LUDHIANA: International Women’s Day was observed here last week when International Hu

San Rights Organization and the “Bharti Kisan Union organized a joint convention, it gave a call to the U.N. to intervene to stop repression on the people of Punjab and Kashmir.

The convention passed seven resolutions which appealed to the newly elected panchayats to organize resistance against frequentation of women in police stations. It called for the formation of joint action committees to oppose the women’s detention and dishonor in Punjab police stations. ‘The convention also called upon India’s opposition parties to raise the issue of repression of women in the parliament. In another resolution, the convention appealed to democratic countries 10 put diplomatic pressure on the Indian government to hold its hand against women in Punjab and Kashmir.

The convention, which was chaired jointly by Mata Gumam Kaur, mother of Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda, D.S.Gill, chairman, 1.H.R.O. and Ajmer Sigh Lakhowal, President of B.K.U, Punjab, in a resolution asked Akalis to join hands against police repression.

Gurbhajan Singh Gill of Sikh Vichar Manch read out a paper on Sikh religion and women. He said Guru Nanak was the first to accord women their due status in society. None did so prior to Guru Nanak, In fact, Manu Smriti and through it the Indian social order relegated women to the lowest status, Kanwaljit Kaur in her paper said that even Christianity did not do much to uplift the status of women in society. It was left to B,R.Ambedkarto plead for women in this century.

1.H.R.O. general secretary Mohinder Singh Grewal in his report spelt out how the Punjab police dishonored women particularly in Amritsar district during the past decade, A large number of women were raped in police stations deliberately under a sys systematic plan to demoralize Sikhs.

Bibi Surjit Kaur said that she had to spend 19 days in police station merely because she used to voice complaints against maltreatment of women by the police authorities in Punjab. Akali leader Surjan Singh Thekedar said that women. And children had been suffering at the hands of the police because the Sikhs were slaves in India. Jathedar Kartar Singh Narang said that the Sikhs would have to fight for and achieve an independent country to end repression of women. Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bulara, a former MP, said that she herself had to undergo police repression; Dr.Rajinderpal Singh said that Punjab today was the theater of war and no mercy should be expected from the enemy. Prof Manjit Singh Qadian said that no worthwhile efforts had been made to bring about improvement in the status of women. Several other speakers mostly women also spoke on the occasion to highlight specific cases of police repression of women and children in Punjab during the past few years.

Article extracted from this publication >>  March 12, 1993