the Amrit, Nitnem and Ardas of the Khalsa, hence is in opposition to the Sikh Rehat Maryada of the Akal Takhat. Even after opposing the basic aspects of the Sikh code of conduct, if someone still claims to be a believer of the Sikh Rehat Maryada, then he is either a hypocrite, or someone who has a serious dubious character with suspicious motives.

Hypocrisy II - Bhindranwale, RSS and Gurtej:

A few years ago in a well organised function, studded with press, Gurtej Singh declared Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as the "Greatest Sikh of the Century". Bhindranwale achieved an unmatched status among Sikhs because he practiced what he preached. He was the embodiment of puritan Khalsa ready to sacrifice his life for righteousness, justice and self respect. It was his belief and 'shardha' in the Gurbani which made him what he was. Listening to his lectures it is clear how much respect he held for the bani of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, extensively quoting from Sri Guru Granth Sahib and The Dasam Granth. This was what he was. With his latest novel stance, Gurtej Singh has alienated himself from the beliefs for which Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale lived and died. If Gurtej Singh now declares everyone who believes in The Dasam Granth as stooges of RSS, then he will have to declare Sant Jarnail Singh as a stooge of RSS too, who by believing in the banis of The Dasam Granth was preaching the line of the RSS and Hindutva. If Gurtej Singh can't do that then he is playing a double-sided role. And such a person can either be a hypocrite, or someone who has a serious dubious character with suspicious motives.

Fear, Fear, Fear, where are you?

Another cunning tactic which Gurtej Singh and many alike have taken is instilling fear in the minds of the Sikhs claiming that those who believe in the bani of Guru Gobind Singh Ji want to replace Sri Guru Granth Sahib with The Dasam Granth as Guru. This smart move generates fear, doesn't it? And it also plays very well in their hands. If that was the motive then Dasam Granth would have been declared as Guru decades ago. What is new is not the belief in The Dasam Granth, but disbelief in it. What is new is not the respect for the bani of The Dasam Granth, but disrespect for it. Gurtej Singh supposedly believed in the bani of Dasam Granth until sometime ago, before his new stance. Did he or anyone else, who believed in the bani of The Dasam Granth, work towards installing it as the Guru? If not, then he is implanting hollow fears. And such a person can either be a hypocrite, or someone who has a serious dubious character with suspicious motives.

An undeserved heir!

Another earlier stance of Gurtej Singh, which has put him into a serious trouble now, was his declaration that he is the real heir of the legacy of Sirdar Kapur Singh. Maybe when Gurtej Singh thought of this idea he might have deserved that status, but not anymore. Just a glimpse of the writings of Sirdar Kapur Singh too shows how much respect he held for the bani of The Dasam Granth. He quoted extensively from the banis which Gurtej Singh, and many alike, are bound to disrespect and insult. And when Gurtej Singh was confronted regarding his U-turn from his earlier stance on the TV discussion mentioned above, all he had to say was, "Kapur Singh can write anything he wants". If Kapur Singh can write anything he wants which Gurtej Singh doesn't agree with, then why on this holy earth did he decide to declare himself Kapur Singh's heir? He should also declare Kapur Singh, the brain behind Anandpur Sahib Resolution, as an RSS puppet. If he doesn't then he is either a hypocrite, or someone who has a serious dubious character with suspicious motives.

From lies to serious issues with more serious implications:

Gurtej Singh lied on the TV while declaring that "Vaar Sri Bhagauti Ji Ki" is not part of Ardas, and acknowledging the line of Kala Afghana that it is trash ('koor-kabaar'). He also lied that Bhag Singh was not excommunicated for using derogatory language against Ardas and Benti Chaupai. These issues show hypocrisy of Gurtej Singh and his U-turns from his earlier stance. And these are some very intriguing aspects to this whole situation which demand explanations. Now giving reasons for this machiavellianism can generate a lot of speculations and theories. Playing by his own rules one can also declare him as a stooge of RSS dedicated to creating confusion in the Sikh Panth. Now what has entered the mind of Gurtej Singh is everyone's guess. What is no more a guess is his outlaw nature, a novel posture destined to give a 'Coup de grâce' on Sikhism.

Punjab De Variso

2006-11-11T04:12:00.000-08:00

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TWO LIONS AWAKEN

2006-11-03T21:26:00.000-08:00

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TWO LIONS AWAKEN : Shahid Beant Singh and Satwant Singh Wednesday 1st of November 2006 Extracts from "Jhujhroo Yodhay" by Maninder Singh Baja

(Left, Right) Shahid Beant Singh Ji & (Center) Shahid Satwant Singh Ji

JUNE 1984 GHALUGHARA

In June 1984, the Sikh Nation witnessed the power-drunk Brahmin Indira Gandhi send the Indian Army, on the sacred day of the Shaheedipurab of Sahib Siri Guru Arjan Dev ji, to attack Siri Darbar Sahib, Siri Akal Takht Sahib and 40 more historical Gurdwaras.

They used many battalions of Army and tanks, and attacked the thousands of innocent pilgrims who came to pay respects of the Shaheedi of Guru ji, and many, many Sikh Sangat, Singhs, Singhnian, children and elders became Shaheed. Sri Akal Thakht Sahib was desecrated by tanks. This army action by Indira Gandhi burned in the heart of every Sikh. It was like a great challenge had been placed before the Sikh Nation.

The Sikh Nation was extremely angry at the action. As well as the genocide, Sri Harmandar Sahib had been dishonored and Siri Akal Thakht Sahib desecrated. The times of Massa Rangar had returned, and the Sikh Nation required a Bhai Sukha Singh and Bhai Mehtab Singh.

Sikhs saying Waheguru, sent Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh to take care of Massa Rangar.

TWO LIONS AWAKEN

Bhai Beant Singh Malowan went to see some of his relatives. His uncle was called Kehar Singh and was very knowledgable of Sikh philosophy. Beant Singh was in a state of shame, mixed with anger and depression. He asked, “Uncle ji, will Waheguru send a Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh to avenge this sin of desecration of Sri Darbar Sahib?”

While handing him a book on Baba Jarnail Singh Bindranwale, his uncle replied, “Do not greive, if you have love of Sikhi, then learn that giving your head, and taking a head for Sikhi are equal. After all, someone has to be the son of Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh. They took Khande ki Pahul Amrit from Sahib Siri Guru Gobind Singh, went and took the head of Massa Rangar to stop the desecration of Siri Darbar Sahib thus became legends in Sikh History. We need to remember them, and become like them.”

These words from his uncle were like a spear in his heart. Now Bhai Beant Singh was looking for a companion who would sacrifice all to avenge the action on Siri Darbar Sahib. Eventually Beant Singh's eye fell on Satwant Singh, who was in Indira Gandhi`s protection force with him. When he carefully approached Satwant Singh, the young Singh responded “Elder brother, for this sacred task, not only this life, but even if I have to sacrifice several lives, I would to kill a brutal murderer like Indira Gandhi!”

THEY BEGIN THEIR TASK

First Beant Singh and Satwant Singh wanted to see with their own eyes what Indira Gandhi had done in Punjab and at Amritsar. The two Singhs shocked at the scene at Siri Akal Thakht Sahib, made their minds up, went to Siri Darbar Sahib and did ardas, “Oh Akal Purkh, give us strength!”

After seeing the state of Sri Darbar Sahib, both Satwant Singh and Beant Singh returned to Delhi back to their duty. On 24th October 1984, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh took Amrit at a Gurdwara in Delhi. Neither were particularly knowledgeable on Gurbani, but Operation Blue Star and the legend of Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh were foremost in their mind. This is what led them to take the blessing of Amrit.

Satwant Singh always had the late shift, and Beant Singh the early shift. They had to work out a way to both be on duty together. On 31st October, Satwant Singh faked a stomach bug, and swapped duties with another guard. Now they had to decide how to do the task. They decided that the best time was when Indira Gandhi was taking her daily walk. On the morning of 31st October, 1984 at 9am, as Indira Gandhi walked from her house to her office at Safardajung Road, Bhai Beant Singh shot her 5 times with his service revolver. Bhai Satwant Singh at the same time lifted his Thompson Stengun and shot 28 bullets. Seeing Indira Gandhi fall, all of her PA`s and ministers ran for their lives. The Indo-Tibetian Border Police commandos, who also guarded the grounds would not come close. Both Singhs shouted “Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!!”.

The Singhs shouted, “We have done what we needed to, now you can do what you have to.” Then both placed their weapons on the floor. Only then did the other guards come and arrest them. Both Singhs were taken to a room, and waited for a senior officer to interrogate them. While waiting, the commandos started swearing at the Singhs. Not tolerating this, Bhai Satwant Singh slapped the commando and a struggle ensued in which Satwant singh grabbed the commandos handgun. The other commandos started shooting at the Singhs. Bhai Beant Singh died there from gunshot wounds. Bhai Satwant Singh was seriously injured.

On the arrival of a senior officer, Bhai Satwant Singh was taken to the hospital. The officers wanted to know who else was part of the conspiracy. They did not know that these Singhs had acted alone because of the attack on Siri Darbar Sahib, Siri Akal Thakht Sahib, and 40 Gurdwaras, the Sikh genocide of Singhs, singhnians, children and elders, and inspired by the legend of 6th June 1740, when Sukha Singh and Mehtab Singh took revenge on Massa Rangar.

The Government had saved Bhai Satwant Singh's life but intentionally did not remove one bullet which was lodged near his spine which continuously caused him great pain. Despite this and other interrogation tortures, Satwant Singh always maintained that there was no conspiracy, and that the two had acted alone. He said, “This is our Khalsa tradition to avenge those who try to desecrate our holy places. We were happy to take this task. The Sikh Nation will be proud of us.”

THE COURT STATEMENT OF SATWANT SINGH

Every court in the land, only gave the sentence that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had wanted. Before the Supreme Court, Bhai Satwant Singh made a statement. He said, “Let any part of my body, after my Shaheedi, be removed and donated to anyone in need. However, if you need my eyes, let the authorities tell my parents. I have no hatred for any Hindu, Muslim, Christian, neither hatred for any religion. After my Shaheedi, let no Sikh throw any rock at any Hindu. I am not in favor of any retaliation or bloodshed over my Shaheedi. If we do create bloodshed, then there is no difference between us and Rajiv Gandhi. I am proud of the task that I did! I do ardas in front of Waheguru ! If I am blessed with a human life, then give me a death of the brave when I am hanged. Forget one life, if I could I would give up a thousand lives to kill dushts like Indira Gandhi, and laugh as I become Shaheed by hanging….”

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Creation and Purpose of the Khalsa

2006-11-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

"To the terrified slaves of this country, Guru Gobind Singh said : Rise and fight and die fighting on horseback. This is an oceanic burst of the same glow of life, and this too is of Him. It is more glorious to die than to live as miserable wretches. He poured into our veins that life which could not love without song and freedom. We rose as individuals and as masses shouting for liberty and victory. He gave us freedom of the soul, and we cried for the freedom of our life. We died for it, never mind, if we never got it. Touched by his inspiration, we could no more remain slaves."

"For ages the doors of true spirituality were locked for the people; the great Guru (Nanak) flung them open to all the four castes" Bhai Gurdas Jee.

"The Sikh has no sect, his commune is his path. Guru Nanak : I am seeking the Man of God (Gurmukh). Our Master (Nanak) tilled land, weeded the wheat crops, and he and his disciples together went and sang and harvested them. Nanak renounces the monastic vagaries of the old Brahminical thought and celebrates the Divine Realisation at once in ploughing, in riding, in home life and in the desert. The Gurus created sweet homes in the Punjab, and in the Khalsa, a freed commune of the Comrades. They were called Brothers (Bhai). Individuals stood as representative symbols of the Khalsa Commune. Their prayers were not individualistic, but communistic. Save O, Lord, the Khalsa (the plural commune) wherever the Khalsa be. Even the individual Sikh was called the Khalsa."

The War and The Sikh Spirit

Recall the last two decades of the 17th Century and the beginning of the 18th Century when we, the Sikhs, in the Punjab, under the command of Guru Gobind Singh, rose to die.

"Our Master, Guru Gobind Singh, called us to death and extinction, for he felt that it was no use living at all without the sense and light of liberty in us. Guru Gobind Singh gave such a vital and martial timbre even to our prayers that we, for the first time in the history of India, saw that the great love, to which our Master was calling, was not a prayer of the crushed people, but a prayer of the victorious as Guru Nanak, the First True King, had called us not to love the Beautiful God-Person of Nature and Creation, but to be so beautiful as to be loved by Him."

"To the terrified slaves of this country, Guru Gobind Singh said : Rise and fight and die fighting on horseback. This is an oceanic burst of the same glow of life, and this too is of Him. It is more glorious to die than to live as miserable wretches. He poured into our veins that life which could not love without song and freedom. We rose as individuals and as masses shouting for liberty and victory. He gave us freedom of the soul, and we cried for the freedom of our life. We died for it, never mind, if we never got it. Touched by his inspiration, we could no more remain slaves."

"The songs of peace in Guru Granth Sahib were being sung as usual at Anandpur, the seat of our Master, but he had a large drum specially made to send forth his Song of the Sword. He called it the 'Ranjit Nagada', the Victory Drum. It was of an enormous size. At Anandpur, Guru Gobind Singh stood by the side of his drum, contemplating the liberty of his people. There is a complete change in the colour and shape of the gathering of the disciples around him. A new nation came fully armed at Anandpur. The Sikh history shows how they fought, but it was all a poetic action. It was waged in the songs of the Great Guru to inspire his people. The War had commenced in the Guru's poems. His impassioned lyrics of war, the Battle of Bhangani in Chandi-Charitra, sound in our ears still. Life rooted in Truth was allowed by Guru Gobind Singh to take the new course of the flood and the storm. Beat, beat drums, sound, blow bugles, blow, echoes the war spirit of the Khalsa. The war-like tones and that clash of steel and that spiritual impatience to die, which we find in the pages of our history has to be appreciated. Surely, no historical accounts show us the poetic genius of Guru Gobind Singh, manifested and enlarged in those wars which were waged, as he says, without any rhyme or reason against him by the enemies of his thought and ideal. The low-statured Hindu kings and the Moghuls could not endure Guru Gobind Singh being hailed as the True King of the people."

"Our mothers and sisters have been voluntary nurses in these poetic wars of Guru Gobind Singh and after. The saints enlisted as ordinary soldiers in love of Him. And our saints who chanted songs were the first in the world to organise a society similar in purpose to the present-day Red Cross Society. They did go inside the camps of friends and foes alike, serving the wounded."

"Our Master, Guru Gobind Singh has not been understood in the land of his birth by such Hindu poets of poetic spirituality as Rabindranath Tagore and by such men of action as Gandhi, because both of them are too much of the old Hindu." "Not that we for ourselves mind this ignorant depreciation of our Liberator by these eminent Hindus, but that, by so doing, they show their own effeteness and bankruptcy of spirit. Incidentally, it also shows how they lost their country through such vague inanities. Without the cleaving sword, Guru Gobind Singh found no way to get out of these maya-meshes of the Hindu stupor and stupidities. It is with peculiar satisfaction, therefore, that we turn away from our country to find our Gurus ideals being celebrated and voiced forth in distant Japan where the spirit of Bushido, the Flash of Sword, mingles with the Nirvanic Peace of the Buddha both in life and art, and in the well-balanced artistic consciousness of Japan. And still farther away, we hear it in the chants of Democracy in the America of Walt Whitmans visions. We, too, do not believe in the Democracy of vote, but in the Democracy of the enlarged vision of man."

"To cultivate one thought or one feeling, a man needs his whole life. It is in appreciation of this fact that the great inspired beings sing in spite of all grossness around them."

"Our Guru Gobind Singh saw that there was no other way to breathe life into the dead masses of the Punjab, but by arming them and beating drums, and flashing sabres in the glare of the sun. Dead ye are, rise to die, perchance to catch the spark of life in the battlefields! Guru Hargobind Singh roamed, as the sun did set on the battlefield of Amritsar, wiping blood from the faces of his wounded disciples, nursing them and pouring into their soul his comfort and blessings. Guru Gobind Singh joined the Muktsar battlefield like the divine father of his children giving them his soul."

"We, the Sikhs, had our resurrection en masse at the Masters word, sung in our ears on the battlefields. The war gave us the fiery baptism of God's warm blood. We died. And that is how our master said we should live. There is no other door to everlasting life but through death, like this, through love, and obedience like this. Very little life is in the ego of man; all is there in the shining sun of his soul. He knew all about the nature of after-death; He led us on." "Our Guru in communion with the cosmic processes concentrated his consciousness on the problem of making man alive, natural and free."

"We the Sikhs, dedicated soldiers of the Master, are already on the march on the open road with the chants of our Master. And these chants pour life into us."

"It is difficult to translate our chants, but one may be given in original here to indicate the power that is in its very sound, and how these very lilts wage a war in their solemn enthusiasm :

khag, khand, bihandang khal dal khandung
ati run mandang barbandang,
bhuj dand askhandang tej parchandang,
jot amandang bhan prabhang
sukh santang karnang durmat Darnang
kil bikh harnung, us sarnang
jai jai jag karan srist aubarang
mum prati parang jai tegung.
(The Songs of the Sword) Guru Gobind Singh."

"In the chants of our master, the cannons boom, the arrows fly, the swords clash, and the very repetition of his chants makes us fly like flames, crying liberty, liberty, liberty. So did not we at Anandpur declare the armed age."

"The Khalsa is a newcomer, fresh from the eternity into the world. The eyes of the Khalsa glow with the vision of the Invisible. The millions on the other side of the River of Life mingle their voices, and the Khalsa is truly one in many. When he runs, he is in trance. On the bed of thorns, he lies on roses. Outside is immaterial; it is the aim of life that matters. The Khalsa is he who has found the centre of life and has enshrined God in the temple of his heart. The Khalsa looks at the world from a supreme height, blessing all, helping all, loving all, with his beautiful looks from the inner self of all life."

"The Khalsa in ordinary life proves himself a loving husband, a kind father, a noble friend, a selfless saint, and a brave soldier to defend the honour of the weak."

"The world with all its gay gardens is to the Khalsa but a camping ground. The Khalsa holds the present life to be but a camp life. Death has no sting for him. If a child is born, he is a Gurus soldier come, and when he dies, its a Gurus soldier gone. The Khalsa sees and believes all as good; nothing is amiss. It is, therefore, when he prays, that he speaks in accents of steel, flint, fire and lightning that move the Heavens with him."

"The tent of the Khalsa is a temple. The Khalsa is the Dharamshala for all. The Khalsa gives a drink, a repast and a hymn of the Guru to all who pass by. The Khalsa has his own language whose flame-words reflect the inner glory of our National Realisation, and of that joy which is supreme in its conquest over the sorrows of the world."

"A whole new idiom has been evolved by the Khalsa to describe the ordinary and commonplace things of life. This is, indeed, camp language, and authenticates the Sikh soldiers love of life and his boundless optimism. A single soldier styles himself as sawa lakh or a hundred thousand and a quarter. When he has run out of his food or rations, he says, the kitchen is tipsy with joy ! The lame, in this language, are called beautiful-footed, the blind the sun-eyed, for they all are Jewels of the Guru !"

"Alas, the Khalsa too is getting under the self-hypnotism of being something, doing something, and is thus degenerating into a common man ! Instead of the old tent life it is the life of the palace that pleases him. This world is getting daily into mud, and unless something happens to restore to him his true faith in God and the Guru-finding expression in every thought and action, a type, wondrous in its grandeur and expression would be gone."

"But this is not the real Khalsa that is decaying. That is the Khalsa there which is ever coming into blossom."

"Guru Gobind ordains that all prayers should be uttered by first saluting Him with a drawn naked sword, in the camp language of the Khalsa."

"When we read in the Japji our Masters picturing the universe as a procession, in the form of a choir of singers coming through ages, and in the Sukhmani as the whole creation in procession passing."

"Our Masters called us Panth, a path or a road. The Sikh is a path."

"The following poem is descriptive of the Khalsa as he was born in Punjab :

Great were the times,
enthusiasm flowed out of human heart like a sea.
And truly that coming of the Khalsa is the coming of a new nation on earth.

An historian of the Sikh period says :

Khalsa came ready-made from the brain of Guru Gobind Singh.
A nation announcing itself.
I myself make the only growth by which I can be appreciated,
I reject none, accept all, then reproduce all in my own forms. A breed whose proof is in time and deeds. What we are we are, nativity is answer enough to objections. We wield ourselves as a weapon is wielded, We are powerful and tremendous in ourselves, We are executive in ourselves, we are sufficient in the variety of ourselves. We are the most beautiful to ourselves, and in ourselves, We stand self-poised in the middle, branching thence over the world."

The Great Truth

"In conclusion, let me declare, that the religion of Guru Nanak is not these miserable ethics, these ideas of good and bad and nobility, these conventions of purity and impurity, these wayside no-truths and half-truths to which the inspired cling with such stupid and universal tenacity, not those steps to perfection counted like the rungs of a ladder, not those catalogues of dos and donts, not those hotch-potch, foolish theologies of the human race, to those human qualities that these unregenerated animals in various multi-coloured faces have been holding in great esteem so long, and still hug close to their prejudices, not those great wastes of human energy and feeling involved in institutionalizing personal charities, in fact, nothing of what men and women think so far is religion."

"The religion of Guru Nanak is one thing needful to the soul of the individual, as well as the soul of groups of individuals. Nature is God. It is personal and alive with feeling. It is a reservoir of inexhaustible life, inspiration and love."

"Acceptance, amazement, spirituality of things are Guru Nanaks exact words. Religion is function of life as it is driven to function."

Bandhi-Chor or an Alibi?

2006-10-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

al•i•bi - an explanation offered to avoid blame or justify action; an excuse.

Every year, with the arrival of Diwali, I am forced to ponder over the hypocrisy that has entrenched our Sikh society.

Sure, I am afraid to reason on Diwali/Bandi-Chor Diwas and its importance within the four walls of the Gurudwara, as it would amount to playing with sentiments and lead us nowhere. So, for years I have started isolating myself more and more from this occasion. Unless, of course, there is great Keertan going on in the Gurudwara, I make it a point not to be present in any community celebrations on this day.

Am I taking it too far?

I don't know. But I would surely appreciate it if someone could help me understand why I should not take it too far! Here are some thoughts on Diwali/Bandhi Chor Diwas.

To date, historians have not reached a consensus on the period of Guru Hargobind Ji's stay in the Fort of Gwalior. Historical texts indicate that this period was as short as forty days to as long as 12 years (Dabistan-I-Mazahi by Muhsin Fani). Historical texts don't agree on the period either. Some indicate it as 1609 to 1611, others as 1617 - 1619, etc. Muhsin Fani is obviously wrong in stating the period was 12 years because most of the Guru's children were born during those years.

We also know that the Indian calendar system is lunar based and therefore the number of days in the solar based calendar does not match the Indian system. If we are not sure about Guru Hargoind Ji's period of stay and his discharge from the Gwalior Prison, then how can we mathematically calculate that Bandhi Chor Gurpurab falls every year on the Hindu festival day of Diwali?

If we are sure that Guru Ji was allowed to leave the prison on Diwali day, then historians should be able to work backwards and have a better understanding of the year of his release. But our historical records are vague about the period Guru Hargobind Ji was imprisoned and about the year he was discharged.

Some people use the heavy lighting at Darbar Sahib on Diwali to justify the festival. They link Diwali to the arrival of Guru Hargobind Ji at the city of Amritsar after having been released from Gwalior prison and having sought the release of Hindu nobles (hence, Bandhi Chor). It is said that the residents of Amritsar lighted up their houses in happiness of his arrival.

What are we trying to celebrate on this day? The release of Bandhis from the Fort of Gwalior or the arrival of Guru Ji at Amritsar?

If Guru Ji arrived at Amritsar on Diwali day, then wouldn't it be obvious that a large section of the Hindu population residing in Amritsar would have lighted up their houses because of the festive occasion of Diwali?

If we are celebrating the release of Bandhis from the Fort of Gwalior on that day, then one wonders how would the message of the release have reached Darbar Sahib the same day, over a distance of 600 Kilometers, for the Sangat there to have lighted up the lamps?

While Bandhi Chor may be perceived as an important event by many Sikhs, (and I don't want to take away the importance from this event) keep an open mind and think why is it that we Sikhs light up the Darbar Sahib on Bandhi Chor Gurpurab only?

Aren't other Gurpurabs as important? Isn't Gur-Gaddi Diwas of Guru Granth Sahib important? Wouldn't the arrival of Guru Tegh Bahadur to the city of Amritsar warrant the same kind of happiness as the time of the arrival of Guru Hargobind Ji?

We don't light up Darbar Sahib in the same way on other important Gurupurabs, so why is it that we do it only on Diwali?

Let us not cheat ourselves. The reality is that even though we have been Sikhs for centuries, we still don't want to give up our past baggage of Hindu festivals.

Every Year, come Diwali, Raagis in our Gurudwaras are heard singing the Shabad " Diwali Di Raat, Divey Baliyan. " For the layperson, the singing of this Shabad of Bhai Gurdas, using an analogy line as the Asthai (Chorus) of the Shabad truly distorts the essence. Repeated singing of this Shabad on this occasion makes it appear as if Diwali is a sanctioned festival in Sikhi. But a full reading of the Shabad conveys a totally different message.

The essence of the Shabad is that pleasures of festivities, pilgrimages, etc are momentary, and only an understanding of Gurus Shabad leads to prime pleasure of the mind.

Bhai Gurdas Jis' Vaar 19 Pauri 6:

dIvwlI dI rwiq dIvy bwlIAin

qwry jwiq snwiq AMbir BwlIAin

PulW dI bwgwiq cuix cuix cwlIAin

qIriQ jwqI jwiq nYx inhwlIAin

hir cMdaurI Jwiq vswie aucwlIAin

gurmuiK suK Pl dwiq sbid smHwlIAin

Lamps are lighted on the night of the Diwali festival; stars of different variety appear in the sky; in the gardens the flowers are there which are selectively plucked; the pilgrims going to pilgrimage centers are also seen; and the imaginary habitats have been seen coming into being and vanishing. All these are momentary, but the Gurmukhs with the help of Naam nourish the gift of the pleasure fruit.

As most Sikhs originated from the Hindu mainstream, have we not found an Alibi (an excuse) in Bandi Chor for our inability to part with our past baggage of celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali?

Indian Democracy's Real Face

2006-10-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

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Delhi Police's Real Face

Punjab Police's Real Face

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Punjab Mass Cremations Case

2006-10-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Unsatisfactory and Delayed Judgment in the Punjab Mass Cremations Case : VFF Wednesday 18th of October 2006 Sudip Kaur Minhas, Executive Director, Voices For Freedom

New York, NY - Voices For Freedom is contemplating petitioning the Supreme Court of India to ask the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to widen the scope of the Punjab Mass Cremations case and include districts other than Amritsar.

The recent National Human Rights Commission's decision in this case to appoint a Commissioner, a retired Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge, K. S. Bhalla, to verify the identity of the remaining 814 bodies of a total of 2,097 that were killed and secretly cremated by the police between 1984 to 1994 in the district of Amritsar in Punjab without following lawful procedures, leaves the task incomplete feels Voices For Freedom. The NHRC had, in this interminable case, taken the stand that it can only limit itself to the cases of those disappeared in the district of Amritsar, as submitted in the initial petition in the Supreme Court.

Voices For Freedom expresses dissatisfaction at the pace and the handling of the case.

The case was handed over to the Commission by the Supreme Court of India after a writ petition was filed by the widow of slain Jaswant Singh Khalra. Her petition was based on the Human Rights activist Mr Khalra's report of extra-judicial killings and illegal cremations of more than 2000 bodies in the district of Amritsar alone. He was “killed” by the police before he could complete the list from the remaining districts of Punjab. Further, the NHRC decided that monetary compensation “is appropriate and indeed an effective and sometimes perhaps the only suitable remedy for redressal of the established infringement of the fundamental right of life of a citizen by the public servants, and the State is vicariously liable for their acts.”

According to Voices For Freedom the decisions of the Commission are a clear indication and an admission by the Government of India that illegal killings had indeed taken place in the state of Punjab between the periods of 1984 to 1994. However, very serious issues remain to be resolved in these decisions. The most striking feature of this case has been the CBI's snail paced investigation into the criminal activities of the police during this period. According to Sudip Minhas executive Director, Voices For Freedom “The Government and the courts need to be more pro-active on such issues just as they have been in the Parliament attack case and the Indira Gandhi assassination trial. If the suspects in these cases,” she said “can be given exemplary punishment, then those protecting the law need to be dealt with even more firmly especially if they have committed what can be easily termed as crimes against humanity.”

Voices For Freedom therefore requests the government of India that:

a) The police officials and the people responsible for the extra-judicial killings be prosecuted and those found guilty of such heinous crimes be given “exemplary” punishment.

b) The reference of the National Human Rights Commission be expanded to include all the districts of Punjab and other places where such disappearances have taken place.

c) The Supreme Court to issue a directive to the Government and its agencies to expedite the matter of inquiring into the process of such gross Human Rights abuses.

Voices For Freedom believes that the longer it is taking the guilty to be punished the more alienated the victims feel and this delay of justice is adding insult to an already heinous injury.

Dr SEKHON’S Presentation at the 2nd UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

2006-10-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

SPONSOR: INTERFAITH INTERNATIONAL

DATE: 29th September, 2006

Room: 3025

Place: Palase des Nations, Geneva, SWITZERLAND

Chairman: Dr Charles Graves, Secretary General

THE SIKHS' STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

UNELECTED HINDU LEADERSHIP’S PROMISES AND BETRAYALS TO THE SIKHS: DENIAL OF THE SIKH FAITH AND THE SIKH IDENTITY

Dr Awatar Singh Sekhon

The writer is a Sikh living in Canada for more than four decades. He is a retired professor of public health microbiology, with expertise in the area of mycotic diseases ( Medical Mycology ). Speaking on the Sikhs’ struggle, he explained to the audience, chair and co-speakers, seeking their own sovereignty of the Assam state and the land of Tamil people . He said that

the Sikh faith was founded by Guru Nanak Sahib in 1469. The founder had nine successors, from Guru Angad Sahib to Sahib Guru Gobind Singh. The Sikhs believe in oneness of God, which is omni present and beyond birth and death . The Sikhs prime institutions are Gurdwaras (Houses of God), like any Masjid or Mosque , Church or any other religious place, where the congregation is held. The basic principles of the Sikh faith are the Sikh Identity, as prescribed in the Sikh

Code of Conduct, also known as the Sikh Rahit Maryada or the Guru Khalsa Panth Parvaanit Maryada . The Sikhs

preach and gave to the world the followings:

i.    Human Rights

ii.    Women Rights

iii.    Sikhs’ Holy Scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, the

compilation of the Sikh Gurus’ teachings, along with

the teachings of more than 50 non-Sikh saints, e. g., Baba Fareed Sahib, Kabir Sahib ji, Ravidass Sahib, Namdev, etc.

Other Supreme or apex institutions are the Darbar Sahib Complex (mistakenly known as the Golden Temple Complex) and the Supreme Seat of Sikh Polity, the Akal Takht Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab ( under the occupation of

the alleged Indian democracy since 15th August, 1947 ). Both the institutions are under the ‘tight control' of the New Delhi administration ( NDA ) of India and NDA's armed and intelligence personnel.

The Sikh faith was founded in Punjab, which is the mother of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and India of the post 14th and 15th August, 1947. Before the post-14/15th August, 1947, era, the Sikh monarch Ranjit Singh ruled Punjab, 1799 – 14th March, 1849. Monarch Ranjit Singh’s Sikh kingdom was the first Sovereign and Secular state of South Asia. Sikh forces

surrendered their sovereignty to the British Empire on 14th March, 1849, because of the infiltration and of opportunist Hindu Dogra’s (Dhian Sinh and Lal Sinh, aka Dhian Chand and Lal Chand) opportunism to their master, Monarch Ranjit Singh.

With this surrender of the Sikh kingdom, the Sikhs’ struggle for sovereignty, independence and political power began on the very day the Sikhs lost their sovereignty, but by peaceful means. Between the period of 14th and 29th March, 1849, the British Empire did not decide the fate and status of Punjab of Sikhs.

However, on 29th March, 1849, the British agent, Lord Dalhousie, made a proclamation from Rawalpindi, now Islamabad, the capitol city of Pakistan, that the Sikh Raj, their newly conquered territory, will be “annexed” but not “assimilated” to the British Empire. This “annexation” is done for the administration purposes only. It is noteworthy, however, that the word ‘India' was non-existent until 29th March, 1849 , in any dictionary and encyclopedia of the English language . The British invented the word ‘India' following their “annexation” of the Punjab of Sikhs, to their British Empire.

To the Sikhs, sovereignty is gifted to them by their 10th Master, Sahib Guru Gobind Singh ji. Sikhs love their sovereignty and the independence of their Gurdwaras as well as their apex institutions. At the same time, history reveals that the Sikhs have not tolerated the desecration of their dearest places of worship, e. g., Gurdwaras. Neither have they tolerated

any entereference in their religious institutions by any foreign element. It is because of this interference, the Sikhs have been struggling for their sovereignty since 14th March, 1849, by peaceful means, up to the day of this presentation.

Retrospectively, a peaceful demonstration of 500,000 people of all faiths, under the leadership of Baba Kharak Singh, was an historical event unmatchable in the history of mankind, according to the Times of 29th December, 1929 (Newspaper published from London, UK). Since then the Sikhs’ struggle for sovereignty has been continuing under various Sikh leaders. Their struggle was hijacked by the deceitful and professional ‘liars’ like MK Gandhi, JL Nehru, VB Patel (the Brahmin-Baniya or elite-trader class clique) and their followers. These Hindu (neither a religion nor a culture) leaders made the following promises to the Sikhs in the pre-15th August, 1947 period:

•    Congress shall accept no Constitution which does not meet the satisfaction of the Sikhs - Lahore Session of

Congress 1930

•    ...the brave Sikhs of Punjab are entitled to special consideration. I see nothing wrong in an area in North of India wherein, the Sikhs can also experience the glow of freedom . - JL Nehru, Jan 9, 1930

•    I ask you to accept my words and the resolution that it will not betray a single individual much less a community. - MK Gandhi in Young India , March 19, 1931

•    On the other hand, Janab MA Jinnah of the Muslim League , told to the Sikhs that “you have seen the Hindus as your co-slaves. You will know when they will be your masters and you, the Sikhs, their slaves.” How true the words of Janab MA Jinnah, the Father of Pakistan.

•    The Sikh leaders never gave up their ‘Demand of Sovereignty'. On 15th April, 1946, Sir JE Jenkins recorded in his diary that the Sikh leader demanded Khalistan and transfer of the Sikh population.

•     Within 7-week of transfer of power to the ‘unelected' Hindu leadership, the Sikhs were declared the ‘lawless people and dangerous to the law abiding Hindus', by the trio, JL Nehru, VB Patel and CL Trivadi (the latter beiong the first Governor of the Punjab of post-15th August, 1947 era).

•     Mrs Indira Gandhi partitioned the Punjab further in 1966 into Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

•    Indian Constitution 1950 was “Rejected” by the Sikhs’ elected representatives to the Indian parliament, on behalf of the Sikhs of Punjab, their religious, political, student federations, and other institutions, because the Constitution ‘denied' the Sikhs Their Sikh Identity and Sikh Faith , against the foregoing assurances and promises of Brahmin-Baniya clique, i. e., JL Nehru, MK Gandhi and their followers. The “rejection” by the Sikhs took place in 1948, 1949, 1950 and on 6th September, 1965, as stated above. The Sikh representatives were Sardar Bhupinder Singh Maan, Sardar Hukam Singh and Sirdar Kapur Singh, ICS, MP, MLA and National Professor of Sikhism (all members of parliament).

•    In early 1984, MS Iyer (Mani Shankar Iyer), a federal bureaucrat, to hearing of all, mentioned that at the instance of Indira Gandhi, “ He was given an unpleasant job of portraying Sikhs the “terrorists” . A few days later Iyer stated that “against his wishes he had done the job”. This was before the major Assault on the Sikhs, their faith and The Sikh Identity, in the form of a brutal military “Operation Bluestar” of June, 1984,” the orders for which had been delivered in January 1984.” - The Sikh Bulletin , October-November 2005, p.11.

“Operation Bluestar” took a toll of more than 100,000, between 1st and 7th June, innocent Sikh infants, children, male and female folks, youth and elderly people, who came to the Darbar Sahib Complex to pay their respect to the holiest shrine of the Sikh faith.

Between the period of 1981-1992, in a decade , more than 1 million Sikhs, the youth in greatest number were executed by armed personnel, in various pogroms genocides, and fake-encounters by the police . Since the Assault on the Sikh Faith and the Sikh Identity, using a brutal “Operation Bluestar” of June, 1984, the Indian democracy (?) and its armed personnel

have killed:

*The Sikhs: more tha 250,000; but 3.2 million since 15th August, 1947

*Muslims in general: over 500,000

*Muslims of the Internationally Disputed Areas of Jammu and Kashmir (under Indian occupation): over 100,000

*Christians: over 300,000

* Tamils: over 15,000

* Dalits,Manipuris, Assamese, etc. Tens of thousand

In the above figures, persecutions, atrocities, humiliation, and dehumanization of non-Brahmins, non-Hindu minories are left aside. More details have been provided by Tim phares in his excellent article “Repression in India” in the International Journal of Sikh Affairs Vol 16, No. 1, 40-42, 2006 ISSN 1481-5435 , which is already in public domain.

In his introductory remarks, Phares said that “it is not safe to be a minority in India. As U. S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Cal) pointed out, if you are a Sikh, Muslim, Christian or other minority , “India might as well be Nazi Germany.” While

democratic elections occur, they have little effects on minorities except to changes.

Phares further states and I quote “Self-Determination” as recognized under International law,” is the only answer to the problems of the minorities of India.

Before summation, Mr Chairman, the speaker has nothing but to high regards and praises for Mr MA Jinnah, when

compared with MK Gandhi, JL Nehru and other Hindu leaders. Jinnah was a ‘spotless’ white sheet ; whereas, the Hindu leaders had masterminded the deceits and betrayals and their white sheet of broad cloth is heavy darkened or stained with their sins of their betrayals.

In summation, I have to state that interfaith international, Amnesty International, Asia Watc h and alike institutes have to play more aggressive roles to guard human rights: rights of women, children, non-Hindu, non-Brahmin minorities; to protect their educational, social, political, religious rights, etc. And to protect South Asia from the nuclear holocaust of the 21st century.

Finally, Mr Chairman, India is not one nation . It is the nation of multiple nations . It can survive only as a part of the Confederation of the South Asian

Nations.

Thank you, Mr Chaiman, co-speakers, ladies and gentlemen, for your patience.

******

Questions on Dr Sekhon’s Presentation

Question: India is a democratic country and it is open to visit by anybody.

Dr Sekhon replied that indeed it is a democratic country. However, there are many aspects of a country being democratic. In India's case, this is the democracy of only Brahmins (only 3% of the total population of over a billion people) and 12%

pro-Brahmins. In other words, the Indian democracy is manipulated by a total of 12% people, or it is Brahmins autocracy/Zamhooria t/Zulamhooriat alias the alleged democracy of India. These Brahmins and pro-Brahmins control more than 80% of the

decision-making jobs in every sphere of the administration. In other words, a minority of Brahmins and non-Brahmins is ruling the majority of the rest of 85% of the population. The majority population of non-Hindu, non-Brahmins (85%) are given only 20% or lesser jobs. This is the Indian democracy . The question here is what is the alternative available to the minorities in India?

Question: Dr Sekhon can visit any part of India, Indiais free for a visit by anybody.

Dr Sekhon replied whether the respected professor, who has been teaching at an institution in Delhi and believed to be the member of the teaching team of the Institute for International Peace (?) would stick to his question or reword his question? Dr Sekhon replied how could a person is free to visit India when the human rights organizations like Amnesty International, Asia Watch, etc., have not been allowed to make their independent assessment of the human rights situation in India? Would you ask your Indian administration that the minorities living outside India are free to visit India, with a guarantee to return?

Professor from the Indian Peace Centre further emphasized on the operation of democracy in India and that Dr Sekhon himself can run in the election process of Indian democracy. He gave the example of his country's prime minister who is a Sikh ( Manmohan Sinh ) and Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan ( President of Khalsa Raj party since he was allowed back in India ), who gave up the demand of Khalistan and he is in the Indian mainstream.

Dr Sekhon , in his answer said that the professor should check his facts before he advocates the Indian democracy any further . Dr Sekhon said that what the professor boasts about his country's prime minister and democracy's facts are quite contrary. The fact is that the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Sinh, has not been elected by the electorates of any constituency. Mr Sinh has not even contested any election in a municipal corporation, to say the least, and leaving

the election of Indian Lok Sabha or parliament aside . He is simply serving his masters of the Congress party. The party which has a long history of betrayals of promises made to a minority, the Sikhs. Indian democracy has not kept its words of “Self-Determination” to the people of the Internationally Disputed Areas of Jammu and Kashmir .

With regard to Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan's reference, I would like to inform that Dr Chohan has been hired by the NDA’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to work against the Sikhs living in the United Kingdom and maybe of North America. The professor took Dr Sekhon's reply as amusement. Dr Sekhon said that there is nothing to amuse, Sir. If you have not seen and are not aware with the facts of Indian democracy, he must read the title “Chakravyuh: Web of the Indian Serularism by Professor Gurtej Singh, IAS & IPS (formerly), and Professor of Sikhism published in 2000 and Tandav of Centaur of

Professor Gurtej Singh.” He himself find out whether Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan and a few more Sikh quislings worked for the RAW of India?

Dr Sekhon said further that he is a retired professor of the public health microbiology and least interested in politics. He has more concerns on the sufferings of the mankind, human rights violations, persecution, terrorism, humiliation and dehumanization of minorities. The policy that Indian administration has been executing under the umbrella of ‘Democracy'.

Answering on India's democracy and Indian Constitution , what kind of the constitution Indian democracy has which denies the Sikhs their Sikh Faith and their Sikh Identity? Would the professor elaborate on the denials of rights of Sikhs in India and its

Constitution ( Article 25 )? There was no comment or suggestion of kind came through.

It is worth noting that in an earlier presentation by the first speaker on the Assam people's enslavement, Dr Hazarika said that “Indian Constitution is not worth the paper written on it.”

UK Government urged to challenge Indian PM on treatment of Sikhs

2006-10-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

By SSNews, Sikh Federation (UK)

On the eve of Manmohan Singh's three-day visit to the UK the Sikh Federation (UK) has today urged the UK Government to raise a series of issues concerning the treatment of Sikhs.

In a faxed letter to the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, the Federation said investment and trade between the UK and India was all good and well, but what about the concerns and demands of British Sikhs.

These include:

1. An amnesty for all Sikh political prisoners held in Indian jails

2. Prosecution of those involved and implicated in the anti-Sikh pogroms in November 1984

3. Prosecution of Indian officials responsible for widespread human rights abuses

4. Removal of a ban on Sikh organisations in India to reflect an ending of the Sikhs' armed struggle some 10-15 years earlier

5. An acceptance that if India is to be recognised on the world stage it must allow Sikhs to exercise their right to self-determination

6. A recognition that Sikhs lack appropriate representation at an international level that protects and promotes the Sikh identity and other Sikh interests

7. Freedom for Sikhs to peacefully campaign in India for the establishment of an independent sovereign Sikh State, Khalistan - that will also provide Sikhs throughout the world with proper representation of Sikh interests

After the three-day trip to the UK, Manmohan Singh will spend two days in Finland at the India-EU summit in Helsinki.

A Federation spokesman said: "We expect the UK and other EU countries to reflect our demands at such events."

"The EU is India's largest trading partner with about 25 percent of Indian exports coming to EU countries. The EU also provides the most foreign investment to India. Last year two-way trade between India and the EU totaled about euro38 billion. Given the level of trade we expect the EU, including the UK, to be in a strong position to put forward our concerns."

The Federation spokesman added: "We have been disappointed by Manmohan Singh's lack of action on issues of concern to Sikhs. Perhaps he feels it is inappropriate for him to be seen to take any actions that may benefit Sikhs."

"He should be bold enough and show he is in charge and open a dialogue with Sikhs on their demands. We have stated before that when Manmohan Singh is in London we are always prepared to sit down with him to talk about our concerns and demands. However, it may be that others are not prepared to allow him to open a dialogue on Sikh demands."

"We will use every opportunity to expose the Indian authorities on the international stage until they accept the Sikhs have every right to determine their own future and regain their lost sovereignty."