CHANDIGARH: The Babbar Khalsa International announced that it had killed M.L. Manchanda an engineer of All India Radio” to serve as a warning to the Indian authorities against ignoring (he militant demands regarding introduction of Punjabi as the sole language for the A.I.R. and Doordarshan in Punjab.”
The police confirmed the death while the B.K.I gave details of the killing. It said Manchandas body had been thrown near Mehmdipur village along Rajpure-Ambala highway while his head had been dumped near the Haryana government-run King Fisher tourist resort at Ambala as originally threatened by the militant outfit when Manchanda was abducted by them.
The B.K.I in a release explained why it had killed Manchanda. The decision it said was “painful.” “The Indian government compelled us to do so. It did not even care to issue a statement on the demands made by the B.K.I” The militant outfit said the Indian government had no love lost for its executives and did not raise a little finger to save Manchanda “It was different if a relation of a minister had been detained by us.”
The B.K.I. also justified is action vis-a-vis the issue of human rights. Its statement was at pains addressing the human rights bodies which had asked the militant out fit to spare the life of Manchanda.
The B.K.I warn of a series of massacres of Hindus which would ensue in the event of the Punjab police eliminating any of the militants relations held captive by the Punjab government. It also warned Punjab university authorities as well as the Punjab government officers not to put up hurdles in the way introduction of Punjabi. A spokesman of Punjab Human Rights Organization deplored the Manchanda killing as reprehensible. He said serious matters of policy could not be enforced through killing officials A innocent person who had nothing to do with framing of the anti-Punjabi policy of the Indian authorities had been done away with. No amount of the explanation by B.K.I could justify its action. The P.H.R.O. at the same time asked the Punjab government authorities not to harm any of the relations held captive by the police.
The police action against innocent relations of militants the P.H.R.O. said complicated matters The police should have played a wiser role of helping human rights groups to secure the official unharmed. Instead it provoked the militants into an unwise act.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 5, 1992
