We read the Dalit Voice (Oct.1, 91) of which we are great admirers. We understand your anguish and dissatisfaction that the Sikh leadership has not sup Ported you while you have been Supporting the Sikh struggle, (Ref: “Dalit Voice offer to Sikhs”p.10) But there is no over ground leadership and there is a vacuum, The over ground people i.e. Akais, etc are handing love with the Indian ruling class. Thus, neither we nor you should expect anything from them. The underground leader ship, though divided, is busy in armed struggle and has, perhaps, no time or occasion to think of a media of their own, In Punjab, it is next to impossible to start a paper to highlight the problems of the Sikhs because of the law of the jungle prevailing here. Because of the undeclared censorship over the Sikh papers, journalist dares to come out.
You must be remembering Sukhdev Singh, journalist (president of the PHRO), editor of “Dignity” weekly at Chandigarh, and he ended up in a six month detention in jail along with you in Chandigarh jail. Because you were not a Sikh and influential, you could get out of the jail.
You have termed the publication of the PHRO, The Fourth Estate as Fifth column as a shabby book let. Had you been living in this Part of the subcontinent, would not have been possible for you to bring out the Dalit Voice, what to say of the “shabby book let”. The Sikhs are passing through tremendous awful times.
Need of the hour is media: We fully agree that the need of the hour is a media for the Sikhs, the worst persecuted people under the brahminical empire. The Akalis, the sham federation is embracing the Russian agents (communists), are for power, position white the dedicated underground leadership is, at present, fighting for their survival unable to start some newspaper though several pro postal seem to be on anvil. I would request you not to be displeased with the Sikh masses for the follies and mischief of the conventional leadership, there is another mischievous item by some State inspired correspondent. He knows that the Dalit Voice is a powerful paper which is supporting the Sikh cause, the headline says “Dalit’s killed by Sikh militants”.
The Sikhs can never be anti-Dalit it is our religion, it is our creed and it is our baptismal pledge. You cannot admire a person who helps the enemy in a struggle. Maybe, his friend or a relative. Police informers, liquor vendors, extortionists etc., are being killed by the militants in retaliation: this is a truth. This report from your Calcutta correspondent about Punjab (more than 1,000 meters away) is very mischievous, He has written that Dalit’s were killed in Punjab because they refuse to change their religion to Sikhism. He does not know that the Dalit’s about whom he is writing were already Sikhs by bin.
He has mentioned Makita Singh’s name among the killed by militants. Does he know that this Malkiat Singh’s name has been given thrice in the item and the man is not a Dalit, though he was a B.S.P candidate? And 70% can ideates of the BSP in Punjab were not Dalit. Most of them were Jat Sikhs.
I would request you not to be led astray by the news items inserted and planted by the brahmanical agents,
Please keep the flag flying for the Sikh struggle as usual, irrespective of the delusions etc. about the proverbial Sikh leadership. (S GURBHAJANSINGH GILL of Sikh Vichar Manch in a letter to DV).
Article extracted from this publication >>