LUDHIANA: The Punjab Human Rights Organization expressed its concern over the Govt of India’s reaction to the recent calls by U.S Congress for protection of human rights and against proliferation of atomic weapons in South East Asia.

The PHRO Chairman D.S.Gill while releasing a booklet The Rape of Sikh Women’ (PHRO watch for AprilMay1991) to the Press here said the Indian govt instead of improving its human rights situation arrogantly rebuffed the US House of Representatives amendment recommending an enhanced appreciation of human rights by India’s security forces saying that Indian armed forces need no lessons from others in compassion morality and application of human rights and humanitarian standards.

Similarly Japan according to PHRO put up conditionalities including the one of respecting human rights before it gave aid to India only because of India’s poor record inhuman rights especially in case of Punjab and Kashmir.

The two-month watch by PHRO documented several investigation reports and international developments concerning human rights. During April and May the security forces killed 436 active Sikhs in Punjab alone. Most of them were killed in Stage-managed encounters while others were shown killed either in inter-group rivalry or by consuming poison according to PHRO record.

Besides this the PHRO report added that the army killed six Sikh devotees on May 26at Sangha village near Tam Taran. Gang Tape and molestation of women followed the army action. The entire village was ransacked. The armed forces were evidently motivated by the urge to teach a lesson to the villagers in’ the border district of Amritsar for sustaining militancy and generally to execute the threat given some time ago by Brigadier R.P.Sinha to decimate the Sikhs and to breed a new race.

The PHRO was also concerned that despite the international pressure the Govt did not ensure even one conviction for violations of human rights in hundreds of cases involving killing of innocent persons and other excesses against civilians. Most Often the PHRO alleged the registration of cases was designed as means to neutralize the public Pressure rather than to punish the guilty.

The PHRO watch also contained reports on the killing by police “cats” the Tapes by police and individuals in militants’ garb, the kidnappings and extortions by the police or its touts, the disappearances and the harassment of militants” relations.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 16, 1991