CHANDIGARH: Indian authorities have threatened to block the move of certain Sikh leaders to Delhi where they are planning to meet officials of the U.S. embassy to thank President Clinton for his Statement sympathetle to Sikhs S G.P.C. chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra India Akali Dal (Badal) President Parkash Singh Badal are among half a dozen leaders who have announced their plans to meet the U.S officials next week.
No senior Indian officer directly made any suggestion to halt the movement of Sikhs to Delhi but the ruling party’s youth wing chief in Punjab Romesh Singh told a media conference at Nabha early this week that no Akali leader would be permitted to go out of Punjab to thank the U.S President. The youth Congress he said would make all sacrifices to achieve its aim of stopping Akalis.
Singha strongly condemned the Akali leaders for encouraging militancy and said that no violations of human rights were taking place in Punjab. Chief Minister Beant Singh spoke in similar vein at Mahmadpur in Sangrur district to condemn the U.S. administration. Beant Singh alleged that the U.S. intelligence agency C.I.A. got Indint Gandht killed. The USA he said did not want India to be a Strong nation und was bent upon dividing the country.
Tohra On the other hand defended his party right to meet the US officials and said that they required no government permission It was their fundamental right to foreign governments of the violation of human rights in India. The threats to block their meeting with the U.S. officials itself proved the serious human rights situation in Punjab Tohra said The Indian authorities he said could not cover up their crimes in Punjab in this manner.
The Akali Dal (Mann) hive arranged a seminar at gurdwant Akal garh Ludhiana on Feb.16 to thank President Clinton for his Statement. Simranjit Singh Mann who is now lodged in Patiala jail has issued an appeal to the public to reach Ludhiana to participate in the seminar
Article extracted from this publication >> February 18, 1994
