The genocide of Sikhs in Punjab not only continues unabated but has taken anew tum, for more than a decade, Indian authorities have | been announcing deaths of Sikhs ranging from half a dozen to a score daily. Hardly a day passes without such an announcement. The Indian ruling class has emerged as the most violent and blood thirsty of all ruling classes in the contemporary world. Indications of the violent psyche of the Hindu rulers surfaced years ago when men like Krishan Kant, now governor of Andhra Pradesh, Balram Jakhar, and now. Central Indian minister, and Hans Raj Khanna, a former judge of the Indian supreme court, unabashedly made public announcements or wrote newspaper articles not merely approving but positively asserting the Indian state’s right to kill a few lakhs (of Sikhs) to preserve the unity and integrity of India. Krishan Kant had approvingly quoted the massacre of Communists in Indonesia to bring home his point in relation to Punjab while Khanna had mentioned the number of the deaths in the U.S.A. in support of the Indian unity. Jakhar was even more crude when he said that India would not consider the deaths of “10 million or so people” (equivalent to the total population of Sikhs) as too high a price for India’s unity. All the three gentlemen cited above belong to the different mainstream Indian Hindu dominated political formations. But they represented a remarkable unity of thought. Thus the armed suppression of the Sikh struggle for a separate state of Khalistan had been the central theme of the Indian ruling establishment. Not long ago the then director-general of Punjab police, J.F.Ribiero, had been quoted as saying that he had been asked to massacre a whole lot of Sikhs in one go but he had declined to do so “because I do not want to go down in history as the butcher of Punjab.” No wonder, the killings were then undertaken at a measured pace. It ranged from half a dozen to a score daily. The result is that lakhs of Sikh families in Punjab and elsewhere are directly affected. There is no end to the deadly drama. Since the Indian state has resolved to treat the Sikh struggle for Khalistan as “terrorism and a threat to law and order, the elimination of not only those who look up arms but also their close relations and friends is the target. It is difficult to keep a count of the dead in Punjab. Three human rights groups of Punjab in a joint statement published elsewhere in this issue have assessed the number to be 1 lakh but have asked the U.N. to organize a proper census with a view to provide relief to the affected families and to put an end to the genocide of Sikhs, The human rights groups have sent a memorandum to the U.N. secretary general making outa case for the intervention on the part of the world organization. These and many other human rights groups in Punjab are doing a good job of bringing to the world’s notice the atrocities being committed by the Indian state in Punjab. But the world organization is unlikely to pay heed to their cry unless the countries like the United States, Germany, France and Japan are approached and convinced about the need to break free from their narrow business or political interests vis-à-vis India, Any talk of declaring Pakistan’s a “terrorist state” shows the bankruptcy of the sections of the U.S. administration in the face of India’s aggression ‘on Sikhs and other minorities. In fact, what is required is that India should be declared a “terrorist state” and subjected to international economic sanctions, Further initiative must come from Amnesty International, Asia Watch and similar other human rights groups. Entry of these groups into Punjab has been barred for years. Producing mere reports on Punjab is no longer relevant. What is required is a concerted effort by these groups to address President Clinton and heads of other countries respectful of human rights to put combined pressure on India to hold its soiled hands. Any delay in taking up the issue means the murders of several hundred more innocent Sikh youths, their parents and close relations.
We take this opportunity of earnestly appealing to members of the US. Senate and Congress to realize the gravity of the matter. They should send presentations not to the Indian government but to the US. President and other heads of government likely to heed their voice. The Indian government is totally immune to pleas by leaders of public opinion. Pressure, not pleas, will work with Indian government. Indian leaders are hypocrites and liars. No more time need be wasted on making appeals to them.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 26, 1993
