NEW DELHI: Former Punjab governor Siddhartha Shankar Ray (73) has been appointed India’s new ambassador to the United States. Ray’s appointment was sought by India to be kept a closely guarded secret but his rivals in the West Bengal Congress party leaked out the information because they could not contain their happiness over his removal from Bengal’s political scene. India was keen on getting Washington’s clearance before making public the appointment, Ray was appointed governor of Punjab by the late Rajiv Gandhi in 1986, He remained there for more than two years until the Janata Dal government headed by V.P Singh removed him in deference to the wishes of the Sikh community which intensely hated him for his role of trampling underfoot the Sikhs” human rights. It was during Ray’s governorship that hundreds of Sikh youths were killed in contrived encounters with the police. A significant new contribution to India’s handling of the Punjab problem was made by Ray when his administration organized a series of vigilante groups of criminals to launch a campaign of looting plunder and rape of Sikh households and women. The campaign by the anti-social groups was blamed on the Sikh nationalist movement through the media which Ray did a lot to control, It was mostly during Ray’s governorship of Punjab that no known international human rights group was allowed entry into Punjab. Former Punjab Governor’s appointment by India as its new envoy to the most important country in the world shows that Delhi continues to regard the Punjab problem as its main international concern, Ray is expected to put across India’s well known stance of Pakistan’s support to Sikh nationalist movement as an evidence of Rawalpindi’s involvement in anti-India terrorism, India regards all nationalist movements in the country as terrorism. When India appointed Abid Hussain as its ambassador, the message sent across was that India was a secular country and that the movement for independence in the Jammu and Kashmir was an artificial imposition from outside. Ray’s appointment is aimed at blunting the growing criticism of India’s treatment of Sikhs and their human rights because there are not many articulate Indians to fine tune this country’s diplomacy in the western world so long as India’s antiSikh policy continues. Ray is expected to perform the miracle despite that policy launched a campaign of raping Sikh women and plundering Sikh households. Through the government controlled media, the Sikh nationalist movement was blamed for these atrocities.

For a country such as the U.S, whose laws and government represents freedom and respect for human rights to accept a person like Ray as an ambassador is an affront to all who have left their homelands in order to escape the tyranny that he both represents now and participated in, while he was in power,

It behooves the Secretary to note that World Renowned Human Rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Asia Watch and the International Human Rights Organization (JHRO) have consistently and repeatedly reported on the horrors perpetrated by Government sponsored “Security Forces” in the Indian States of Punjab and Kashmir. Mr. Ray was one of the driving forces that closed the country to such agencies-a policy that India adopted nearly a decade ago and a  policy that is still in effect today,

In view of the above mentioned facts and in order to provide the Justice for all freedom loving people it is imperative that Mr. Ray be denied diplomatic credentials. This action will show the world that the United States practices the ideals that all have come to believe represent its teachings, sincerely,

Staff and Management; WSN Editor’s Note: We appeal to our readers to use our sample letter given on page 7 for their own organizations. Please register your protest by sending a copy to your representatives and to the Secretary of State.

 

Article extracted from this publication >> October 9, 1992