NEW DELHI: The high court has issued notices on a petition ‘to ban a much praised novel set in the Punjab of 198788 centering on human tragedy, The petitioner says Sikhism is portrayed negatively in the book. The book, Bitter Harvest, was released at a May 9 function in Delhi by Jaganath Misra, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, who praised it profusely, saying he couldn’t put it down once he began it, it took him six hours before he could finish and put it down. The author, ‘Maloy Krishna Dhar, recently took early retirement from the Indian Police Service after three odd decades in counterinsurgency and terrorism. Ironically (in view of the high court petition), he believes Punjab was a colossal human tragedy caused by administrative and political ineptness cum ambivalence. The alienation of Sikhs, he feelingly said at the release function, was a monumental blunder, one every Indian needs to ponder, it drove him to write a book, now sought to be banned on charges of hurting Sikh sentiments. Mr. Dhar’s effort got him much admiration and that May 9function in Delhi’s India International Center was organized by a body of eminent Sikhs, grouped under a Maharaja Ranjit Singh trust. A number of eminent persons attended the function; K.P.S. Gill, Punjab’s ex-police chief, was one. He spoke at length on the violent tragedy in that state and how it was necessary for good literature to be produced on that period, as the only effective way of assimilation into the social psyche.
The petition in question will have none of it. It has been filed on behalf of Satnam Singh Kanda, senior vice-president, of the Amritsar unit of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal). After hearing an argument by his counsel, Rakesh Tiku, Justice C.M. Nayer of the high court issued show cause notices on the petition’s admission on Friday to the four respondents namely the Union home ministry, the city police chief. Mr. Dhar (he lives in Delhi) and the book’s publishers, Ajanta. The case has been listed for November 22.
“The book,” charges the petition “is nothing but an ugly attempt to insult Sikh leaders, their traditions and their institutions, (it) clearly conveys the contempt the author has for Sikhs…Sikh youth are shown as murders…2 conspiracy of the author and his masters in the government of India to destroy the Sikh people. “Any person who reads the book gets a negative picture of the Sikh community…the petitioner has a right to live with dignity and honor. Conversely the respondents are under a duty not to discuss anything to offend such a fundamental right of the petitioner, and continue the contention.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1996
