During the year 1990 to date Punjab Human Rights Activists were arrested and detained on five occasions as per details given in succeeding paras.
Justice Ajit Singh Bains (Retd) Major General Nannder Singh Reid) and S. Jaspal Singh President District Unit Ropar were a rested at 2 pm. on June 5 1990 about 5 kms outside Amntsar while proceeding to Amritsar to take part in the Bhog o be held at ‘Sri Akal Takht on 6 June on 6th Anniversary of Operation Blue Star A totally false FIR was registered against them They were kept under detention till 6:30 p.m 8 June 1990. They were not produced before any magistrate either after their arrest or before their release.
Prof. Baljinder Singh and Advocate R>S> Bhatia along with about 18 other persons including Dr. Rattan Singh an Ex. MLA were arrested on 8th August 1990 while ‘organizing a peaceful Dhara (sit in) in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner Amritsar against the illegal detention of three Sikh youths by Amritsar Police. They ‘were charged under section 107/ 151 Indian Penal Code (apprehension of breach of peace) and lodged in Central Jail Amritsar. ‘While some of them were released on bail the next day Prof.Baljinder Singh along with remaining persons was released after one week.
Mayor General Narinder Singh & Mr R<N<Kumar of the committee for Initiative and information were taken into custody by the local police on the evening of 1st November 1990 at Mukatsar (Punjab) to prevent them from taking part in the Guru Nanak Devs Binhday Anniversary function being held on 2nd November 1990. Mrs. Baljit Kaur was taken into custody on 2nd November 1990 at about 10 a.m while proceeding to attend the function. Sardar Inderjit Singh Jiajee was also arrested on the evening of 1st November 1990. Besides about a dozen Sikhs were arrested from the Gurudwara they were all released at about 5 p.m on 2nd November 1990alter the function had concluded.
Dr. Sukhjeet Kaur Gill and S> Rajinder Singh Khurana were arrested at 4 p.m. on 12th November 1990 to forestall their taking part in a peaceful dharma being organized by Akali Dal (Mann) and All India Sikh Student Federation (Manjit Singh Grou0P on 13th November 1990 in front of Punjab Governor’s residence to protest against the arrest of S> ‘Simranjit Singh Mann and Bhai Manjit Singh. They were released ‘on 14th November at 8:30 p.m. incidentally they had not even supported there call for the dharma. They were arrested on a totally false FIR under section 107/181 of Indian Penal Code.
Major General Narinder Singh (Retd and Dr.Sukhjeet Kaur Gill ‘were arrested on 24 November 1990 at 4 p.m. to prevent them from taking part in the Panthic Convention to be held at Anandpur Sahib on 25 November 1990. A totally false FIR under sections 107/151 Indian Penal Code was registered and they were lodged in Burail Jail Chandigarh. White Dr. Sukhjeet Kaur Gill was released only on 3 Dec. 1990 at 4 p.m on a writ petition having been moved in the Punjab & Haryana High Court on 1st Dec 1990 hearing for which was to be held on 4 Dec. 1990.
All the above cases of gross violations of human constitutional ‘and democratic rights expose the hollowness of the claim of the ‘Government of India that no violations of human rights taking place. The repeated arrest of activists of Punjab Human Rights Organizations is to harass and intimidate them so as to stop them from exposing the grave violations of basic human rights taking place in Punjab on a large scale on ‘account of state repression.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 4, 1991
