JALANDHAR: As political parties Brar up to choose winning candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, a section of the now dormant extremist movement in Punjab appears to see in the
4n opportunity to legitimize their movement and make it relevant once again.
Sometime ago the Ludhiana based International Human Rights Organization (IHRO) known for taking up Cases of police atrocities on Sikh extremists, suggested some names for the forthcoming elections, who, they felt, would protect human rights. Among the candidates are the names of Jagtar Hawara, main accused in the Beant Singh assassination case (Ludhiana), Nachattar Singh Rode, ‘who has undergone a life sentence for the murder of Lala Jagat Narian (Faridkot) and Harinder Singh Khalsa, a former ambassador to Norway and the right hand man of Amrik Singh of the AISSF (Bhatinda).
‘A signed statement by chairperson of the IHRO D.S, Gill said that the main issue during these elections in Punjab would be restoration of human rights versus the “enforcement of graveyard peace,” and had called upon the people to vote for those candidates who would promote human rights and “oppose the unabated Stale repression let loose on its people for the last decade.
Among other candidates suggested are the wife of Amrik Singh the AISSF president, for the Ferozepur parliamentary constituency, Khulbir Kaur wife of Kanwar Singh Dhami of the Akali Federation (Sangrur) and Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of Jaswant Singh Khalra, the Akali Dal human rights activist (Tam Taran).
When asked to comment on the choice of extremist elements as candidates, Gill said that although there is a purely a political organization, we would support the candidature of these nominees from outside.”
When asked why they have suggested Hawara’s name who has been accused of masterminding Beant Singh’s assassination, he said, “we chose him for the Ludhiana seat be ‘cause just before we released our state~ ment, there was talk that K_P.S, Gill ‘would stand for the Ludhiana seat and in the circumstances we felt that Hawara would be the best candidate to counter him.”
“We hold Beant Singh and KP.S. Gill responsible for brutalizing the democratic system and for trampling over human rights and Harcharan Singh Brar and O.P, Sharma are the heirs of their legacy, for us the Congress and the BJP are the same for they stand for the same values, therefore our suggestions are directed at the Akalis in particular,” he added.
As intelligence agencies ponder over these developments, it is relevant to note that the political aspirations of the extremist stream among the Sikhs finds mention in a policy paper seized from the militants last year, Besides an in-depth introspection on the reasons for the failure of the movement, the paper reflects some rethinking on the boycott of elections by the extremists in 1992.
It says that on having a fresh look at past incidents, when we assess the damage to the Sikh militant struggle as a result of the boycott, it seems that participation in polls would have been 8 “better bargain.”
With the moderate Akalis hoping to reap electoral dividends on the plank of Hindu Sikh unity, the extremist’s stream of thought stands virally isolated. They do realize as their paper indicates that although the “traditional Akalis are not to be trusted,” but it is necessary for the militant movement to formulate a strategy based on divergent view but a combination of Cooperation and opposition with them.
Among the other names suggested by the IHRO, are Kuldip Nayyar from Amritsar, Barjhinder Singh Hamderd from Jalandhar, Kanshi Ram from Ropar, Harbhajan Singh Lakh, from Philluar, Simranjit Singh Mann from Patiala and Justice Ajit Singh Bains from Hoshiarpur.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 27, 1996
