Dear Editor:
In a letter published in India Abroad (April,4/86) under the heading “Casting Out Violence” Mr. Romesh Khardori has taken exception to the action of the congregation of Sikh Gurdwara of Richmond Hill, Queens, unanimously debarring those members of the old managing committee from holding any office for next five years who had reportedly resorted to the closure of the Gurdwara on Feb, 22, 1985 in order to exclude 491 of the participants from exercising their right to participate in the elections.
This has no relevance to the peaceful settlement of disputes and by no stretch of imagination can it be construed as tantamount to promoting a cult of violence.
Sikhs abhor violence as much of Indira or Rajiv pattern which perpetrated atrocities and tortures resulting in the innocent killing of thousands of men, women and children in the Golden Temple and in the streets of Delhi and other cities of the Country as any other community and they do not believe in senseless killing of innocent persons. Most of the trouble in Punjab continues because of misinformation and wrong information by the media and the publishing letters aligning the Sikh community is unfortunate.
I wonder what remedy will Mr. Romesh and others of his ilk suggest when the State does not take any action and encourages the police and the guardians of law and order to resort to unlawful actions which he can read in the booklet “Oppression In Punjab” since banned by the Government of India.
Sincerely, Amarjit S. Buttar Vernon, CT
Article extracted from this publication >> April 25, 1986
