The following is the text of a letter from the Panthic Committee to President George Bush. The letter urges the US government to free Bhai Ranjit Singh and Bhai Sukhminder Singh, two innocent Sikhs now held in a New York detention facility for over five years at the behest of the Indian government.

To The President of the United States White House

1600 Pennslyvania Ave

Washington DC

Dear President Bush,

 We want to bring to your attention that two of our Sikh brothers, Ranjit Singh Gill and Sukhminder Singh Sandhu are lodged in a New York fail for over 5 years. They have committed no crime anywhere.

In India, they were first framed in an attempted murder of a Senior Superintendent of Police. Later, a government investigation by retired High Court Judge, Justice Bains found the boys innocent. The police officials admitted fabricating the case as there was no material to substantiate the accusation that a conspiracy was hatched to eliminate the police official. But the Government failed to withdraw its case. _ In order to save their lives they fled to the U.S. Several false cases were then filed against them in India. They were arrested in the US and first tried in New Jersey in February 1988. India still seeks their extradition.

An anti-Sikh environment was created by sending threatening letters against the magistrate and public prosecutor, Later, the FBI charged the public prosecutor for sending those letters to prejudice the magistrate. We strongly believe that the public prosecutor was paid by the Indian Government to vitiate the boys case. The magistrate ordered extradition of the two Sikh youths. However, a federal Judge in New York reversed that decision as the evidence on the basis of which they were being extradited was ruled inadmissible even by an Indian Judge. This information was withheld from the U.S. Courts by Indian officials for 20 months.

Sir, if these two young Sikhs are extradited to India they will be killed by Indian police in an extrajudicial manner (fake encounters) like thousands of others who have been killed already, Indian Govt. does not honor the human rights of religious minorities. This has been reported by Punjab Human Rights Organization, Amnesty International, Asia Watch and other independent bodies. Even several U.S. Congressmen have brought this to the attention of U.S. Congress and public. The U.S. has been a champion of human rights and a safe haven for millions of people who otherwise would have been killed by fascist regimes.

Sir, our fight for freedom is no different than the fight led by George Washington. President Abraham Lincoln in his inaugural address on March 4,1861, echoed the sentiment of our ongoing struggle when he said “If by the mere numbers a majority should deprive a minority of any clearly written constitutional right, it might in a moral point of view justify revolution, certainly would if such a right were a vital one”.

Sir, on behalf of the Sikh nation we appeal to you not to extradite these two Sikhs to India, If they are extradited, they will be killed by Indian Police without any trial. We consider U.S.A. to be a [friend of the Sikh Nation. We request that they be released and allowed to stay In U.S. unless it is safe for them to return voluntarily.

Daljit Singh

Dr. Sohan Singh

Satinderpal Singh

Harminder Singh

Shahbaz Singh

Article extracted from this publication >> December 20, 1991