FRESNO, Ca.: Central Valley Sikhs held a fundraiser dinner on November 3rd at Hacienda Inn, Fresno in honour of Congressman, Richard Lehman from 18th district. Over hundred Sikh men and women attended the fundraiser at a short notice and raised $5000.00 for his campaign. The check was presented by Charanjit Singh Bath, Cruthers, Mohinder S. Grewal, Kerman, Kulwant S. Mann, Huron, Amrik S, Dosanjh, Modesto and Charanjit, Singh Sahota, Selma. Dr, Hardam Singh Ajad President Sikh Association of America, in his speech traced the history of the Sikhs in Western hemisphere mainly US.A. and their contributions. He focused on the problems facing the Sikh community in India and the United States. If Sikhs today are active in the American political system, it is because they are conscious of their rights in America and because of concern for the victims of genocidal oppression against their kith and kin. US. Government succumbs to the pressure of the Indian government. Sikh rights in this free land have been violated just to a peace the Indian rulers. Sikhs who have spoken out against the Indian oppression have suffered harassment at the hands of F.BI.I. Agents, had their houses searched in the middle of night, even the judicial system has not remained unaffected and sighted how the civil liberties of Dr. Gurpartap Singh Birk and his associates have been violated. Dr. Birk and four other Sikhs are locked up in the New Orleans jail on the basis of the testimony by Frank Cooper who has been arrested for violating the law. As Sikhs we are concerned because today our rights are violated, tomorrow it could be done to other citizens.

The roots of the problem lie in the Indian government that has been ignoring the legitimate rights ever since independence. Sikhs have been through peaceful means been reminding the government of the un kept promises. Khalistan is being trusted upon’ Sikhs by an intolerable majority and no accord short of it can solve the Sikh problem, When it comes to Sikhs, there are no laws. The very people who were implicated in the various reports published by civil liberties group are running the country and all those books that tell the truth stand banned. Dr. Azad assured the Congressman that the Sikhs of his district are not asking him to support Khalistan but would like him to speak up for the civil liberties of Sikhs in America and for the human rights of fellow human beings, press on the Indian government to open the door to foreign press and make the Sikh Vatican accessible. Congressman Richard Lehman in speech drew similarities between the genocide of other religious and ethnic groups with that of Sikhs. His own grandparents were victims of Russian persecution and the Armani an grandparents of his wife were victims of Turkish genocide. It did not surprise him that the civil liberties of the Sikhs have been violated and he implied that the State Department suffers from a state of paranoia and reminded the audience how Japanese Americans were put in concentration camps by their own government. He assured the Sikh community that he ‘won’t care whether it is the Indian ‘government or any other government, he will speak up for the human rights and will be paying more attention to the issue confronting the Sikh community. Quite a few Sikhs were unable to attend the event because of the short notice and expressed a keen desire for more such events in the future to present the Sikh view point not only to the politicians but to the American public as well. Sikh Political Action Committee encouraged by the response will sponsor more such events and assure advance information in the future.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 14, 1986