CHANDIGARH: The SGPC resident, G.S. Tohra, demanded at the Center should take notice about 250 Sikh prisoners including six women who had been languishing in jails in Uttar Pradesh without trial for periods up to four years.
Tohra had deputed a panel of the SGPC to make an on the spot inquiry into the cases of the prisoners. The panel which submitted its report to Tohra said a large number of them had been detained under the TADA on charges of harboring militants,
The SGPC president regretted that the under trials were intimidated about the next date of hearing while sitting in the police vans and without an actual appearance before the magistrate. He said the SGPC delegation was not allowed to meet any prisoner, The UP Government had been ignoring the requests of Sikh leaders of the state for justice to the detainees. Harinder Singh, a former MLC of UP, known for his impartiality and social service had also been detained under TADA.
The SGPC president urged political parties for raise their voice against the repression against Sikhs which has been going on since 1984 and the detention of many of them on false charges.
The report submitted to Tohra said that the member of the inquiry panels had meta minister and several Government officials for permission to meet the detainees who had been fasting. against delay in trial proceedings but the SSP of Bareily did not relent. He did not believe their credentials even though they showed him their attested identity cards.
The report also lists annexures of news published in dailies of Bareilly about the detainees which also said that a delegation of the BJP appointed by L.K.Advani, senior leader of the party had met the detainees in the jails and confirmed that 39 of them had resorted to hunger strikes but 30 of them ended it after assurances.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 10, 1994
