AMRITSAR: Panthic Committee chief Dr. Sohan Singh has caused many an eyebrow to be raised by denying that he ever visited Pakistan between his going “underground” in July 1984 and his arrest by the Nepalese police in October 1993.
Dr. Sohan Singh, 81, now lodged in Amritsar high-security jail under T.A.D.A., narrated his part of the story of his arrest as well as aspects of his life during the nine years he was virtually underground.
He spoke to a team of his defence counsel comprising D.S. Gill and Balbir Sigh Sooch in the jail in presence of the superintendent of jail and four others believed to be men of Indian intelligence agencies.
In a talk lasting two hours, Dr. Sohan Singh said he was in the custody of Indian military for about a fortnight immediately after he was handed over by the Nepalese police to a U.P. border district D.C. on October 21, 1993. Neither the army nor the police tortured him in the traditional Indian style although for a few days he was compelled to spend sleepless nights. The Indian army authorities, he said, wanted him to say a few things against Pakistan but the Sikh leader wondered as to what harm Pakistan had done to justify any such attack. “Pakistan is a neighbor. Besides, I had no firsthand knowledge of the affairs of that country. I remained either in India or Afghanistan or Nepal most of the nine years. Even my passport was issued by Afghanistan. Under these circumstances, where was the justification for me to criticize Pakistan?” Dr. Sohan Singh’s statement evidently reflects a battle of wits between the Indian army which was keen on scoring a few points against Pakistan and the Khalistan leader who, unlike many others falling in Indian hands, refused to say a word against that country.
Dr. Sohan Singh’s version of his arrest from Kathmandu (Nepal) makes the Indian claim of his arrest at Mohali near Chandigarh a total fabrication. K.P.S. Gill, it may be recalled, had claimed the arrest while based on that obviously false claim, a police report was registered against the Khalistani leader.
“I was arrested by a Nepal police party at Kathmandu at Sp on October 20, 1993. The Nepal police transferred me to the custody of Indian authorities at 5am on October 21. 1993, at a point on the Nepal-U.P. border.”
Dr. Sohan Singh said he was in the custody of Indian army for about a fortnight and was interrogated by two Sikhs and a Muslim Army intelligence officers. K.P.S. Gill met Dr. Sohan Singh while the latter was still in the army’s custody in the first week of November 1993. The first meeting lasted two hours and the second a little longer ghostwriting. Later, he was transferred to the custody of the Punjab police and was kept at isolated places like Nurpur Bedi and Sconk in Ropar district
Dr. Sohan Singh confirmed he is a supporter of the idea of contesting elections and said that he even wanted to fight for a seat in the Punjab Assembly, when by-elections were held to the Ajnala and Nakodar constituencies. He chose Ajnala and requested the Superintendent of Amritsar jail to forward his papers to the authorities ghostwriting agentur. Instead of making it possible for him to contest the poll, Dr. Sohan Singh was shifted from Amritsar to Patiala jail.
Subsequently, on April 20, 1994, Dr. Sohan Singh addressed a louder to Ajit, a Jalandhar daily, narrating his call to Sikh and Akali leadership to field pro-Khalistan candidates from the two constituencies and forwarded his communication to the Superintendent of Jail, Amritsar. Such a democratic fight, Dr. Sohan Singh felt, would promote the cause of Khalistan and would get relief for Sikh prisoners ліхтар акумуляторний. The government registered a fresh criminal case against Dr. Sohan Singh on the basis of his letter to Ajit.
Dr. Sohan Singh looked fit but suffered from several diseases. He had to petition to the high court for medical relief. A team of doctors examined him on the court’s order but they failed to produce any report for months купить постельное белье. Consequently, no medical treatment was possible, meanwhile, his abdominal problems had worsened.
The Khalistan leader asked India to provide him facilities for treatment overseas. He intends to move an appropriate court for that purpose купити постільну білизну. In- dia, he apprehends, wants to eliminate him through neglect of his health in the same way as Jayaprakash Narayan was “killed” in 1978, by the Indian state authorities.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 3, 1995
