By: Balbir Singh Sooch
The recent Panchayat Polls in Punjab and lawlessness on part of the State Administration has left deep wounds on the rural psyche. The people witnessed the effect of a decadent State’s repression. While some political groups strengthened themselves, the others were left weak and ineffective.
With the advent of present Congress regime, the State repression has multiplied. The Police, by resort to unlawful powers has created so much terror in the minds of ‘rural people that they look upon it as a fearsome monster ever ready to devour them. It is beyond expectation that Police would shed its Wantonness in the near future, because it would continuously be misused for furthering the interest of Political parties and persons at the helm. Only with backing can the administration pursue its nefarious designs of the holding the people ransom. The Police cannot be answerable to those people, who feel safe only under the shadow Police bayonets but pretend themselves as restorers of democracy.
State repression has affected the relations between the Political parties and masses, directly and indirectly. Some people have tied to come closer to the Police touts (informers) not for love but with the expectation that the later could save them from Police atrocities. Because of disunity, unclear hybrid policy, the Akalis have rendered themselves ineffective in facing the atrocities wrought by the State. In the elections they limited themselves to making press Statements and that too for their survival. This policy could not render any aid to the masses and the people are not happy with their conduct, that was the main reason for the candidates to declare themselves “Independent’ instead of having a label of any Akali Dal.
During these elections, when or whenever the State learned that in such and such place, the “Pro-Sikh Struggle” persons were likely to be elected unanimously, the State threw its administrative and repressive force to ensure that no such person filed their nomination papers, The machinery was authorized to use any measures for the purpose, Such candidates were picked up by the Police on charges of harboring militants and having served them food in their houses. Such candidates were forced to give a written pledge that they would not contest the election, failing which, they were threatened with dire consequences. In several villages, the villagers went on to save themselves from the police wrath for having taken part in the elections. Such candidates, who happened to elude the Police and tried to file nomination papers, were asked by the Police party to obtain a ‘no objection certificate’ from the Police Station, to the effect that they had never harbored any militant. Generally nobody dared to go to the Police Station but unlucky ones who happen to go, were detained at the Police Station under the pretext of obtaining such reports from the District Intelligence Agency. In this way, the candidate was forced to remain in the Police station the time of filing papers expired. There are instances when the winning candidate and his friends were made to flee and the Police enabled the Congress candidate to win. Illiterate and simple rustics had no option but to cast votes to the candidate, pointed out by the Police. The militants did not come into the picture at all.
The rural populace has to face an unabashed bestial police repression. Every hamlet and house has its own tale of woe, and no police man can be taken before the court of law, The Indian Parliament has enacted black laws to punish the Sikhs and has provided protection to the police, Not even the State Government is competent to file a Suitor criminal complaint against any police officer, unless permitted by the Central Government Religious preachers are not immune to police brutality, Take the case of former Akal Takhat Chief, Jathedar Gurdev Singh Kaonke who was killed after consistent brutal torture, only because he was asking the villagers to elect their representatives unanimously and those, with the Panthic character. The Jathedar are owned Sikh religious preacher and had remained the Head of the Supreme seat of Sikhism. The masses are terrified because they know that the killing of Jathedar could not have been carried out without the consent of rilers.
Congress’ modus operandi for hijacking elections before the commencement of the election process, the ministers with their toadies, ruffians and convoys of Police, visited the selected villages and addressed the villagers telling the choice of candidates. The villagers were promised grants-in-aid to the villages, if they voted for the Congress nominees. Exhibiting their strength by an ominous police presence during their tours in the villages, the ministers awed the rural folk and asked them for names of candidates wishing to oppose the “state” candidate. The effect can be imagined. The people went dumb and immediately an announcement ‘was made that the nominee of the Minister had been elected unopposed. It was also made clear to the villagers that the elected Sarpanch would nominate his Panches himself.
In spite of this, some of the villagers, where the populace had the courage to stand as one, and managed to protect their candidate from the Police, the nominees of the ministers were made to lick the dust.
Polling Procedure:
The procedure adopted for conduct polling was highly condemnable, Polling Staff and the Police, in most of the booths, misused their authority to get the Govt sponsored candidate elected. Ballot papers were freely distributed as they did not bear any serial number or the names of any candidate. No ink (what.to say indelible) was used to mark the finger of the voter, Ballots were cast at the behest of the polling staff and the police. Any numbers of ballot papers were available for the asking. In many polling stations, the polling agents or candidates were not allowed to enter the booths to check the polling and the polling staff had a field day. Ballot boxes were filled with fake Papers sponsoring State Nominees. Boxes were kept unlocked and anybody could see shameful acts of the polling staff.
The success of few non-Government sponsored candidates can be attributed mainly to their personal influence, steadfastness, good character, honesty and because of the respect in their villages, these are the candidates who had storically faced every calamity and had not deserted the villagers when the people needed succor.
Money and Liquor in bid to induce voters Money and intoxicants too, played their roll during the election. Liquor is a great weakness of the rural folk; they forget themselves under its influence and get exploited by the opportunist rich. However in some villages the women folk made it known that they would not vote for any candidate who exploited their menfolk by distributing liquor. In several villages, the candidates succumbed and stopped supplying liquor. If all women opt for this method, they can probably stop the use of liquor in the elections.
It is a well-known fact that the rural Sikhs have no softcover for the Congress, still the Congress has succeeded to get its nominated Sarpanches and Panches elected in several places. By using uncivilized methods and Chanakya’s divide and rule policy, the Congress party seeks to create its cells in the villages. But the alleged restoration of Democracy at the root level is certainly a mirage. These elections have made a laughing stock of the ‘Lok Raj’ and broken the spine of the so-called democracy. Their harmful effect on the country’s economic and political structure will be felt very soon.
A popular feeling which ran in the minds of rural people was they should you foreperson, who could protect them from police tyranny.
Some villagers preferred the police touts who had been close to the Tyrant Police and these villagers expected that the touts would be able to help them, in case they are tyrannized. The Akalis did not dare to visit the Police Stations to rescue the villagers from the clutches of the police. During the carnage and incessant tyranny by the Police, the villagers were helped by the police touts, ruling party men and obtained monetary and political benefits from the State, and when they any militant got killed because of the passing on of information about the presence of such militant al some place.
The defeated Candidates can have no justice from the State machinery due to provisions of the Punjab Gram Panchayats Act. Only some designated officials can hear the complaints. In other words, the complaints about the” lawlessness in the Panchayat Elections can be heard only by those officials who are themselves party to the committed mischief at the behest of their superiors i.e. the ministers. It should not be expected that they would give a ruling against those Sarpanches/ Panches who had unlawfully been declared elected by the very same machinery. On the contrary, it is possible that the elected members from the opposition may be dislodged in favor of Congress candidates by obtaining complaints. No writ petition can succeed in the High Count without any documentary evidence collected by the bureaucracy. It is fact that the State would not complete the enquiries against its candidates during the five years term fore goes through the Punjab Gram Panchayat Act thoroughly he comes to the conclusion that the Panchayats are formed to help the State Government and not for the benefit/welfare of the village voters. The makeshift government (formed with only 9% voices) in order to show its credibility, put up its stooges as candidates and got them elected by using underhanded methods. No one is answerable for the biggest fraud of the decade. However, a pseudo democracy has been restored at the root level.
Some conscious people and Sroups have raised an alarm against the illegal, high handed and immoral acts of official power that the daily press has reported, These people have brought the facts to the notice of International Agencies and democratic organizations that they may take note of the murder of basic democracy in Punjab and try to pressure India’s So-called democrats, socialistic and republicans to adhere to the norms of the U.N. Charter. The wide powers given to the Police for keeping the people under the thumbs of the rulers by hook or crook, are a forerunner for the coming times when no well Wisher of his constituents or the of the Sikh Nation would be allowed t0 occupy any post of importance while the cadre based Akalis would be encouraged to fight among themselves. Will the Akalis, ever ponder over it? Sardar Balbir Singh Sooch is an Advocate and the Secretary of Sikh Vichar Manch in Punjab (India).
Article extracted from this publication >> February 12, 1993
