Beginning of the Morcha:
- The Akali Ministry was in Power in Punjab when Mrs. Indira Gandhi staged a comeback after winning the Parliament elections in 1980. The Punjab Rivers water case then was before the Supreme Court of India to test the constitutional legality of sections 78-80 of Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966. When in political wilderness, she had realized that in future she must nurse the Hindu majority to remain in power. She dismissed the Akali Ministry and on instigation by Haryana and’ Rajasthan, decided to withdraw the case from Supreme Court and sign an agreement _ on River water issue to the advantage of these two non-riparian States. The agreement with Punjab was necessary as the Centre was uneasy about its shaky legal position before the Supreme Court.
In 1981, the Prime Minister called the meeting of the congress Chief Ministers of Punjab, HARYANA and Rajasthan and asked them to sign the water Agreement. It is common knowledge that she had to literally bully the congress chief Minister of Punjab to sign the agreement legalizing discriminatory allocation of water and digging of SYL canal. The Chief Minister of Punjab was threatened dismissal before he signed the agreement at literally pistol point. One of the conditions of the agreement was that the case from the Supreme Court will stand withdrawal. As this news percolated to Punjab, the Sikh farmers were disturbed and they decided to stop the digging of the SYL canal in its territory. This was named Kapoori Morcha of the Akali Dal.
Meanwhile the Sikhs put forward their other demands viz; Religious demands, Territorial demands, water Dispute, political demands of giving greater autonomy to the states and the question of separate Sikh identity. Some discussion took place in 1981-82 between the Prime Minister and Akali leaders, but the Prime Minister did not concede these demands.
62 On 9 Sept. 1981 Lala Jagat Narain a fanatic Hindu who owned Urdu and Hindi press at Jullundur and always openly attacked the Sikh doctrines and interests, was killed by some assailant. The _ Punjab Congress Govt. falsely accused the Sikh Saint Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale for this deed and on 12 Sept. 1981 issued his warrant of arrest. He peacefully surrendered to the police on 16 Sep. 1981 at Mehta Chowk, but the police provoked the Sikhs by shooting his ten followers who were protesting against the Sant’s arrest. Sikhs who were already feeling very sore and restive due to atrocities committed on Sikhs suspected of killing the Nirankari chief, and non-acceptance of Sikh demands by the Prime Minister, especially draining out of water from Punjab Rivers, rose as one man and offered themselves for arrest. In a short period of two months, 50,000 Sikhs courted arrest and it became difficult for the Govt. to bear the economic burden of feeding, keeping and looking after so many prisoners at the cost of Rs. 40 per head per day. Therefore, the Govt. was forced to release the prisoners unilaterally to save an expenditure of 20 lacs per day.
Sikh sacrifices during the Morcha:
- From the start of the agitation in August, 1982 till today, over 0.15 million Sikhs i.e. 15% of the total Sikh population, have courted arrest and 200 Sikhs have lost their lives most of them shot dead by the Police in fake encounters. The Punjab has been converted into a POLICE STATE. Para-military force deployed in Punjab is over 0.1 million, which works out to be one policeman for every 10 Sikh men, women and children. Many houses and shops have been destroyed and burnt by the Police. Scores of tractors, buses, trollies and jeeps have been set on fire by the Central Reserve Police. 7 horses, two bullocks belonging to Sikhs have been shot dead and 12 -horses have been severely wounded by the police bullets, As many as six Inspector-Generals of Police have been posted in Punjab to crush the Sikh agitation.
Humiliation during ASIAD:
- The Sikhs decided to launch a peaceful demonstration during the Asian games being held in Delhi. The Indian Government therefore ordered the search and humiliation of all Sikhs coming to Delhi. Sikh travellers were dragged out from the buses and trains. Not even old men, women and children were spared. Serving Sikh officers and men in uniform and retired Generals and senior civil and Police officers, who carried their Identity cards with them, were insulted, searched, and humiliated for being Sikhs. in Haryana, on the main Grand Trunk road, nine barriers and check posts armed with machine guns and mortar nests were established as if the Sikhs were coming as an Army of invasion. Male policemen searched Sikh women. Even Sikh citizens of USA, Canada -and England were not spared this humiliation. The ban on Sikh movement to Delhi even for legitimate work and their humiliation by the Police left a deep scar on the Sikh psyche. This alienated Sikh intelligentsia from their country, particularly the Indian Government.
Ex-Servicemen/Intellectuals Rally:
65, On a call given by the Akali Dal on 23 Dec. 1982, 15,000 Sikh Ex-servicemen, including Generals, 12 Brigadiers, 22 Colonels, many Lt. Colonels, junior officers and men attended the Rally at Amritsar and gave full support to the Sikh Cause. Similarly, over 12,000 intellectuals attended a Rally in January, 1983 to support the Sikh Demands. Some young I. A. S. officers resigned and participated in the Morcha. Barring a few Sikh renegades, who are holding high offices, the entire Sikh nation is behind the Sikh demands. Large number of Sikh soldiers and civilians in Government employment want to resign their jobs but have been stopped from doing so for the time being. The situation in Punjab has become explosive.
Atrocities committed on the Sikhs:
The list of atrocities on the Sikhs during the Morcha from 4th August 1982 to date is very long (see Annexure I) and more atrocities are being committed every day. Some of the worst only are listed below:
(i) Father made to rape his daughter:
Sudagar Singh, a scheduled caste Sikh from village Ghal khurd, Tehsil Moga Distt. Ferozepur, was, dragged out of his home along with his unmarried daughter Swaran Kaur in the police station, Mehna. The Station House Officer made both the father and the daughter strip naked and ordered the father to rape her in the presence of his son Major Singh who was suspected to be an extremist. The police wanted the alleged extremist son to give false evidence to implicate Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
(ii) Girl stripped naked and paraded in the streets:
In Dao Ke village, Tehsil Ajnala Distt. Amritsar, a young girl was stripped naked by the Police from P. S. Gharinda and paraded in the streets, because the Police wanted her to disclose the whereabouts of her brother—a suspected Sikh sympathizer.
(iii) Sikh priest defiled:
A Sikh priest Jasbir Singh, village Chupkiti, Tehsil Moga, Distt. Faridkot, was Called to the police station Moga. Police wanted to know if the extremists visited his shrine. A Hindu police officer sat on his chest, opened his mouth with a stick and committed the sacrilege of spitting tobacco in his mouth to obtain false evidence against suspected extremists.
(iv) Thigh cut and filled with salt:
A young Sikh of about 22 years named Jagir Singh from village Ittanwali, Tehsil Moga, was brought to the police station. He was asked to implicate Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in a false case of extremism. On his refusal to do so, his right thigh was cut open with a knife and bandaged after filling it with salt. But the young man refused to give false evidence.
(v) Hijackers shot dead:
In 1977, when Mrs. Indira Gandhi was out of power, she was sent to Tihar jail by the Janta Govt. Her two supporters Mr. Pande and his companion hijacked an Indian Air Line Plane as a protest; they were rewarded by giving those Congress (I) tickets and elected M.L.As. by the Prime Minister’s Party, when she came in power. Both the hijackers were made country’s heroes. Two Indian Airline planes were hijacked: one on 4th August 1982 and the other on 20th August 1982 by two unarmed Sikh young men to protest against the burning of Guru Granth Sahit—the Sikh holy scripture—by the Police. One of the hijackers, Museebat Singh was shot dead by the Police at Raja Sansi airport Amritsar on surrendering and the other Gurbakhsh Singh Bal had his leg chopped off.
(vi) Stomachs burst open and blinded Jasdev Singh and Sukhdev Singh two suspected to be sympathizers of the extremists were arrested from their village Kot Isa Khan. They were asked to disclose the whereabouts of the suspected extremists, At their inability to give information, they were tortured in Kot ISA Khan police station, Tehsil Zira, Distt. Ferozepure. Their stomachs were cut open by pincers and their intestines were taken out, while they were alive. Later their eyes were gouged out by a knife; and to destroy evidence of torture, they were both shot dead and quietly cremated by the Police on instructions from the Congress Govt.
(vii) Hot iron-rod shoved in the stomach
- Kulwant Singh of village Nagoke, Tehsil Tarn Taran, Dist. Amritsar, was suspected to be an extremist sympathizer. He was arrested and brought to Nagoke police station. There, he was tortured brutally by the Police. A red hot iron rod was shoved into his stomach. He was branded by hot iron on his forehead and every point of his body was fractured by blunt weapons. He survived the torture but carried the brands, which could be seen by anybody. But to destroy the evidence of torture, police later shot him dead in the police station and reported that he was killed in an encounter.
(viii) Nails pulled out:
- Gurmeet Singh was a young Sikh from Village Dhulkot Ludhiana. He was arrested for suscected extremist activities and taken to Rahon Police Station Distt. Ludhiana where all his twenty nails of both hands and feet were pulled out by pincers and salt was sprinkled on the wounds. Then his hands were held over the candles and burnt. The police then shot him dead and listed in the police records ‘‘as killed in police encounter.”
(ix) Beard of a Sikh shaved off:
On April 4, 1983, S. Laher Singh was arrested from his village and taken to the police station Fazilka by Bichu Ram, Sub Inspector of Police. In the police station his beard was shaved off for participating in the peaceful agitation—(an act which is abhorrent to Sikh religious sersibility).
(x) Sikh Shot dead in a rickshaw:
- Balwant Singh was sitting in a rickshaw and busy with his normal peaceful activities, when Deputy supdt. Police Mr. Lajwant Singh took out his pistol and shot him dead, because he appeared to be a burly Sikh capable of extremist activities.
(xi) Train Bus collision deaths:
34 Sikh prisoners were crushed under a train along with the bus in which they were travelling under police escort from Amritsar to Ferozepore.
(xii) Killed in false police encounter:
- Baljeet Singh, a young Sikh boy from Sultanpur Distt. Kapurthala, was arrested from his house on_ suspicion of being friendly with extremists. He was tortured brutally and later killed in false encounter by the police.
(xiii) Priest of Golden Temple Shot dead:
- Darshan Singh, one of the priests of the Golden Temple was walking home after reciting prayers and devotional songs. He was shot dead in the bazar by the police without any warning.
(xiv) Tortured and killed:
- Kashmir Singh village Ladhuwal Tehsil Jalalabad, District Ferozepore was arrested on the suspicion of being an extremist. He was taken to the Police Station and tortured to obtain confession very limb in his body was broken and finally he was allegedly shot dead in the Police Station & reported as killed in an encounter.
(xv) Follower of a Sikh Sant tortured & Killed
- Bhola Singh village Dode, Tehsil Moga, Distt. Faridkot was a_ religious young man. He served Sant Jarnail Singh and did house-hold chores for him. He was arrested by the police and beaten up badly to falsely implicate the Sikh Sant in a Criminal case. He was allegedly shot dead in the police station & reported killed.
(xvi) Serving Sikh sepoy Tortured and Killed
Sepoy Sital Singh of 2nd Battalian Sikh Light Infantry of village Malwa District Amritsar was suspected of stealing a sten-gun for giving to extremists. His Commanding Officer Lt. Col. S. P. Chadha allegedly ordered that he be beaten up in the presence of his comrades and villagers. One pound of chili powder was pushed through his rectum and also put in ‘his eyes. He was allegedly beaten to death in the presence of villagers and shown as killed in a fight with his comrade who also was tortured in a similar way. In the postmortem report one Ib chilies were recoated from his stomach. All his limbs were broken. The sten-gun was recovered from somewhere else.
Rasta Roko (Road Block) atrocities:
On April 4, 1983 the Akali Dal gave a call for blockade of roads in Punjab to protest against the continued indifference of the Government towards Sikh demands. The Punjab Govt. suspended Bus services, as nobody wanted to travel under uncertain conditions. The Police had, however, instructions to teach Sikhs “A Lesson”. At Malerkotla town, where Sikhs were peacefully sitting on the traffic less road reciting Shabads (devotional songs) from Sikh scriptures, the Police accompanied by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, reportedly came to the scene and without any provocation or excuse, opened fire with sten-gun and service-automatic rifles on the peaceful squatters. More than half a dozen agitators died on the spot, and a score of them were seriously wounded. All the hand-carts loaded with fruit, mostly belonging to poor Muslims, were allegedly looted by the Police and so were some liquor shops. One truck belonging to a non-agitating Sikh S. Zora Singh of Malerkotla Tehsil, parked in his house, was set on fire by the Policemen in uniform. When the women talk tried to save the truck, they were beaten by Policemen by rifle-buts and their clothes were torn. Another truck belonging to a Sikh was damaged by rifle fire from close range. A moter-cycle standing in the shop of Mr. Mohd Sharif, was damaged and dented by sticks. A Police Sergeant set fire to the hand-cart of Mohd. Aslam after it was looted. The Central Reserve Police Force fired at a Mosque to shoot down the Muslim priest. The bullet holes are still there on the walls of the Mosque. A lady Sikh leader was brutally beaten up by the policemen and was rescued bleeding by the Sikh and Hindu Government Bus drivers.
At village Bhogiwal, Tehsil Malerkotla, villagers working in the fields were reportedly shot and killed. At a road junction on Ludhiana-Malerkotla road, the Deputy Supdt. of Police Mr. VISHIST and S.D.M. DUGGA reportedly ordered a stranded bus No. PUU 2275 to be set on fire to create excuse for the atrocities. At KUP DA TOTA, aplace near Malerkotla, where sick were being treated, the medical Assistant Shamsher Singh was allegedly dragged out of the clinic and was shot at, but luckily escaped due to poor marksmanship of the firer. A dozen tractors belonging to Sikhs were reportedly burnt by the Police. These tractors were brought to the place for repairs or filling in of diesel. Four more tractors were allegedly burnt by the police in KUP Kalan village. Many trucks belonging to the truck-men were reportedly hijacked by the Police and given back only after receiving bribes. On 4 April 1983 alone the Police reportedly opened fire on peaceful agitators at Dera Bassi, Rajpura, Patiala’ Phagwara and Bhatinda and committed atrocities, burnt private Tractors, Jeeps buses shops and sheds and shot dead 23 Sikh men, women and children.
Baba Bakala Episode:
In the first week of July, 1983 two Nihangs (Orthodox Sikhs) were arrested by the Police to investigate a murder in the area. A band of Nihangs went to the Police station to request the police officer not to torture the detainees. A strong police party, as per instructions received from the higher ups, reportedly besieged the Nihang Camp and started indiscriminately firing at the Sikhs. They killed seven horses and two bullocks and also wounded twelve horses. They also allegedly killed two Sikhs and looted their property from the camp. The Punjab Government have rewarded 47 policemen with gallantry and cash awards reportedly for shooting innocent Nihangs, looting their property and killing their horses and bullocks and thus creating terror in the camp of Nihangs.
Policemen are brazenly rewarded for allegedly killing innocent and unarmed Sikhs. By this act the Govt. wants to raise the morale of the Police Force and instill fear in the minds of Sikhs. In shart, large scale genocide is going on in Punjab to exterminate the innocent and unarmed Sikhs for no fault of theirs.
Over 1000 Sikhs are at present reported to be under illegal detention. More than 20 young Sikhs have been detained under National security Act. There is no primafaci case against most of them but police tortures them to obtain false confessions. When a detenue dies of tortures, his body is allegedly mutilated and thrown into a canal, and reported killed in fake encounter and cremated. The detainee’s next of kin do not know in which prison or police station they are detained.
