ENCOUNTER IN PILIBHIT:

Summary Executions of Sikhs in Uttar Pradesh, India

On July 13, ten Sikh bus passengers traveling in Uttar Pradesh state were taken into custody and shot dead in what authorities have claimed was an armed “encounter” with police. An eleventh detainee has subsequently disappeared. Eyewitnesses to the detention interviewed by Asia Watch reported that none of the detainees was armed, and Asia Watch believes that the detainees may have been summarily executed. A number of eyewitnesses who have filed affidavits in the courts have subsequently been threatened by the police. Police routinely engage in extrajudicial executions and disappearances of civilians and suspected Sikh militants in Punjab. The Pilibhit incident indicates that the police in Uttar Pradesh are engaging in similar human rights violations against alleged militants in that state.

Background

Pilibhit, a town in northern Uttar Pradesh, is located in Pilibhit District in the Terai region, a marshy plane south of the Himalaya Mountains on the Nepal border. Pilibhit District is home to a large Sikh community, including many migrants from Punjab.1 The town of Pilibhit also has a significant Sikh minority.

The Terai’s proximity to Punjab and its large Sikh population have given rise to fears of separatist violence from Punjab spreading to the region. The jungle areas of the Terai have gained a Teputation for arms and drugs smuggling from Punjab and across the Nepal border, with both militants from Punjab and criminal gangs profiting in the trade.2 Tensions between migrants from Punjab and local inhabitants who see the newcomers as rivals for land and jobs have also led to violent clashes.3

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1The Terai has been described as a “mini-Punjab” because of its large Sikh population. Nalital District, which lies west of Pilibhit, has the largest Sikh population in the region, with some 125,000 Sikh inhabitants. Other districts with large Sikh populations include Rampur, Lakhimpur, Shahjahanpur, Bijnor, Saharanpur and Dehra Dun. Pilibhit district is home to some 50,000 Sikhs. See S.K. Tripathi, “Closing Ranks in the Terai,” Indian Express, August 26, 1991.

2The militants operating in the Terai are reportedly associated with at least one militant organization based in Punjab. See S.K. Pande, “Blood in the Terai,” Frontline, August 3-16, 1991. As in Punjab, there are also a number of criminal gangs operating in the region, some apparently with the support of local party bosses or politicians. According to one observer, “It has become difficult to distinguish between the activities of local criminals and those of militants … At present there are estimated to be 100 militants in the region. Many police are accused of being in league with the militants and other criminals.” S. K. Tripathi, “Closing Ranks in the Terai,” Indian Express, August 26, 1991. See also Sajeda Momin, “A Fake Encounter in Pilibhit,” Telegraph, June 28, 1991; “One Man’s Law,” Economist, August 10, 1991, pp. 23-24.

3Ibid.