LUDHIANA: The Punjab Human Rights Organisation has represented to UN Under Secretary General seeking his intervention to stop deportation to India of Karamjit Singh even as the British Home Office is persuading him to claim refugee status in U.K.
The PHRO, a nongovernmental human rights organisation, has sent telegrams and 20page representation as follow up to the UN Under Secrétary General, Mr Jan” Martens on, the British Home Secretary, Mr David Waddington and the Amnesty International (Al), according to its General Secretary, Mr. DSS. Gill.
The human rights group in its representation discussed at length the human rights situation in India especially the Punjab quoting several AI reports to suggest that Sikhs who are suspected of advocating for the establishment of Khalistan, face a substantial risk of being tortured or otherwise liquidated in a faked encounter by the Indian security forces.
Chairman of the nonparty organisation Mr Harinder Singh Khalsa, ex Indian envoy to Norway, had expressed concern in the representation that, if deported to India, the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) leader, Karamjit Singh, alias Bhau could be charged for politically motivated crimes on basis of the Indian Press reports that he, being in control of the powerful Southall Gurdwara, had been diverting Gurdwara funds to Punjab helping Sikh militants engaged in formation of Khalistan.
Since Karamjit Singh is a ISYF (Daljit Singh) leader, his political views and his support to the Khalistan movement abroad, will surely land him in great difficulties if deported to India and he is likely to be tortured or extra judicially eliminated in yet another ‘encounter’ as has been the practice here, the PHRO believed on the basis of information gathered in the representation sent to the UN. Meanwhile, the deportation proceedings have been suspended for the time being presumably under pressure from the UN Centre for Human Rights and London office of the Amnesty International, and Karamjit Singh is being approached by the British Home officials with a suggestion that he should file a petition asking for the refugee status, It is recalled that Karamjit Singh; now lodged’ at Bedford jail under N.S.A:, was arrested last month when the ISYF did not oblige the Indian High Commission and pro-India government Sikhs to join the electoral process. After getting desperate they managed to usurp the control over the Sout-hall Gurdwara with the help of British Government and handed over its management to the U.K.
Akalis led by Mr. Beant Singh.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 7, 1990
