That Indian Prime Minister V P Singh’s first trip should be to visit Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar sought to signal the new government’s break with the past. It was a good gesture which will have to be backed with concrete steps.

He spoke of the “healing touch” which was needed in Punjab. The wounds, inflicted by the previous regime, are very deep and while such gestures may sooth them, much more is needed to heal them. The entire Sikh nation has had to face humiliation and hardship. The need is not placating a few leaders.

The people at the helm are different and hopefully better, but they swear by the same constitution and share the same history. While the new government, unlike Rajiv’s regime, does not have any obvious personal vendetta against the Sikhs, shares the same Hindu ethos. A report last week showed that extra judicial killings continue.

It is ironic that the Congress I itself is a victim of the resurgence of Hindu fundamentalism which it adroitly used. It was not seen as Hindu enough. The BJP’s electoral gains have given it the power to be a king maker. This balance of power in the hands of a party which seeks to abolish constitutional safeguards of the minorities is disturbing and may undercut the good intentions of V.P. Singh. The squabbling within the power groups which comprise the government may deny it long term internal stability.

It would now be necessary for the community to exercise greater vigilance and to be wary of overtures by the authorities who have a history of betrayal. The cause for which so many lives have been sacrificed should not and cannot be used as a mere pawn on the negotiation table.

The new regime and the Indian people owe it to the Sikh community to:

  1. Proffer an unconditional apology for the attack on the Harmandir Sahib in June 1984 and punish those police and army officers who killed innocent Sikhs, as reported by Associated Press at that time.
  2. Release and provide compensation and employment to Sikhs who had left their army units following the attack.
  3. Prosecute all those, including Rajiv Gandhi and H.K.L. Bhagat, responsible for the killings of the Sikhs in New Delhi and other cities in November 1984, as well as those who were responsible for antiSikh carnages subsequently in Bidar and Jammu to name a few examples.
  4. Withdraw all the draconian internal security measures which suspend the basic civil rights such as the TADA.
  5. Release all Sikh political prisoners and punish police officials like Gobind Ram, guilty of the rape, torture and murder.
  6. Declare a general amnesty for political prisoners including Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh. The government should also withdraw cases and extradition requests against Ranjit Singh Gill and Sukhminder Singh as well as Gajjan Singh and the other so called hijackers held in Lahore jail.

These are not concessions but what is due to the Sikhs. The Sikhs seek sovereignty. The rulers in India have to recognize it.

The people of Punjab have given approval to the freedom movement. The Sikh leaders have to keep up the confidence of the nation and lead it to freedom.

Article extracted from this publication >>  December 15, 1989