The Rajiv regime’s attempt to frame the former police officer Simiran Jit Singh Mann for allegedly conspiring to assassinate Indira Gandhi is a mischievous move which is a perversity of Justice.
Latest newspaper reports suggest that the government is in the process of filing a charge sheet against the former inspector general of Police, S. Simiranjit Singh Mann for his alleged role in the so called conspiracy to kill Indira Gandhi. The charge sheet is said to be based on a “confession” given by Atinder Pal Singh who was arrested by the police some time age.
Confessions are routinely extracted by the police from innocent people by torture and forgery. They do not stand scrutiny of courts. In India courts do not accept any confession made to the police, only one made to a magistrate. In fact Justice A N Mulla of the Allahabad High Court had in one of his judgment noted that if there is any gang of organized criminals in India it is known by the name of Indian Police.
Atinder Pal Singh was in police custody before Bhai Satwant Singh and Bhai Kehar Singh were hanged by the vengeful authorities. It is hardly surprising that the authorities did not file the charge sheet then. They are doing it after the judicial murder of Bhai Satwant Singh and Bhai Kehar Singh who. were hanged in spite of the fact that Bhai Satwant Singh asked for permission of testify against the Indo Tibetian Border Policemen who had killed Bhai Beant Singh and injured him. As yet no charges have been filed against them and no action is likely to be taken now that the main witness has been hanged.
Bhai Kehar Singh was hanged on very flimsy evidence in spite of protests by human rights organizations the world over. Important witness was not allowed to testify at the trail.
Indian authorities are obsessed with conspiracy theories. They do not understand that the way Mrs. Gandhi hurt the feelings of the Sikhs by attacking the Golden Temple and killing of thousands of Sikhs there in June 1984, it was only a matter of time before some Sikhs avenged the desecration.
It was at such a time that S. Simiranjit Singh Mann wrote a letter condemning in no uncertain terms the treatment meted out against the Sikhs by the Central Government. Now the Rajiv regime wants to frame Mann.
For this, he was dismissed from the police force, hunted, forced to go underground, and eventually arrested. He has been in prison since then even though no charges have been made against him.
Just as it seemed that the Supreme Court would ask for his release, thereby forcing the Rajiv regime to set him free, anew stunt has been launched.
Sikhs do not expect any justice in India. There is the draconian special law applicable only in the Punjab for them. Police regularly guns down Sikhs in staged encounters, preventive detention laws have allowed the regime to detain Sikhs since 1984 without any charges against them and Sikhs are legally held guilty unless they can demonstrate their innocence.
In such a scenario Sikhs do not see any justice in India. We call on the international community to recognize this unending cycle of injustice and persecution against the Sikhs. The only way Sikhs will be able to stop the unjustified persecution against them and get any justice in their homeland will be the establishment of a sovereign state of Khalistan there.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 24, 1989
