By Bhupinder Liddar, OTTAWA: About 25,000 people have disappeared in the Punjab at the hands of the police authorities, according to Jaspal Singh Dhillon, Chair of the Shiromani Akali Dal’s Human Rights Wing, who told Canadian MPs in Ottawa Nov.6.
Dhillon was briefing Canadian MPs on Parliament Hill about the human rights situation in Punjab when he told them that in spite of claims to peace being restored in the Punjab, the incidence of disappearances continue 10 take place. He cited the case of Jaswant Singh Khhalra, his coworker who has been missing for over two months, after returning to India following a similar visit abroad.
In a number of cases of disappearances, the Punjab Police is implicated as in the case of Khalra, According to Dhillon, four out of eight or nine of Khalra’s abductors are known police officers.
Dhillon also expressed disappointment with the work of the National Human Rights Commission of India he stated that no response has been received to 14 reports of human rights violations that had been sent to the Commission. According to Dhillon, the National Human Rights Commission is functional in the rest of India but not in the Punjab. There is deadly silence when the Commission is asked to investigate cases in Punjab.
Keith Fountain of the Department of Foreign Affairs told the luncheon meeting that Canada has expressed “utmost seriousness” to the Indian Government about Khalra’s disappearance and noted that Raymond Chan, Secretary of State for Asia Pacific, has also recently sent a similar message of serious concern.
Among those attending the luncheon meeting with Dhillon were Toronto area Liberal MPs Derek Lee and Jesse Flies, who is also Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Reform MP Tan McClelland and representatives from the offices of Solicitor General Herb Gray and Edmonton MP David Kilgour. The visit was coordinated by Lowthian of the World Sikh Organization.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 10, 1995
