NEW DELHI: For the first time India’s human rights commission will investigate excesses by police in the northern State Of Punjab where a 10 year-old insurgency had killed nearly 17500 people.
The National Human Rights Commission created last year by Parliament will send a team to Punjab in April United News of India said quoting unnamed officials.
The commission headed by a retired chief justice of the Supreme Court also is investigating alleged abuses by troops in the Himalayan state of Kashmir where Muslim guerrillas are fighting for an independent nation. Police in Punjab still have Sweeping special powers provided to combat guerrillas even though the Sikh separatist rebellion there has almost ended.
In December police in the city of Amritsar arrested four women on charges of stealing a purse locked them up in a police station and had the world pickpocket tattooed on their foreheads.
Amnesty International in a report last year condemned the Punjab police as responsible for the disappearances of dozen of civilians whom Amnesty believes were killed in police Custody.
LONDON: Dr. Jack Cunningham MP Shadow Foreign Secretary of the Labor Party is lead a delegation on an official seven day visit to India which departed on March 18. During that time Dr. Cunningham decided to spend two days in Punjab on a fact finding mission.
Amnesty international British Sikhs: and many other human rights organizations have been lobbying British Parliamentarians over a long period of time (to visit areas affected by a gross violation of human rights in India especially Punjab and Kashmir Dr. Cunningham made statements . Dr. Cunningham made statements at a number of meetings that he would ‘only accept the invitation of the Indian Government to visit India if he was granted unimpeded access to the places he wished to visit and the people he wished to meet.
This is a tremendous opportunity for all the victims of torture rape and the families whose member have disappeared or have been killed in fake police encounters or in police custody to meet Dr. Cunningham and apprise him of their sufferings and victimization. The Indian Government officials will attempt to hamper this visit by arranging an official itinerary in such a way as to allow Dr. Cunningham very little time and opportunity to visit the victims of oppression .Before his departure to India British Sikhs met Dr. Cunningham and he assured them that he would be meeting members of human rights organizations and that he would also visit Amritsar and its surrounding villages to make contact with the people.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 1, 1994
