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Open Letter Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien The Prime Minister

Ottawa

Re: Human Rights Violation in India Dear Prime Minister:

It has become a regular exercise to write to your government about violation of Sikh human rights in Punjab and elsewhere in India, Unfortunately in the past our petitions have been failed to convince your government regarding gross violence of human rights and inhumane treatment to political prisoners by world’s so called largest democracy. Heartened by your stand to the execution of Ken Sarowiwa and right others by the Nigerian military junta and keeping in view your forthcoming business trip to India we have decided to write to you again, First of all we write about Jaswant Singh Khalra, General secretary of the Human Rights wing of Akali Dal, the Sikh political party, Mr. Khalrais a well-known human rights activist and a lawyer, Last April he had visited Canada and met with a number of members of parliament in Ottawa. He was abducted by the police from his house at 9:15 am On September 6, 1995 and has not ben science, In spite of Supreme Court the highest court of law of India’s intervention; Punjab police has never produced him in the court. In January 1995, Mr, Khalra was instrumental in filing a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court concerning the deaths of thousands of unidentified individuals. The petitioners, the Human Rights Wing, produced records from the cremation grounds in Amritsar district showing how several hundred “unclaimed” bodies have been cremated during 1992 and alleged that many. of these were individuals who had “disappeared” following their arrest by Punjab police and whose fate was unknown, Mr. Khalra was reportedly threatened by a senior member of the Punjab police, S.S.P, Ajit Singh Sandhu, who stated that it “was easy to make one more disappear.” Amnesty International has reproduced the above as ‘Urgent Action’ report under the heading “Fear of Disappearance/Fear of Torture” dated September 7, 1995. Mr. Khalra has not been charged (assuming he is alive) with any ‘Offence or brought before the court of law till the time of writing this letter.

‘The worrying aspect of Mr, Khalra saga is that it is not an isolated incident. In Punjab such cases are legion; in another incident legs were torn apart by tying them to two different police vehicles and pulled them in opposite directions. He was the driver of Baba Charan Singh a religious leader, every other day police groups raid ordinary Citizens houses during mid-night in the guise of bandits, terrorists and abduct male members of the house without ‘any warrants. They are tortured like Mr. Khalra, detained illegally or eliminated at the wishes of state police. To back this up, on December 07, 1995 sons of Mr. Gurdey Singh Kaunke former chief of AKAL TAKHAT the highest seat of temporal authority for Sikhs. Who was eliminated in police custody during 1993 were abducted by Ludhiana police and later on denied their abduction. Duce to abnormal pressure from people the young lads were released but one on bail.

Indian constitution and the Indian Penal and Criminal Procedure Codes do provide safeguards against unacknowledged detention. But these are of little us in practice, In such cases and particularly in cases of “disappearances” cases brought before the courts move extremely slowly and the police blatantly defy habeas corpus writs and other Judicial process, Another aggravating factors that the Premier of Punjab Mr. Harcharan singh Brar and Director General of Punjab Police Mr.K.P,S. Gill always work hand in glove, Indeed Mr. Gill is the political overlord in the state and is responsible for thousands of extrajudicial killings.

You are to be commended for your categorical condemnation of the Nigerian government on recent killings and for your support for Nigeria’s expulsion from the Commonwealth. During your forthcoming visit to world’s largest democracy, in like vein, we urge you to intercede with the Indian authorities to ensure ‘That Mr. Jaswant Singh Khalra is released forthwith; alliteratively that he its brought before the courts and charged, That state sponsored terror in Punjab, Kashmir and other parts of India should immediately be stopped. Since you are leading a large team to India for investment purpose we strongly feel that it is the right time to remind you that any Canadian external policy or agreement or investment in India must be inspired by a Nobol moral purpose, and that Canadian short-term economic interests should never prevail over Human lives, Canada Deing o champion of Human Rights, you may please consider linking every agreement signed with Government of India ‘with correcting their human rights record. Let us show our concerns towards every human life on the earth, Let us make loud and clear that un abaied human rights violation and suppression of minorities can no longer be tolerated in the new world order.

Gurdev Singh Gill, Coordinator THRO North America.

Article extracted from this publication >>  January 10, 1996