Hon. Dan Burton of Indiana, In the House of Representatives WASHINGTON D.C. Mr. Speaker, Irise to again speak about the human rights situation in India, which it’s deplorable, I want to speak about two issues today. The first is the destruction of a centuries old mosque in Kashmir, the second is the continued imprisonment of Sikh leader Simranjit Singh Mann. ‘The half million Indian security forces in the valley of Kashmir have for years run rampant over the civilian population there, they have gang raped women. They have tortured and murdered political prisoners, they have shot indiscriminately into civilian crowds, and they have burned entire villages into the ground.
Just last week, in the town of Charar-e-Sharies, the Indian military, with no regard for the safety of civilians, launched an attack that resulted in the burning of hundreds of homes and the gutting of a centuries old walnut wood mosque, one of the most famous religious sites in Kashmir. The Indian Government, time and time again, has shown absolute disregard for basic standards of human rights in Kashmir, Punjab and other areas. India must be held to account for the crimes that have been committed against the Muslims of Kashmir, including the destruction of the sacred shrine of CharareSharies.
The Indian Government’s utter disregard for Muslims mosques and other holy places is shocking and must not be swept under the rug.
The Indian Government must also be held to account for the horrible human rights abuses committed against the Sikhs in Punjab and the Christians of Nagaland, Few people know about what is happening in those areas because the government will not allow the media or human rights groups into those areas.
Indian parliamentary forces in Punjab are responsible for thousands of cases of well documented disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Thousands of Sikhs are held in prisons throughout Punjab, and human rights groups have reported that virtually all Sikhs held in prison are routinely tortured.
Four months ago, [came to the House floor to talk about the detention of Sikh leader ‘Simranjit Singh Mann, Mr, Mann is a former member of Parliament and probably the most Prominent of all the Sikh leaders, He has been a forceful, but peaceful, advocate of independence for a Sikh homeland called Khalistan. Mann was arrested in January after addressing a gathering of thousands and speaking out for freedom and democracy for the Sikh people. It was the most recent of dozens of times Mann has been arrested for peacefully expressing his political views, He was arrested and held without trial for five years in 1984. He was the target of an assassination attempt in 1993. He has been a victim of constant harassment by the Indian Government, and is once again a political prisoner who has been in detention in a windowless cell for the last four months, Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that the Indian ‘Government teleaseth Ace Mann immediately and allow him to return to his family. The government has no right to put people in Prison because it doesn’t like their political views. Lam enclosing for the record a chronology of the instances in which this distinguished man has been’ imprisoned’ and harassed by the Indian Government. The government of India must stop the harassment of people with whom it disagrees, It must stop the lawless activities of its security forces in Punjab and Kashmir, The abuses that the Indian security forces are committing will to snuff out the movement for an independent Khalistan among the Sikhs. They will only add fuel to the fire, India must improve its human rights record if it truly wants 10 be recognized as a lawful and democratic nation.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 2, 1995
