In the foregoing pages, the Sikh case has been projected objectively with authentic and true records. The Sikhs feel with justification that the Government of India instead of treating Sikhs as “Respectable citizens at par with Hindus,” treat them as second class citizens and criminals.” so that in the words of Mr. Jawahar Lal Nehru ‘’they wake up to political realities and recognize who are the masters and who the slaves”. The consequences of Mr. Nehru’s reported statement are there for all to see.
The Government of India considers the Sikh agitation waged for the acceptance of their constitutional rights, as a Jaw and order problem only and want to teach a lesson to the Sikhs. Since 1981, over 0.15 million Sikhs have courted arrest and over 200 innocent and unarmed Sikhs have been killed, mostly in police firing or fake encounters.
All that the Sikhs demand is that their separate identity is recognized and they are allowed to live with honour and dignity at par with the Hindu majority in the country, and there should be no discrimination against them in matters religious, territorial, economic, control of river waters, employment and services. All the issues raised by the Sikhs should be solved as per the law of the land and ‘’provisions of the Indian Constitution. Every democratic channel of highlighting the Sikh grievances has been exhausted, but the Government has paid no heed to the Sikh protests. Instead, the Government has resorted to shooting down innocent and unarmed Sikhs.
The brave Sikhs of the Punjab now appeal to all right thinking Indians and International forums that believe in human rights, justice and fair play to exert full pressure on the Indian Government to stop “genocide of the Sikhs” on the false and unfounded pretext of their being criminals, extremists and secessionists. Will the conscientious Indians and International Community rise to the occasion and come to the rescue of the Sikh Nation, who are a microscopic minority in India, and stop their barbaric religious persecution, or will they choose to remain silent spectators?
It is for the conscience of right thinking Indians and the International Community to decide. The Sikh Nation wants to assure the world that they believe in universal brother-hood of Man and want to live on this planet with dignity and peace, with goodwill towards all and malice towards none. One thing is quite sure that the Sikhs will continue their fight against oppression, injustice and tyranny but they will bow down before none except God Almighty, as the Sikh Gurus have taught them. The Sikhs value freedom of Dharma (Religion) and uprightness over all other things, and prefer to die in the battle field with the famous prayer of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru on their lips, but will never surrender before anybody.
