LONDON: The PHRO is of the firm view that the unabated crack down on the Punjab Press is the result of the PCI report and. Clandestine support extended to the Government certain editors and newspaper managements, And the crackdown would be further stepped up in view of High Court’s decision in the Daily Ajit case Interestingly, the High Court is not lacking behind the PCI in this guard.
In this climate it is not therefore surprising that Sikhs have lost out entirely in the propaganda war which the Government of India waging relentlessly as a cover up for its dastardly record on human rights and to malign a brave community. In Britain the Indian authorities have achieved a complete victory over the Sikhs with victims being presented as the aggressors and the Indian au thirties being cast in the role of angels.
1n 213 years since the Declaration of Independence, the United States of America has amended its constitution only 12 times. Within the short space of 42 years India has already amended its consttution74times. A county’s constitution represents a sacred pact between the rulers and the ruled. Tinkering with India’s Constitution in this way raises serious doubts about its sanctity “The 59th Amendment is particularly galling as it gives the Indian.
government the right to proclaim an emergency in the state of Punjab on the vaguely defined ground of “internal disturbance” which threatens the integrity of India. The amendment also annuls the right of life and personal liberty enshrined in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, The amendments totally incompatible with India’s obligations under the in emotional Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Today a Sikh in the Punjab and in India has no right to life. The Punjab is a police state where all civil and legal rights have been abrogated and where extrajudicial Killings in “false police encounters” are the order of the day.
India has a comprehensive network of legislation to deal with those who threaten its security and integrity. The notorious National Security Act is being used to cur all legitimate opposition and t hold without charge ordinal an indefinite number of Sikhs and members of other minority com munities whom the government finds unpalatable. The Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act 1985 and the Terrorist Affected Areas (Special Courts) Act 1984 are being used indiscriminately to deny fund a mental rights and legal safeguards to detainees and defendants. Allegations of torture, deaths in custody and “disappearances” are commonplace. And yet not a single Hindu has been detained under these draconian laws. Is there then one law for the mi Norte sands another for the Hindu majority? Cana Hindu never bet ant, terrorist or secessionist under Indian law? Is the mass murder of Sikhs, rape of Sikh women a pillage of Sikh Proper ties in the Post Indira Gandhi assassination riots and since, to remain forever unpunished under Indira’s Secular Laws? International Communication U.N.O. never speaks out against these outrages? For the sake of the Punjab especially the Sikh community these questions must be answered with the utmost urgency.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 29, 1991
