(An Exclusive Interview With Ranjit Singh Gill And Sukhminder Singh Sandhu)
Evidently, something is wrong somewhere when students with distinguished academic records and hailing from respectable, affluent families are locked in jails and face charges ranging from sedition to murder. S, Ranjit Singh Gill ‘and S, Sukhminder Singh Sandhu, currently lodged in Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York, were arrested on May 14, 1987, from a New Jersey gas station by the F.B.I. who were put on their trail by the Indian police. The Indian police claimed that there were criminal cases pending against the two and they were allegedly involved in the murders of Lalit Maken, Mrs. Maken, A’S. Vaidya and Arjan Das. Surprisingly, more than twenty Sikh young men are already in Indian jails and at least six have been Killed by the police in the so called encounters, all of them charged with 1st degree murder of the above mentioned persons, According to eyewitnesses two persons shot dead Lalit Maken, and his wife and two persons killed Arjan Dass, Gen. Vaidya was allegedly Killed by four persons riding two motorbikes, In all there were maximum eight persons involved in the killing even if it is assumed that murders were committed by separate persons, yet six Sikhs have been shot dead, more than twenty are being tortured in the interrogation cells and the two face extradition proceedings in a New Jersey court in connection with the above murders.
To study this intriguing scenario and to discover as to what is wrong where, World Sikh News secured a telephonic interview with Ranjit Singh and Sukhminder Singh,
In the course of the interview, it was learnt that both had excellent academic records. Mr. Gill had completed the Masters in plant breeding from Punjab Agricultural University ‘with distinction and was admitted to a Kansas University in the United States. Mr. Sandhu had completed the Masters in Geography from the Punjab University.
Answering questions about their role in A.I.S.S.F., Mr. Sandhu said they got involved in the Federation in 198283 in a rather casual way but after Operation Bluestar they had to face out of harassment at the bands of the police. For no ostensible reason the police would arrest them and then release them. He disclosed that they were out of Punjab when Operation Bluestar was launched and they were sorely grieved at the way Hindus distributed sweets in celebration of the destruction of the Akal Takht and the killing of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. On returning to Punjab, “We visited the Golden ‘Temple. The Temple had not been opened to the public as yet; Very few persons were allowed to enter it. However, we were able to go side through the good offices of the Head Priest of Takht Keshgarh Sahib who happened to be my grandfather’s, close friend. We were appalled at the destruction and the sacrilege”.
Replying to a question as to when did they join the Sikh struggle, Mr. Sandhu said, “As the truth about the destruction of Akal Takht, the Sikh Library, and the Museums well as the brutal manner in which Sikh pilgrims were massacred by the army became known, a deep-sense of anguish and indignation began to surface among the Sikhs. The Sikhs in Punjab felt disgraced and alienated and their alienation was further aggravated by the systematic slaughter of the
Sikh youth’s and. harassment of the villagers. Army and paramilitary troops stalked the countryside like a victorious force over a foreign land, killing the innocent, dishonouring the women, and plundering the homes. We felt a deep revulsion at the mounting atrocities and abandoned our personal dreams of distinguished careers to join the voices of protest against the Indian government’s policy of repression”.
Question: What about the charge that you were involved in the attempt on the life of Ludhiana S.S.P, Mr. Pandey?
Sandhu: The case was a pure fabrication, Mr .Pandey’s car ‘was involved in a minor accident with a truck, The police made up a story that the truck was deliberately put before Pandey’s ear to obstruct it so that we could shoot him with the sten guns. The story had no basis as we were not even in Ludhiana district on that day, Even the judge disbelieved the police version. He only sentenced the (truck driver for his negligence and rash driving. But it became clear to us that the police was bent upon implicating us in one case or the other and knowing full well as to how police had resorted to eliminating A.S.S.F. members through fake encounters, we felt unsafe in India and managed to slip out of it and made it to U.S.A. We are still not sure about the number and nature of cases registered against us by the police. We are sure that if one case fails, the police will certainly bring out another from its sleeves”.
Question: Did you come to U, S.A. for some special mission or was it just to save your lives from the Indian police?
Sandhu: Basically, we came here because we feared that if arrested we will be killed by the police in some fake encounter. We also thought that it would provide us with an opportunity to acquaint the people of U.S.A. about the real situation in Punjab. We even hoped that during our absence, the police may either drop the fabricated cases or may not be able to sustain them before a judicial process. Actually, judicial commission appointed by the Barnala government and headed by Justice Ajit Singh Bains rejected the police story and recommended the dropping of cases against us. But the police overruled the recommendations and to strengthen the case against us implicated us in a number of other cases.
Question: Police claims to have registered cases against you on the basis of confessions by one of your alleged accomplices. What have you to say about the confessions?
Sandhu: Anyone familiar with the police methods in India knows how confessions are extracted. Police prepares the text of the confession and then tortures a person into signing it. That’s why courts don’t normally entertain such confessions. But now the law has been amended to make these confessions valid. As far our alleged involvement in the cases registered against us, we emphatically declare that it is all pure fabrication. There is not a grain of truth in it, So far the copies of the confessions have not been supplied to our Attorneys and they won’t be allowed to cross examine the concerned person. In fact, we can’t even be sure of the real identity of the confessionist. Who knows he may even be a police official impersonating for someone else or a stock witness of the police.
Question: Do you think you will get a fair trial in an Indian court?
Gill: Out of the question, It is common knowledge that judiciary in India is not so independent as is generally believed. In cases against the Sikh youths, the position is still worse. Hindu judges are prejudiced and Sikh judges are too afraid of the government to decide the case on merits. The importance of the judiciary can best be seen in the case against Simranjit Singh Mann who is rotting in the jail for nearly three years without trial or bail. If a top police officer can suffer like that, you can imagine the fate of lesser mortals like us.
Question: What solution do you visualize for the Sikh problem?
Gill: Sikhs are being treated as second class citizens and they are subjected to the worst discrimination in every field of activity. The solution of the problem lies in their freedom. Like all the freedom loving people of the world, Sikhs consider no sacrifice too great to win freedom. It is true freedom fighters have to face mighty and established powers. They never have the resources to match that of their oppressors. But they are strong on moral grounds and their cause is for truth and justice. Therefore, ultimately victory is bound to be theirs. Today, the free world is understandably indifferent but it will have to shed this indifference otherwise the forces of fascism will endanger the freedom of all nations; Fascism is a very infectious disease. Once it takes roots anywhere, it cannot refrain from spreading beyond its local frontiers, especially in a world where to ta it Arianism already commands a major share.
Question: If conditions normalize in Punjab and all cases ‘against both of you are dropped, if given the choice would you like to go back or stay here?
Gill: We would like to go back. We might stay here for some time to pursue our studies further but we would much prefer to serve our own land and people than to seek better careers here,
Question: What message do you have for your fellow Sikhs?
Gill: They must unite in this hour of crisis and extend full support to the Panthic Committee; Time has come for sinking our differences and working with a singular devotion to win freedom for the Sikhs.
Article extracted from this publication >>
