The Indian propaganda machine is not tired of proclaiming to the world that India is the largest democracy in the world and that democracy 1s the bond that unites India and the USA. The WSN, on the other hand, has been pleading with the U.S, and other western public opinion makers that India’s democracy is spurious and that, in reality, it is a smokescreen for a fascist state. In Punjab, Kashmir, Assam and a few other states in so called democracy stands exposed with these states being run by India’s armed forces through undemocratic and dictatorial laws. The result is these states are virtual police states where human rights are being violated daily with impunity. So much so that well known international human rights organizations are being kept at bay to cover up the misdeeds of India’s security forces. A pretense of democracy was provided in Punjab with the armed forces organizing rigged elections in which hardly 20% of the state’s population took part, Most of the Punjab voters who voted for mostly pro-police candidates were Punjabi Hindus, A puppet regime headed by Beant Singh was installed by India. This regime is being used to repress Sikhs in general and the pro Khalistan movement activists in particular. Almost all known wings of democracy such as judiciary and the magistracy have been marginalized in Punjab. Not long ago, the Ropar district police had committed an unbearable atrocity when it picked up an advocate known for his advocacy of Khalistan militants, his wife and their 18 month old son and killed all of them in cold blood to palm off the crime to militants. Thousands of lawyers in Punjab and Haryana on a strike to protest against the police highhandedness, But India as a State repress by Beant Singh flatly refused even a judicial enquiry to know the truth behind their murder about which the advocates as a Class had absolutely no doubt. The puppet minister maintained parrot like that the Ropar advocate was a “terrorist” and that the police action was justified not only against him but also against his wife and their infant son. That was indeed the sum and substance of the chief minister’s attitude with Indian state’s might behind its puppet, the advocates were striking their head against the wall. The advocates were strike eventually failed. It is indeed a pity that not many in the U.S.A and other western countries took any notice of the issues behind the advocates’ strike. On the heels of the advocates’ strike has now come the Punjab Civil Services officers’ strike, just as the advocates focused their grievances against the police, the civil magistracy has also which lighted the same phenomenon. It is no ordinary happening. A whole class of officers who function as judges in administering certain laws such as the notorious anti-terrorist law have been on strike because two of their members were framed up by the Jalandhar district police on charges of corruption, arrested and humiliated. The P.C.S, Officers Association is of the view that the charges are merely a cover up and the real intention of the police is to demoralize members of this service so that they do not resist the police: demands in future. The police normally puts up papers before P.G.S. officers without actually producing Sikh militants to get police remand for them, Whatever little judicial safety is provided by the wholly unacceptable, fascist law is thus taken away in practice by the police in connivance with officers of the P.C.S. service. But the police does not see an end to its arbitrary ways, it presumably wants these magistrates to come to the police offices to grant police remand to Sikh political suspects. Several P.C.S. officers, now I the thick of struggle against the police, have fairly admitted that they in the past had been a party to the arbitrary ways of the police and now had directed their members not to concede to the police what is not its due in terms of the law. The Indian state’s behavior towards issues underlying the P.C.S. police tussle is along the predicted lines. Its nominee in Punjab, the puppet chief minister, has lent his full weight behind the police and against P.CS. Officers, Indian prime minister’s silence is a clear proof of acceptance of Beant’s stand vis-à-vis the current controversy. It has been repeatedly made out by several human rights groups in Punjab that the wrongdoing by India’s armed forces has the fullest support of the Indian prime minister who is no better than an ordinary criminal. The same is true of his puppet in Punjab. They actually goad the police to commit crimes against Sikhs and Kashmiris and others fighting for their human rights, The P.C.S. police controversy not only reveals the true credentials of India’s prime minister and his puppet in Punjab but throws light on the nature of India’s state which is anything but democratic.
Our plea with organs of public opinion in the U.S.A. and other western countries is to give a close look to the issues underlying the current controversy between the magistracy; the police in Punjab. They should lend support to the magistracy if they want to strengthen democratic institutions in India, otherwise, another organ of democracy in India will go under in the same way as advocates were defeated a few weeks ago. The least the public opinion makers in the west should do is to stop referring to India as the democracy in the world.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 27, 1993
