Sardar Sahib
Wahe Guru ji ka Khalsa Wahe Guru ji Ke Fateh. Sikhs must remember that when we seek an independent sovereign Sikh state we are well within the U.N. charter and our fight for a separate state is therefore just and within the aims of international law. The copy of the memorandum that we wished to present to the UN Secretary General when he visited Delhi recently that clarifies a lot of things. As the main political party fighting for this honorable because we want to make it very clear that our struggle is just democratic and peaceful. We do not believe in violence to achieve our goal. Despite the fact that our methods are peaceful the Indian state is using the Indian army the Para-military forces and the police all of which operate outside the confines of law and have been trying to crush the Sikhs by all means physical psychological economic and through wide scale misuse of the print and electronic media by spreading disinformation. The Sikhs don’t enjoy any fundamental rights civil rights guaranteed under the Human Rights Charter of 1944 Thousands of our young men are picked up peremptorily Detained tortured shot dead and their bodies thrown into canals and rivers. There are regular interrogation centers where third degree methods are employed women and children are not spared.
The Chief Minister in a reply to a question in the assembly admitted that there were 13000 detainees i.e. Sikhs under the horrible TADA where there is no bail or appeal. These figures are relevant to Punjabis only and there are as many Sikh detainees in other parts of India under this very act which allows for confessions to a police officer Juida and Sukha have been sentenced to death by extorting confessions. Also there is the National Security Act N.S.A. where thousands of Sikhs are detained for a period of two years. There are no speedy trials there is no recourse to the right of habeas corpus for Sikhs. The natural resources of the Punjab are exploited without paying any compensation. For instance the riparian law principle is not applied to the Punjab waters and Haryana Rajasthan and Delhi which are non-riparian states are forcibly given water when Punjab’s needs are not met. Waters according to the Indian Constitution (Article 266) are in the state list but obviously the center disregarding its own constitution is lobbing Punjab of its waters the Punjab supplies 70% of wheat to India. On one hand the center says it is following free market economy on the other it has banned free trade of wheat to other states from Punjab. The Interactional price of wheat is 540 Rs a quintal but the Center and its puppet govt. in Punjab is forcing the farmers to sell their Wheat at Rs 200/ a quintal. This is pure economic exploitation of the Sikhs we have become a colony of India. All fundamental rights stand as abridged and I would have come to America myself but the Center has not cleared my passport this violated the U.N. Charter which allows free travel and a return to one’s country. This is my individual case of discrimination. My retina now needs serious surgery because of ill treatment in jails and having had lights put into my eyes as means of torture on our side of the camp there are a lot of weaknesses. We have not been able to lobby successfully in the US and other western democracies. Whereas we supported the Americans totally in the Gulf War we are amazed at the joint Indo American naval exercises scheduled shorty. Friends and allies of America are very perturbed and shock waves have been created not only in Asia but Australia as well Despite this concession by the Americans India is unwilling to sign the N.P.T. and wants and insists upon rocket technology from Russia Since there is no effective lobbyist in Washington I want you to fill in the void and tell the state dept. and Congress that despite the I M F and World bank Jaws India still does not allow in Amnesty International and Asia Watch. Events are not only disturbing in Punjab but in Kashmir and Assam the same thing is being repeated with impunity with the world community looking over its shoulder. Today I participated in a demonstration put up by the Assamese against the brutality of the army in Assam I sat in with these repressed people at the Boat clubs We are trying 10 coordinate the activities of the ethnic and religious minorities and todays gesture was a small beginning and well appreciated I’ll be out of action for the next month because of my operation after which well give a program to halt the untold repression I hope and pray to God for you all and Ill end with party’s motto “to dare and endure but never accept defeat”. Simranjit Singh Mann President Sriomani Akali Dal
Article extracted from this publication >> June 19, 1992
