Issues Related to the Golden Temple
Peace and stability are the best guarantee for protection of human rights and civil liberties Conditions in Punjab are far from normal and the Indian Government has apparently failed in diffusing the complex and explosive Situation which 1s continuing to result in a loss of innocent life and violation of human rights and civil liberties. The taproot that engenders violence and unrest needs to be understood and addressed as a first step before peace can be restored. This may entail competition of new ideas and adoption of a lateral approach to address the basic issues. Force and inflexibility need to give way to greater understanding, wisdom and magnanimity. Essential measures that are a pre-requisite towards normalization of the tense situation are: The press censorship and ban on the entry of foreign journalists, scholars and visitors to Punjab should be lifted immediately, the ordinances proclaimed during 1984-85 in relation to Punjab should be annulled, secret court trials of the alleged offenders should be replaced with normal court proceedings in case of genuine charges, political prisoners should be released without delay, special courts should be abolished; there should be declaration of amnesty for the soldiers who rebelled at the time of the military action in Punjab.
A judicial enquiry should be ordered into the circumstances that led to the military assault on the Golden Temple and those responsible for unlawful acts should be punished. The Government should release the lists of names of the dead, wounded and arrested. In addition, for the sake of ‘healing touch” it may be useful to undertake a solemn pledge on the floor of the Parliament that never again will a holy and historic temple be desecrated. It will help greatly if the Government expresses regret for the military action in the Golden Temple and other historic places from philosophical perspective holy places, irrespective of the religion to which they belong, need to be respected by the state as was the tradition during the time of Ashoka, Akbar and Ranjit Singh. Despite some bloody battles in the Middle-east, Arabs and Jews respect each other’s holy places. Award of compensation for those who were killed as a result of the military assault should be considered. Following these steps the Government should gauge the aspirations of the minority community and act in a manner that restores lasting peace through compromise and accommodation.
With regard to the loss of Sikh life and property in November 1984 there are a number of concrete measures that should be taken by the Indian Government. Essential among these are, firstly, measures to rehabilitate the surviving victims of the carnage especially the widows, children and orphans; secondly, safeguards for the security of life, property and livelihood in respect of the minorities to prevent recurrence of a similar tragedy in future; thirdly, vigorous investigation, arrest and initiation of lawful criminal proceedings against those responsible for the carnage.
An Appeal
We call upon you – the citizens and their elected representatives – to attempt to know the facts relating to the events in Punjab and lend support to the fight against violation of human rights and civil liberties. It should be society’s endeavor that never again another holocaust, large or small, is allowed to occur anywhere in the world. This publication is a humble reminder of the dangers that face religious freedom, human rights and civil liberties especially in respect of minorities. We appeal to you to bring moral pressure on the Indian Government to take steps to genuinely restore human rights and civil liberties in Punjab
