STOCKTON: Two Sikh youths Bhai Ranjit S. Gill and Bhai Sukhvinder S. Sandhu have been languishing in a detention facility in New York for three years. They were arrested on now known to be false charges on May 14, 1987 in New Jersey.

The arrest followed a diplomatic note from India alleging the involvement of the two in the Gen Vaidya murder conspiracy and the murder of Lalit Maken. The Gen executed Operation Bluestar and Maken incited mobs to attack Sikhs in 1984.

These charges have been proved baseless even in Indian courts several times over. In the Vaidya case two other Sikh youth Bhai Harjinder Singh and Bhai Sukhdev Singh have been held guilty and awarded the death sentence.

Bhai Ranjit Singh is general secretary of the AISSF and Bhai Sukhvinder Singh a senior member. Both have brilliant academic records,

According to sources in India the two were victims of a well-planned Govt strategy to defame Sikhs especially in the west. This may be borne out by a curious twist in the court proceedings here. The trial was vitiated when the Indian Govt attorney Judy Russel mailed threatening letters to herself and the judge but said they were from Sikhs.

These two prisoners of conscience area high profile example of India are brutal handling of Sikhs. But for the valiant efforts of the Sikhs here, the two would have been extradited to India and killed without trial in a fake encounter.

Amnesty International too has filed a brief on their behalf but no avail so far. They still face extradition to India.

Gurcharan S. Dhillon, president WSO USA has in a statement urged all Sikhs to support the two young men and in doing so further the cause of Khalistan. In holding these Sikh freedom fighters, the US Govt was going against its own principles in supporting a repressive regime. He said the US Govt believed a fabricated story proven so time and again by Indian courts.

Didar Singh Bains the founder president of WSO made a similar appeal and urged Sikhs to be vigilant against Indian machinations

Jagjit Singh Mangat, President of the Sikh Cultural Society, Richmond Hill, NY said, “In the last three years I have come to know Sukhi and Kuki very well. On the numerous occasions I met them they have been always in Chardi Kala and always concerned about others rather than themselves.

The Sikh Cultural Society has been supporting them from the day they were apprehended by the FBI and we will continue to do so till these freedom fighters can live in freedom.

“We appreciate the role of Mary Pike, William Kunstler and Ronald Kuby who have defended Ranjit Singh and Sukhminder Singh,” he added.

Ronald Kuby, who is defending the respondents in a message to World Sikh News said, “Their courage and perseverance during three years of illegal and unjust imprisonment serves to vindicate the highest and noblest tenants of the Sikh people; courage in the face of injustice and perseverance in the face of oppression.”

Article extracted from this publication >> May 18, 1990