From Our Staff Correspondent AMRITSAR: The Joint Enquiry Committee of the SGPC, the DSGMC and the Akali Dal (Tal‘wandi) was barred entry into Jammu and Kashmir. The members returned after three hours of detention at the border at Lakhanpur.
This was disclosed by the SGPC Secretary, Mr. Manjit Singh, at a hurriedly called Press conference at the Guru Nanak Niwas inside the Golden Temple Complexes in the evening. With him were Mr. Parkash Singh Majitha, Mr. Nimal Singh Kahlon and Dr. Rattan Singh, all members of the Enquiry Committee.
Mr. Manjit Singh said when they crossed the Punjab border at Lakhanpur at 9:15 a.m., the Jammu and Kashmir police did not allow them to proceed further. After about 15 minutes the Senior Superintendent of Police (Kathua district) Mr. M.A. Anjam, also arrived and took the Akalis to a tourist resort and expressed his helplessness in the matter.
When the Akalis threatened to violate the ban imposed on their entry the District Magistrate, Mr. Jaiswal also reached there. Subsequently, all the six members of the Enquiry Committee were bundled into police vehicles and “thrown inside the Punjab Territory,” the SGPC Secretary added. All their pleadings that the committee was on a goodwill visit to defuse tension and share the agony of the riot victims failed. Mr. Manjit Singh said the visit was in consultation with the representatives of the gurdwara managements in Jammu and Sikh MLAs like Rangeel Singh, Congress (I) and Mr. TS. Bali, an independent MLA from Jammu.
The four Akalis strongly condemned the attitude of the Jammu and Kashmir Government and called on all Opposition parties as well as protagonists of the human rights organizations to send fact finding missions to Jammu.
Other members of the committee were Mr. Harcharan Singh from the DSGMC and Mr. Mewa Singh Gill, MP.
The members had left for Jammu last night. After an overnight halt at the Madhopur rest house, the committee proceeded to Jammu at 9 a.m. today.
Mr. Manjit Singh said by not allowing them to enter the State, the Government had showed that it had “something to conceal.” It appeared also that the extent of damage was extensive.
The committee members said when a similar team visited Bidar in Karnataka, the Government there fully cooperated.
Another significant fact was that anti Sikh riots were now beginning to take place in such States which had been spared the ordeal of 1984 riots. Mr. Manjit Singh said the pattern of rioting was the same as in the case of Delhi riots in 1984. “It is a shame that the Sikhs are being discriminated against in their own country,” he added.
Mr. Manjit Singh said the committee would have visited the families of the deceased and those injured to assuage their feelings.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 10, 1989
